The Brief » Bleeding

Menstruation happens. Period. For many people it’s a regular occurrence that necessita...

When we’re taught about periods, we’re usually told they’re blood red, end of story. That’s what we expect and on the rare occasions periods are portrayed in pop culture, it’s what we’re shown. But real life is messier than that: we bleed all shades of red, and often some other colors too, depending on where we are in our cycles.

As Coleman describes, “Every woman dreads getting period symptoms when they’re not expecting them, but I never thought I could be fired for it. Getting fired for an accidental period leak was humiliating. I don’t want any woman to have to go through what I did, so I’m fighting back.”

I’m not always proud of the way I handle my period. Realistically, what woman is? I’ve ...