A mum has sparked fierce debate after revealing her children paint with her menstrual blood.
Jasmine Alicia Carter, founder of Sacred Woman and the ‘Menstrual Art Movement’, regularly uses her menstrual blood to create intricate artwork. But it’s a recent video showing her children joining in that’s dividing opinion online.
“My boys were conceived in blood, held in blood, nourished by blood, and brought into this world through blood,” Jasmine wrote.
“They grew up watching their mama paint with it every month. To them there is absolutely nothing strange about that. Their whole school knows, the teachers knows, friends and families know.”
Supporters say she’s helping break down the stigma surrounding menstruation and encouraging children to see it as a natural part of life. Critics, however, argue involving children crosses a line.
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“For you to paint with it is one thing, that’s fine. But letting your kids play with your blood, no matter where it came from, is gross and unsafe,” one commenter wrote.
Another said: “Imagine being so desperate for relevance that you block anyone pointing out actual medical facts. Playing with and painting with bodily fluids is nasty, unsanitary, and a literal biohazard.”
A third added: “I’m not sure she realises that blood is probably the best medium to grow bacteria in… Unless she has a way to sterilise her blood she’s exposing herself and her children to unnecessary risk.”
However, Jasmine has defended allowing her children to paint with her menstrual blood, saying many people misunderstand what a biohazard actually is.
“A biohazard refers to a potential infectious risk in certain contexts and is not an inherent property of a substance,” she wrote.
“For a healthy woman, menstrual blood is a normal biological fluid from a healthy reproductive process. It is not simply ‘waste,’ nor is it automatically dangerous because it is menstrual blood.
“My practice has always been grounded in respect, education and proper hygiene.”
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Australian health authorities advise treating blood and other body fluids with caution because they can carry bloodborne viruses in some circumstances. While menstrual blood isn’t automatically infectious, standard infection control advice recommends avoiding unnecessary contact with another person’s blood, particularly where it could come into contact with broken skin or mucous membranes.
The video has divided parents, with many saying they support challenging menstrual stigma but feel involving children takes the idea too far.
What do you think? Is this simply an unconventional way to teach children about periods, or does it cross the line?
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