2023
Side Effects
This piece was made for the open call of Tenderness Press. The theme was period pain.
I have always suffered from very painful menstruation, often fainted or vomited because my body couldn’t handle it. My illustration captures the stress of not having your period on time, the cramps and the pills you have to take to escape them.
The calendar in the background is quite a mess, it describes my relationship with period calendars, as I have never been able to predict the timing of my menstruation. I had several visits to the pharmacy, praying to God that I am not with child.
It is often said that it’s painful and uncomfortable to have your period, but it also allows you to give birth, which is said to be a blessing.
But what if you don’t want to be a mother and you still have to suffer the side effects?