Israeli Bar Offers Discount To Women On Their Periods

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By Jenny Singer October 30, 2017

Women spend roughly 25% of their time menstruating, a fact which alone should be enough to grant them monthly financial reparations from their governments. Never mind the fact that women are encouraged to pretend their periods don’t exist (the equivalent of pretending you don’t have a heavy, week-long bloody nose, if your nose could gestate human life). Never mind the fact that in America, tampons and pads are taxed as a “luxury product” which means that a person who menstruates may spend several thousand dollars in her life to silently fund her luxuriously contracting uterus. If 5-8 days of shedding uterine lining onto an arcane paper-based technology is less than pleasant, the culture around periods makes things even worse.

And yet, when times are dark and innovation necessary, Israel is there.

Image by Facebook Screenshot

“We are proud and excited to launch ‘Happy Hour’s’ new, lively sister — Bloody Hour! A happy hour for days of menstruation” proclaimed Tel Aviv’s Anna Loulou bar last week. The bar will offer thirsty menstruaters a 25% discount on their bill four nights a week. “How does it work? It’s based on trust. Just like that,” proclaims the Anna Loulou Facebook page. “We believe you! You come to the bar, say you are on your period/flow/cycle —(every one with their own definition —- and….that’s it!”

The idea was the brainchild (bloodchild) of Moran Barir and Dana Etgar. “There is no platform for addressing the subject of menstruation and there’s no legitimacy in the public sphere for discussing it without people immediately going, ‘Ick, why are you talking about that?’” Barir told Haaretz.

The Facebook post announcing the promotion has received many shares, likes, and comments. “Manstruation counts?” wrote one man.

So far, no response.

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

Jenny Singer is a student in the MFA Nonfiction Writing Program at the University of Iowa, a former staff writer at Glamour, and a former writer and editor at the Forward.

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