A triathlete has proudly defended a photograph showing her bleeding through her swimsuit while on her period, saying the image is a representation of ‘true female sport’.
Emma Pallant-Browne competed in the Professional Triathletes Organisation’s (PTO) European Open triathlon in Ibiza, Spain, on 19 May, which just so happened to coincide with her time of the month.
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A photo posted on Instagram by PTO showed Pallant-Browne in action mid-race, wearing a pink and blue swimsuit as she ran along the road.
While not obvious on first glance, it’s possible to see a small bloodstain around her crotch after the British athlete bled through her clothing.
The image soon went viral after it was shared last week, dividing the internet as some praised the choice to post it, while others argued it was unsightly.
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“Not the most flattering pic of @em_pallant – surely you could crop it a bit better,” one person commented.
But Pallant-Browne isn’t too fussed – on the contrary.
Responding on her own Instagram feed, she said it was totally ‘natural’ and simply illustrated the ‘unglamorous reality’ of sport.
She wrote: “Humbled by the amount of messages I’ve had from both men and women (I am going to give menstrual cups another go) about the unglamorous reality of racing on your period.
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“This is true female sport and the more barriers we can break through the better.”
Palant-Browne continued: "For context (and hopefully this answers many questions): I raced in a swimsuit because I over heat and pass out in hot races, on my period my body temp is also higher.
“I have a full length suit for the cooler races in dark colours but the light colours we were experimenting with for the cooling effect. It is dark at the bottom and at the back but my bike position has changed and now I roll more forward (lesson learnt for next years suit design).
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“A lot of the photos you can’t see anything, pouring water over yourself at aid stations does the trick and if it doesn’t you end up with one photo like this but the idea to edit it means there is something wrong with it.
“If you wrote to me saying 99% of the women you know would be mortified at this then that is exactly why I am sharing this, because there really is nothing wrong.
“It’s natural and coming from eating issues as an endurance runner when I was growing up where I didn’t have my period, I now see it as beautiful.
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“So if you have a photo like this, save it, cherish it, remember how you performed on a tough day because one day you might just be able to help someone else with it.”
Topics: Health, Sport, Social media
Jess Hardiman