Breaking the Vicious Cycle: No More Menstruation Taboos

With cultural productions, and products not based on regressive ideas, period politics is changing the way we think.

A panel from Menstrupedia. (Courtesy: Mentrupedia’s Facebook page)

From Rahul Baba’s relentless rant to a consolation prize of #despitebeingawoman, faux feminism is the new black. But for all the lip service, coupled with the attempt of Nari Shakti on a rained-in parade, there are some that are making a difference, from the source, literally.

Enter Menstrupedia

“I know where my lungs are, I know where my heart is. But where are my ovaries?” asks Aditi Gupta, founder of Menstrupedia, an educational comic book crafted to present the information about menstruation in a way that is not only easy to understand but also sensitive towards the taboo nature of the subject.

Aditi broached the topic as speaker TEDxGatewayWomen event on the 29th of May. “Most girls think they are dying from a blood disease when they get their period. At school, the chapter of reproduction is skipped and at home we are told not to tell anyone.”

Dooms day looms large for women all over the world. Aditi narrates her experiences of resorting to using cloth which had to be washed and stored in a dark, damp and grimy corner of the bathroom. While across the world, Miki Agarwal discovered a 12-year-old girl in rural Africa who wasn’t going to school because it was her, “week of shame”.

Magic Period Underwear

“We discovered that 100 million girls around the world miss school just because they lack the sanitary supplies they need to manage their periods,” says Veronica Del Rosario, Chief Panty Pusher at Thinx.

“That’s when the innovative idea of magic period underwear came about and BOOM, THINX was born.”

Made to be a back up to tampons or menstrual cups, some women even opt to use it as a replacement on a lighter day. Aditi lauds the new innovation, “I am a fan girl of THINX. The more taboos we break, the more progress we make,” she says excitedly.

“Every pair of THINX has a top layer that wicks all liquid into the über thin absorption layer right beneath it, so that you feel super dry. This way, you can wear them all day long .No, you don’t have to change them during the day, no, they don’t feel like diapers, and no, it’s not like sitting in your own blood,” says Veronica.

Period Politics and the World

Period politics have been gory all over the world recently, Rupi Kaur, A photographer forced Instagram to backtrack on its decision to delete a photo of a woman on her period after campaigning on social media. While in Australia government bowed to pressure and took the first step to end a controversial sales tax on women’s sanitary products, a day after a student carrying a giant tampon confronted the treasurer on television with a petition demanding change.

“People asked me, why I was suddenly talking about it. Even the coolest people at my school squirmed in their seats,” says Aditi evoking the reactions when she launched Menstrupedia initially as a college project. “It’s not sudden,” she adds emphatically, “it is part of how all of us exist!”

Sofy, a sanitary napkin company recently released videos aimed at changing the popular term, “I’m down”. Rehearsed to look real, nonetheless, the videos send out a solid message, telling women not to associate sadness, discomfort and moreover secrecy to that time of the month.

“We aim to educate people about their bodies and what they’re going through during the entire monthly cycle. Knowledge is power, and taboos come from ignorance, so it’s 100% the best way to eliminate shame for girls,” says Veronica.