Last Tuesday was internationally observed as Menstrual Hygiene Day! I'm hoping that if you were on Instagram, you would have seen a post or five about periods. Organisations like Girls of a Feather in Saint Lucia spent the entire month of May educating their followers on periods.
The purpose of Menstrual Hygiene Day is to champion breaking the stigma around periods, educating people on period poverty and other myths around this bodily function women have the pleasure of enduring, on average, 40 years of their lives. YUP! You read that right - FORTY YEARS!
It's surprising that in 2019 many are still disgusted by it or even that many myths are still taken as fact. I'm surprised because though the level of publicity and period positivity is prevalent, talking about periods is still taboo.
Last Tuesday, we saw everyone and their grandmother posting about periods and period poverty. While many of us (including myself, if I'm being honest) have gone back to life without having to speak of periods, there are some organisations that promote period positivity all year round, because period talk is always important.
I met the Founder of Red is the new Green, Deane de Menezes during my year as a Queen's Young Leader. She is one of the sweetest people ever! I even remember when Red is the new Green was rebranding and Deane asked us (QYLs) our opinion on the new logo!
"Red is the new Green strives to reduce the social stigma and economic inequality attached to menstruation through sustainable solutions. We conduct awareness sessions, install sanitary napkin vending machines and educate about safe disposal solutions."
The ethos of Red is the new Green is one where the topic isn't only last week's news, because many females in India (and the world) are victims of period poverty, there are still many myths that need to be debunked and more knowledge delivered to both males and females. If all their work isn't amazing enough, to celebrate MHDay, Red is the new Green held the first ever Period Party in India which was such a success - there were speakers, interactive sessions and so much more happening during the day.
Organisations like Deane's and many others around the world who champion the cause are the reasons why slowly, but surely more people are talking more about 'aunt flo', 'shark week' and any other euphemism given to periods.
Below is a poem from one of the Red is the new Green members, Namrata Bangera:
I was 8 when I was told about menstruation
(I had asked my mom what it meant that my friend's mom was bleeding from her back, and why that meant she was unwell)
I was 10 when I yell at my mother for a drop of blood I find in her bathroom
(It's gross. My dad doesn't like blood. And I know where this blood came from. It's gross)
I was 12 when I got my first period.
(My friends had almost all gotten their period before me. It was like an initiation for a very inconvenient club)
I was 14 when my biology teacher sped read through the "Reproductive Organs" chapter in my 9th grade biology class.
(We're all avoiding eye contact with each other, faking nonchalance but shifting uneasily at our desks)
I was 18 when I found out about the menstrual cup.
(This infuriates me. 6 years of chafing, of loud crackling of plastic wrapping when trying to be discrete, of plastic waste waste waste piling up)
I was 20 when I bought my first menstrual cup.
(I had no roommates, and my first debit card that was not directly linked to my parents’ phones)
I am 22 when my mother asks me to show my menstrual cup to my neighbour. ("They were talking about how to throw away pads in the committee meeting. I told them about you using the cup" There's a note of pride in my mom's voice)
You can follow Red is the new Green on Instagram and Facebook!
More about Deane:
"Deane de Menezes is a 2018 Queen’s Young Leader determined to tackle the stigma around menstruation in India. She is the Founder of Red is the new Green, a project which aims to end the embarrassment felt by women and girls about their periods, while providing eco-friendly solutions to tackling sanitary waste." - https://qyl.ice.cam.ac.uk/about/supporters/deane-de-menezes
Deane is also on the 2019 Forbes 30 under 30 Asia Social Entrepreneurs' list.
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