It’s truly alarming that women are forced to hide what is one of the most natural occurrences. Periods have been a substantial burden for women in developing countries for years and so little is done to help them. I remember reading about how women in Venezuela fight over feminine hygiene products and pay an absorbent price for them in the end. It’s reported that “two packs of pads can consume up to a third of a women’s minimum salary, according to a 2018 source.” (https://borgenproject.org/period-poverty-in-venezuela/ (Links to an external site.))
The video is definitely a wake-up call especially because I did not realize that many girls are forced to drop out of school because of their periods. The Pad Project is really educating both men and women on the realities that women face and pulling back the curtain on feminine hygiene.
Its still shocking to me how taboo periods are even in western culture. I was watching a show from the early 2000’s and the female characters were blunt and open about their struggles with their periods and conception but in order to provide “comedic relief,” the male characters would overhear and respond in disgust and anger. This behavior, while funny in a TV show, is so common in today’s social circles. Being a gay man, I have become used to hearing about my friend’s struggles with their periods and it has become normalized to talk about it and deal with it but whenever their boyfriends are around the dynamic changes.
