Welcome to the November 2020 issue of the PAD Monthly Digital Magazine! Check out our social media and let us know what you think of this month's issue!
​
Period Activists at ‘Deis (PAD) fights for menstrual justice and seeks to uplift the voices of all menstruators. We strive to facilitate access to menstrual products and education, dismantle the menstrual stigma, and advocate for policies that protect the rights of menstruators.
​
PAD EXECUTIVE BOARD: Cassady Adams, Sydney Carim, Ilana Feldman, Savannah Jackson, Madison Leifer, Kyla Speizer
3.
THE BEAUTIFUL BROWN PROJECT'S MISSION
By Vishni Samaraweera
and Sanjitha Subramaniam
2.
BREAKING THE TABOO
By Manavi Nag
1.
PERIODS AROUND THE WORLD
By Sydney Carim
5.
PADS IN SCHOOL RESTROOMS (FROM AN AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE)
By The Queen of the South
4.
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT LANGUAGE THE PERIOD EUPHEMISM IS FROM?
By Kyla Speizer
6.
TO BE A WOMAN
By Savannah Jackson
7.
PAD ADVICE COLUMN
PERIODS AROUND THE WORLD
The Price of Periods: Around the World
No one can deny the fact that having a period is costly. From period products, to Advil, to birth control, the expenses add up quickly. However, no menstruator experiences these costs in the same way. External factors, such as access to products, the income of the menstruator, and the tampon tax can make menstruating more or less expensive depending upon location. That leads to the question - where is it most expensive to be a menstruator?
To get to the bottom of this question, I turned to my best friend - Google. It only took a few minutes for me to realize that very little research has been conducted about menstruation, let alone the diverse experiences of menstruators around the world. However, after some digging, I came upon a site that had compiled the price of an individual pad and tampon in various countries across the globe. The price of a single product ranged anywhere from 7 cents to 57 cents, with tampons seeming to be generally more expensive than pads. The data seemed to point to products being much cheaper in the Global South compared to the Global North. However, these prices alone do not actually indicate how expensive the product is - to understand that, the price must be placed within the context of income. This allows the price to be assessed based on its affordability to the menstruator, rather than its face value.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
managing periods: Around the World
To assess affordability, I compiled the median income of each country from the World Population Review, conducted by the US Census Bureau. From there, I calculated what percentage of the menstruator’s annual income must be devoted to period products, with pads being my indicator. By finding the average number of pads used per year, based upon the suggested use of 1 pad every 6 hours and the average 5 day period, I was able to combine this information with pad price and median income to determine where it is most expensive to menstruate. Based upon these calculations, I found that it is actually most expensive to be a menstruator in the Global South (such as in Nepal and Uganda) vs the Global North (such as Switzerland and the U.S.).
The wealth gap between the Global North and Global South, evident in the median incomes of each country, clearly has a large effect on menstruators. The income disparities make it more difficult to obtain single use products in the South, which leads many menstruators to find alternative methods to manage their bleeding. Large structural institutions, such as capitalism and colonization, have brought these disparities into existence through hundreds of years of strategic oppression and inequality. However, the history that has led us to such disparities in access and affordability holds no implication for the future of menstruators around the world. Through the menstrual justice movement, we can work to bring an end to period poverty wherever it may exist, bringing social stigma and structural oppression down with it.
​
​
Below are first hand accounts by menstruators around the world, each detailing the various methods they use to manage their periods. The goal of this article is to bring to light the many different ways in which menstruators deal with their bleeding, not to judge or criticize any particular method.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Lepera Joyce, 23, shows her goatskin skirt which she uses when she is on her period. "I use this goatskin skirt because it’s always available," she says. "It’s our traditional sanitary pad." Lepera Joyce is pictured in Nakapiripirit district, in the country's Karamoja region. "I don’t pay anyone to use the skin," she says. "Other pads are expensive. Even if my skirt gets old, I make another one since we have many goats."
Limpo, 22, cuts cow patties to size for use during menstruation. "I do not put the cow patties directly on my skin, I wrap it in a cloth and place it nicely to capture the flow without staining other clothes," she explains. "I like this method because cow patties soak up a lot of blood before they are completely soaked. I go about doing all sorts of things without any trouble." She is pictured in the country's Mongu district.
"Our parents taught us about the use of cow patties a long time ago before we even heard about pads. I was shown this method by my grandmother and I have been using it since that time," says Nowana. "Money is scarce and I cannot afford to buy pads, they are expensive and that’s why I use this method."
Munyes, 44, in Uganda's Karamoja region, finds it "easy and very normal to make a hole in the ground and sit on top of it for blood to drain in it." She explains: "I find managing my period using this method very convenient because buying sanitary pads is costly and sometimes when blood comes there is no time to run to the shop to buy sanitary pads. I can’t run, letting people see my blood; I would rather make a hole in the ground to sit."
"Ready made pads are costly and if you do not dispose of them properly it will pollute the environment," says Sangita, 32, who holds up a homemade reusable sanitary pad in Nepal's Kavre district. "In a municipality like ours, where there is no plan for managing solid waste, pads can contaminate our water source if they are not disposed of properly. So looking at the wider impact, homemade pads are safer."
Claire, 40, in Manchester in the UK, uses a menstrual cup during her period to reduce waste, although she acknowledges it is "more hassle" than pads and tampons. "It needs boiling to clean it properly. We have a 'Mooncup pan' in which I boil it and sometimes I have to rush into the kitchen to stop someone from boiling an egg in it."
These methods are from The Guardian article: "Cloth, cow dung, cups: how the world's women manage their periods"
SYDNEY CARIM
BREAKING THE TABOO
Most girls and women everywhere, probably remember the first time they got their period. Whether it was a welcome experience or a rather unexpected one, a girl’s first period is the start of a special, one of a kind experience. Menstruation is a rite of passage and a beautiful marker of coming-of-age, yet all across the world, the conversation surrounding menstruation is surrounded by myths, taboos, superstitions and more.
​
I was never aware of the taboo that surrounded menstruation in India until I actually got my period at around twelve or thirteen. And even when I did get my period, I didn’t recognise that my own actions reflected the internalised, societal taboo that surrounded menstruation. When I needed to change my pad in a public washroom, it would be an entire mission. Sneakily take my pad out of my backpack, then stuffing it up my shirt, followed by a sprint to the bathroom avoiding eye contact with anyone in my path, all to ensure that no-one knew that I was on my period. The code words that I would use with my friends, and ones I’m sure a lot of us are familiar with like Code Red, Aunt Flow, Chums, that time of the month and more, was just another part of periods for me. For the longest time, it never occurred to me that all these actions that are so normalised, and are huge contributors to the stigma and taboo that surrounds menstruation.
From young ages, girls have been conditioned by societal pressures to treat menstruation as a taboo and as a stigma. Whether having been told explicitly or not, when a girl starts her period she just knows to whisper about it only to her girl-friends, and hide her pad when going to the washroom and to not even use the word "period" or "menstruation." This solidifies the fact that menstruation and its consequent taboo is so inbuilt into our societies, mindsets and perspectives, that most of us just subscribe to it without knowingly contributing to the taboo surrounding menstruation.
​
This is why I decided to write and self-publish my first ever book, called Breaking the Taboo. Breaking the Taboo follows the real-life stories of seven young girls from an area in Mumbai, India, and the trials, tribulations, struggles and hardships they face whilst dealing with their period in a country where menstruation is considered a huge taboo. Breaking the Taboo highlights the magnitude and severity of the taboo surrounding menstruation in India and its power to affect the lives of real-life girls. The aim of Breaking the Taboo is to change mindsets, shift perspectives and raise awareness surrounding menstruation. Breaking the Taboo is available on Amazon for Rs 49 or 0.99 cents as an e-book. 100% of the royalties go to a Mumbai-based NGO called the Aangan Trust which aims to end trafficking in India, so by reading Breaking the Taboo you are not only educating yourself but also donating to a wonderful cause.
​
I truly believe that by coming together, raising awareness, breaking our own internalised stigma and starting conversations, we can truly become one step closer to breaking the taboo.
MANAVI NAG
THE BEAUTIFUL BROWN PROJECT'S MISSION TO ENGAGE THE SOUTH ASIAN COMMUNITY IN CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENSTRUATION
​
Over quarantine, Sanjitha Subramaniam and I (Vishni Samaraweera) recently launched the Beautiful Brown Project across social media platforms. The goal of this project is to embrace, educate, and empower South Asian children on a multitude of topics. Some causes that we hope to raise awareness on include sexual health/ violence, menstruation, mental health, intercultural/inter-religious/interracial relationships, body positivity and beauty norms (colorism), and dialogues to bridge the generation gap in South Asian families.
South Asians and those of the diaspora struggle with similar stereotypes perceived by the Western world and common family challenges. In the past months we have been anonymously collecting stories and experiences from South Asians across the globe and sharing them on our Instagram page (@beautifulbrownproject) to spark dialogue and conversations. These stories have impacted so many young brown girls and helped South Asians to know that they are not alone in their experiences.
​
After we started, Manavi Nag, author of “Breaking the Taboo” reached out to us to collaborate and expressed appreciation for our project. We both read her book and instantly fell in love with her captivating stories and sadly shocking statistics. We were beyond excited to support her and see everything she does. Her motivation to write this book stemmed from understanding how her own actions and those of her peers reflected the internalized taboo surrounding menstruation and the magnitude of people that the stigma affected.
She also emphasizes that not everyone who menstruates is a woman, and this is seen in her front cover- a picture of two figures menstruating by @liberal.arts_. This message truly resonated with the two of us, and we plan to work with her as we progress with our project. We urge you all to buy a copy of her book on Amazon for just $0.99!
​
VISHNI SAMARAWEERA & SANJITHA SUBRAMANIAM
CAN YOU GUESS WHAT LANGUAGE THE PERIOD EUPHEMISM IS FROM?
I’d venture a guess that most menstruators have a way to refer to their period that goes beyond just “I’m on my period.” Some of these phrases are blatantly obvious what they refer to---for example I tend to take a more graphic approach and inform my friends that “my uterus is screaming in pain.” And we’ve all become familiar with other, more subtle phrases such as“shark week” and “crimson tide.” But some of these euphemisms are more obscure and require a little more creativity to sort out what they mean. I’ve compiled some of my favorite obscure period euphemisms from around the world. Take this quiz and see if you can correctly match which language uses (or used) this wild euphemism! *
​
​
The answers! But don't cheat! And let us know how you did!
1.B 2.C 3.A 4.D 5.B 6.A 7.B 8.D 9.C 10.A 11.C
*These euphemisms come from helloclue.com, independent.co.uk and bustle.com and are translated into English.
​
​
pads in school restrooms (from an african perspective)
Prior to writing this, I found myself in great dither over which topic to write about. Before me were two choices: to write about a topic that has been explored by many people, many a time or to write about a topic that would introduce new commentary in the menstrual equity space, from an African perspective. Through the former, I would or rather “would have” been able to amplify the voices of menstrual activists, contemporary and/or those who precede me but through the latter was an opportunity to forge and engender conversation around a topic rarely (if ever) discussed.
I like for what I read to be not merely an encounter with the same topic, different only in who the author is (meaning that I am in some sense, writing what I myself would like to read) so my heart decided on the latter. I am deeply thankful to PAD Brandeis for giving me an opportunity to reignite my love for writing and for doing so while fostering more talk about menstruation.
It is put forward in the menstrual equity space that schools have an obligation to serve all learners equitably and that every learner deserves the reassurance that their school restrooms are outfitted with necessities to accommodate their biological needs. For well-developed or first world countries, the glaring exception to that commitment is menstrual hygiene products but for many schools in (South) Africa, it is standard restrooms or worse: a mere school building.
​
While most schools have some form of sanitation facilities, most of them are either blocked, broken or filthy. Moreover, none of them have toilet paper or (proper) hand-washing facilities---ultimately making them unusable for many learners. On a daily basis, learners are confronted with substandard restrooms or as aforementioned schools without standard infrastructure. This puts the demand of pads in restrooms out of the question, not to imply that pads in restrooms are not important, but it would not make sense for menstrual activists to demand the availability of pads in restrooms when the fight for the bare minimum has not yet been won.
It is true that if we are to claim to be democratic societies founded on democratic principles to match, issues such as this should be given importance but it has to start somewhere. For (South) Africa, that somewhere is ensuring that schools have proper sanitation facilities and/or school infrastructure. Only after such action is taken, can we segue into making sure that pads are available in restrooms.
Context, I have come to learn, is very important. Before putting things forward, we must first ponder on where we are and whether the place where we are would be able to successfully implement what has been put forward at the time at which we want it to be implemented. It is like demanding that soap be provided to communities with no water to wash their hands without considering that first, we must make certain that they have water.
QUEEN OF THE SOUTH
to be a woman
I don’t remember how old I was when I got my first period. It was during the summer, at the start of a road trip. I waited two days before telling anyone, to be sure that the blood was really there. My mom told me that getting my period meant that I was a woman. I think I was ten, or maybe eleven. Shouldn’t I remember the age at which I became a woman?
​
The girls on my sixth-grade volleyball team told me that my unshaven legs made me look like a boy. I picked up my mom’s razor in the shower, determined to learn how to mark myself as Not Boy. I felt the sharp edges on the pad of my thumb and dropped the razor in surprise as the blades sliced through my skin. I watched my blood swirl down the drain with my tears. I didn’t explain the band-aid to my mom, but I wanted to ask her: is this what it means to be a woman?
​
I was in high school when a man approached me in the grocery store and asked for my number. I said no and he said, “Well, what were you expecting wearing shorts like that?” He didn’t leave me alone until my boyfriend showed up beside me. The rest of the day, I kept tugging my shorts down as far as they would go. I hung them up in my closet that night and never put them on again. Every time I get dressed, I look at them and I wonder: is this what it means to be a woman?
​
I was walking through downtown during my first year of college when I realized that a man across the street was watching me. It was a moment later that I noticed his hand shoved down the front of his pants, that the pleasure in his expression made sense to me. I picked up my stuff and moved. I wanted to be angry, but instead I was just grateful that nothing had happened, and I wondered: is this what it means to be a woman?
​
A man I thought I called friend once told me that if he had to choose between two applicants who were identical except for gender, he would hire the man, because the woman was likely to get pregnant and be a less productive employee. He claimed he wasn’t being sexist, he was just being realistic. He didn’t understand why this logic made me so upset, and as I failed to explain it to him, I wondered: is this what it means to be a woman?
​
​
MY VULVA
ANONYMOUS
A male coworker I barely knew once told me that he would never date me because I was too tall. I had never expressed any interest in dating him. In fact, we were both in long term relationships with other people. I didn’t ask why he had suddenly said this to me. I just laughed and walked away, and I wondered: is this what it means to be a woman?
​
Four months ago, two male customers were leaving the restaurant I worked at. I told them to have a good night and one yelled back, “Show me your tits!” I moved behind the counter and crossed my arms over my chest. Shame and rage burned deep in my cheeks. I thought of the cutoff shorts hanging in my closet that I still avoided wearing. I looked down at my black polo shirt, my work pants, my safety tennis shoes. I tried to figure out how I could make myself less appealing than this: sweaty and tired at the end of a ten-hour shift. I tried to figure out how I could cover more of myself, and I thought I knew: this is what it means to be a woman.
​
Four years before that, I was sitting in a high school US history class. The teacher was lecturing on the women’s movement and birth control. But then we started to talk about period cramps—how it hurts to stand, to sit, to lie down. We started to talk about the shame—of explaining why you don’t feel well, of carrying your bag with you to the bathroom, of finding a sweatshirt to tie around your waist to cover the blood stains. A boy raised his hand and asked, “If it hurts so badly, why do you come to school? Why don’t you just take the day off?”
​
And I still wonder: how do we explain what it means to be a woman?
Author’s note: I do not mean to suggest that the identities of woman and menstruator are the same. I only intend to explore how the two have intersected in my own life.
SAVANNAH JACKSON
pad advice column
Why does my blood change color throughout my period?
It’s totally normal for your discharge to change throughout your cycle! Blood color changes depending on its exposure to oxygen. The longer blood has been exposed to oxygen, the darker it gets, so you’re more likely to see bright red blood towards the beginning of your period and darker, brown or even black blood towards the end of your cycle. If you notice any watery, pink, or grey discharge, you should contact your healthcare provider as this could indicate a serious health issue.
​
Can you actually sync with other menstruators if you spend a lot of time with them?
The earliest study was done in 1971, and the most recent in 2017, but there’s actually still no proof that menstruators’ periods sync while they’re living physically close to each other. Researchers aren’t sure whether period syncing is a biological phenomenon or just a mathematical coincidence.
​
Why are scented products bad?
Some pads or tampons may be scented out of a perceived need to make the vagina smell better or be “cleaner.” In reality, these products pray on menstruators’ insecurities, are completely unnecessary, and can even harm you. The chemicals in these products upset the normal balance of good bacteria that naturally keeps the vagina clean. Scented products can cause irritation, itching, swelling, rashes, an infection, or an allergic reaction.
​
Do vagina crystals actually work?
Some people (including celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow) have recently touted the power of jade eggs to increase libido, strengthen the pelvic floor, and improve orgasms. These people assert that the practice of inserting a jade egg into your vagina increases your connection with your own sexual energy. There’s little evidence to support this, but there’s also little evidence that jade crystals are explicitly bad for you. As with any object that you put in your body, one of the main concerns is bacteria, so if you decide to try jade crystals, be sure to properly sanitize the egg and certify that it’s not fake jade.
​
​
​
​
​
​
Have a question? Click on this button! We will answer it in our next issue!
UNTITLED
CASSADY ADAMS