WE CAN DO THIS IN NIGERIA FOR OUR MOTHERS TO BE, FOR OUR GIRLS.

By Courtney Young.
I am coming to you live from…my bathroom.
Because this week, I want to talk about
periods.
Yep, I said it. Period. Menstruation. Mother
Nature’s monthly gift. Aunt Flo. That time of
the month.
I want to talk about the shame we feel
having to buy incredibly expensive products
every month in order to keep ourselves
“clean” down there. Ladies you know the
feeling, the embarrassment we feel putting a
box of tampons or pads (or both) up on the
register, seemingly proclaiming to the whole
world that this week, WE ARE BLEEDING!
I also want to talk about the strategic ways
we have come up with in order to disguise
the fact that we are going to the washroom,
to stick a wad of cotton up our vaginas. My
favourite trick is sticking the tampon in my
boot – it also ensures there is no rustling of
packaging, which can ruin the attempt at
being discreet. Or in the summer, I like to
tuck it into my shorts and pull my top over it.
I use these tricks mostly because I have vivid
teenage memories of being called out in high
school for only bringing a purse with me to
class once a month, for very obvious
reasons.
And let’s not leave out the advanced
preparation we are forced to do before going
on a trip, vacation or even a harmless
sleepover at a friend’s house. Because
heaven forbid we leave a rolled up pad or
bloody tampon in the garbage!
Issues with inadequate sanitation facilities,
stigma and inaccessible or unreliable
menstrual hygiene products can also mean
loss of time in the classroom for many young
women and girls living in the Global South.
So the question is: Why the heck are we so
ashamed of menstruating? HALF OF THE
WORLD’S POPULATION MENSTRUATES. I
know it’s got taboo roots historically, but it’s
2015 people!
Here in Canada, menstruation has been in the
news a lot lately. According to the
Government of Canada these items are
considered NON-ESSENTIAL. There is a
movement asking our government to remove
the tax on products related to menstruation
and the petition has gained almost 75 000
signatures. A motion was unanimously
passed just a couple of weeks ago calling for
the removal of the unfair tax but there has
been very little commitment from the party in
power or communication as to when it may
be implemented.
Tampons and pads, panty-liners, extra
underwear, midol, etc; they all add up . We
spend hundreds of dollars every year on
these items, which simply facilitate our
participation in daily life. They are essential
to our lives, and we deserve governments
that recognize this. Canada isn’t the only
country currently undergoing a period
revolution – there are similar attempts being
made by women in the UK, Malaysia and
Australia . All in the name of
#NoTaxonTampons.
So this #MenstrualHygieneDay I encourage
you to check up on the menstruation
situation in your country (this includes you
too boys!). Because the more we learn about
it and talk about it, the more normal it will
become. And what’s more normal than
bleeding once a month? Nothing. Period.