Washing the stains away!

Through a new video Thinking out of the pad, GenY is going all out to break the myths and taboos surrounding menstruation, by educating women and men about healthy menstrual habits

Did you know that even in the 21st century, a majority of urban women still prefer to purchase their menstrual hygiene products through female shopkeepers If it never bothered you much, young Indians are saying that it is high time it did!

Even as the world strives to achieve equal rights for women, important aspects of female anatomy, sex and sexuality such as menstruation (among many others) remain taboo and are kept under wraps. Some members of Gen Y are going all out to break myths about menstruation and are educating not just women, but also men about healthy menstrual habits.

The social design impact company CraYon Impact is making waves through a new video, aptly titled Thinking out of the pad. Featuring a group of approximately 25 people — both men and women — the video, which captures a workshop in progress, lays bare the topic of menstruation and introduces eco-friendly products like menstrual cups and washable cloth pads.

“We don’t realise that an average woman uses around 15 sanitary pads a month, for at least 30 years in her life — which amounts to a great amount of sanitary waste that is not very biodegradable. Our aim is to move away from the idea that sanitary pads are the only way to deal with menstruation. We need to think of more environment-friendly menstrual habits and also about breaking the myths surrounding this commonplace human process,” says Sharmada Shastry, a 25-year-old menstrual health educator, who features in the video.

Bringing men into the conversation is all the more important to break the myths, the makers of the video say. “We believe that the experience of menstruation — something that half of the world’s population undergoes, should not be pushed under a rug and made taboo. The video is a step towards removing the awkwardness surrounding period talk and making the topic not only gender inclusive but also less of a stigma,” opines Rachana Iyer, the co-founder of CraYon Impact.

Sharmada adds that society is flawed in its view that using sanitary pads is a sign of modernity or prestige. On the contrary, sanitary pads have many chemicals and the pure white is a result of harsh bleaching. “Numbers in our country show that only 12 percent of women use sanitary pads. It is not the right direction to give the rest of the women sanitary pads too. We need to find the right ways to educate women and men about sustainable solutions to menstruation.”

Although only a small section of society is making the shift from traditional menstruation products to sustainable ones, it is a part of the change, says Kathy Walkling of EcoFemme, a Tamil Nadu-based company which makes menstrual cups and washable cloth pads.

“Women have to start the conversation to break these taboos. That’s the only way we can make the whole deal less awkward!” Kathy concludes.