Pandora's Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation

The fight for menstrual equality has been building for decades, but thanks to the rise in social media and activism the movement gained rapid momentum in 2015: “The Year of the Period”. In this episode, we meet with model and activist Kenny Jones, the first transgender male model to front a campaign around period shame, Kiran Gandhi who ran the London marathon free bleeding, and Sarika Gupta, whose social initiative looks to eradicate period stigma in India. Thankfully, these voices are few among the many that are gaining momentum and moving us forward.

Period stigma finds its roots across most cultures and religions. In India, there exists a long list of things one shouldn’t do while menstruating — including entering a temple or touching a pickle. Even more shocking, in Nepal, several women have died because they were forced to sleep in isolated menstrual huts. Aine and Cait hear from women in India about the generational stigmas behind menstruation and the strides being made to break the cycle. We also learn that most taboos actually have very positive origins, so why do these positive traditions now come with such stigma?

From practical to revolutionary solutions, period products have changed throughout history. Cait and Aine take a look back at their own history of usage — from the teenage fear of tampons and Toxic Shock Syndrome to what products they’re both currently into. They look at the range of products currently being used around the world — the good, the bad, and the truly innovative. Many people in the global South have to make do with makeshift harmful products that are harmful to their health. We hear from innovators in India and Africa who are working to eradicate this issue through education and access to products.

Not being able to afford menstrual products is a stark reality too many people experience. Imagine the vulnerability someone must feel not having the proper products to deal with something they have no control over. In this episode of Pandora’s Box, we speak to government officials and activists in the UK and Africa about the lack of access to sanitary products, and the movement that is picking up speed in the US. We’re angry and frustrated — Why is this issue not being prioritized?

Produced in partnership with Diva International (Makers of the DivaCup) and Media One Creative.

Topeka K Sam founder and Executive Director of The Ladies of Hope Ministries joins other formerly incarcerated women to share their firsthand experience of coping with their periods in prison and the shame and humiliation that came with it.

In this episode, we will hear from three admirable women as they discuss their experience and activist work so that others can menstruate with dignity. Listening to the stories from incarcerated or formerly incarcerated women, it becomes clear how marginalized women are often unnecessarily punished just because they have a period.

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