A campaign for period positivity
-
0:01 - 0:03Menstruation.
-
0:03 - 0:07A simple word describing
a natural biological process, -
0:07 - 0:09weighed down by centuries of stigma,
-
0:09 - 0:13has been transformed into something
most of us can only speak about -
0:13 - 0:15in whispers.
-
0:15 - 0:16But why?
-
0:16 - 0:17As I speak to you right now,
-
0:17 - 0:20more than 800 million women
around the world -
0:20 - 0:22are having a period.
-
0:22 - 0:24None of us would exist without it,
-
0:24 - 0:28and yet it remains an "embarrassing"
subject to broach. -
0:29 - 0:32From my experience and that
of the women around me, -
0:32 - 0:34I can tell you that it's exhausting.
-
0:34 - 0:38It's exhausting to carefully take out
a brown paper bag hiding a pad, -
0:38 - 0:41stuffing it into your pocket
in the middle of a class -
0:41 - 0:45and rushing to the washroom
as discreetly as possible. -
0:45 - 0:48It's exhausting to sit
through lessons and meetings -
0:48 - 0:50pretending to be absolutely normal,
-
0:50 - 0:54while internally crying out
from intense period cramps. -
0:55 - 0:58It's exhausting to be dismissively told
that you’re PMSing -
0:58 - 1:00or suffering from
"that time of the month," -
1:00 - 1:05and it's exhausting to continuously
fight back against age-old traditions -
1:05 - 1:07that ask you not to pray,
-
1:07 - 1:11visit temples, cook, touch pickle
and the list goes on and on, -
1:11 - 1:14while you're just trying to bleed
and be left in peace. -
1:14 - 1:16(Laughter)
-
1:18 - 1:20But you know what the worst part is?
-
1:20 - 1:24The worst part is that the things
that seem tiring to us -
1:24 - 1:27are merely the tip of the iceberg,
-
1:27 - 1:30because we in this room
are privileged enough -
1:30 - 1:33to be able to afford
sanitary napkins every month, -
1:33 - 1:37to be able to visit a gynecologist
in case of any problem, -
1:37 - 1:41to be able to tell what's normal
and abnormal with our monthly cycle. -
1:41 - 1:44We have access to water,
sanitation and toilets -
1:44 - 1:47that help us maintain
our privacy and hygiene. -
1:48 - 1:50But what about those who don't?
-
1:50 - 1:55What about 335 million girls
around the world -
1:55 - 1:58who go to school without even having
access to water and soap -
1:58 - 2:00to wash their hands?
-
2:00 - 2:04What about 15-year-old
schoolgirls in Kenya -
2:04 - 2:08who have to sell their bodies
to be able to buy sanitary napkins? -
2:09 - 2:13What about two-thirds
of rural high school girls in India -
2:13 - 2:16who don't even understand
what their bodies are going through -
2:16 - 2:17at menarche?
-
2:17 - 2:21And right now, we are all
gathered here in the USA. -
2:21 - 2:26So what about 64 percent of women
in St. Louis, Missouri, -
2:26 - 2:29who weren't able to afford
menstrual hygiene supplies -
2:29 - 2:30in the previous year?
-
2:31 - 2:34What about the struggles
of homeless, transgender, -
2:34 - 2:36intersex and displaced people
-
2:36 - 2:37who menstruate?
-
2:38 - 2:40What about them?
-
2:41 - 2:42The scale of the problem,
-
2:42 - 2:47stemming in part from the deep-rooted
stigma attached to menstruation, -
2:47 - 2:49is unimaginable.
-
2:49 - 2:52And the desire to voice this frustration
-
2:52 - 2:54led me, along with three other teammates,
-
2:54 - 2:57to initiate a campaign
that calls for change, -
2:57 - 3:00questions the taboos
surrounding menstruation -
3:00 - 3:03and spreads period positivity.
-
3:03 - 3:06The name of our campaign, "Pravahkriti,"
-
3:07 - 3:10was born from the message
that we want to convey to the world. -
3:10 - 3:12"Pravah" means "flow,"
-
3:12 - 3:15and "kriti" means "a beautiful creation."
-
3:15 - 3:20Because how could the monthly cycle
that ultimately gives rise to all creation -
3:20 - 3:23be anything less than beautiful?
-
3:24 - 3:28Now, as a social issue,
menstruation has several facets to it -
3:28 - 3:32that overlap, reinforce
and worsen the situation. -
3:32 - 3:36So we based our campaign
on four fundamental pillars: -
3:36 - 3:40health, hygiene, awareness
and spreading positivity. -
3:40 - 3:43But how did we actually implement this?
-
3:43 - 3:46Well, we started within the walls
of our school classroom. -
3:47 - 3:50Instead of simply explaining
menstruation to children -
3:50 - 3:53from a textbook or biological standpoint,
-
3:53 - 3:55we adopted an innovative approach.
-
3:56 - 4:00We conducted an activity where students
strung together a bracelet -
4:00 - 4:05consisting of 28 beads signifying
the length of the menstrual cycle, -
4:05 - 4:08out of which four to seven beads
were of a different color, -
4:08 - 4:11demonstrating the days a woman bleeds.
-
4:11 - 4:15And in this way, we not only
explained what periods are -
4:15 - 4:17in a manner that was educational
-
4:17 - 4:20but also approachable and engaging.
-
4:21 - 4:22To offer another example,
-
4:22 - 4:25we explored various ways
of alleviating cramps, -
4:25 - 4:29including preparing some
natural remedies in school itself. -
4:29 - 4:33And we didn't just stop
at involving girls in our campaign. -
4:33 - 4:35In fact, boys were equally involved,
-
4:35 - 4:37and one of our co-team members,
-
4:37 - 4:38as you saw,
-
4:39 - 4:40is also a boy.
-
4:41 - 4:43Through internal conversations
-
4:43 - 4:46where girls could freely share
their personal experiences -
4:46 - 4:50and boys could just ask questions,
no matter how "dumb" they might seem, -
4:50 - 4:53our male volunteers quickly
got over their awkwardness, -
4:53 - 4:57not just supporting but also leading
educational sessions. -
4:58 - 5:00Clearly, starting
an inclusive conversation, -
5:00 - 5:02including members of all genders
-
5:02 - 5:05and listening to
and supporting each other, -
5:05 - 5:06can go a long way.
-
5:07 - 5:11Now, to make our campaign successful,
we conducted extensive research, -
5:11 - 5:13interviewed gynecologists,
-
5:13 - 5:16surveyed people to gauge
public opinion on periods -
5:16 - 5:21and conducted a panel discussion
with professionals working in this field. -
5:21 - 5:24And then we undertook the journey
to create change. -
5:24 - 5:27We organized a stall
at Shilpotsav, a local fair, -
5:27 - 5:30where we distributed
sanitary napkin-shaped envelopes -
5:30 - 5:34and bookmarks containing
period-positive messages. -
5:34 - 5:37We donated hundreds of pads
that we had collected -
5:37 - 5:39through a pad donation drive at school.
-
5:39 - 5:43Interacting with young girls
in government and charitable schools, -
5:43 - 5:45we explained periods to them
through a game of hopscotch -
5:46 - 5:49and distributed period kits
that we had made ourselves -
5:49 - 5:52that consisted of a pad
and other items like a paper soap -
5:52 - 5:55and sanitizer for maintaining hygiene,
-
5:55 - 5:58a piece of dark chocolate
just to lift their mood, -
5:58 - 6:00a sachet of ginger tea and so on.
-
6:00 - 6:05In whatever we did, we strived to think
beyond the norm and break barriers, -
6:05 - 6:07be it by creating
a physical period tracker -
6:07 - 6:10to help girls without access
to the internet -
6:10 - 6:12to record their monthly cycle,
-
6:12 - 6:17or sensitizing the masses
by performing street plays, -
6:17 - 6:20or even developing a video game
called "Crimson Crusade" -- -
6:20 - 6:21(Laughter)
-
6:21 - 6:23that introduces both boys and girls
-
6:23 - 6:25to problems faced
by menstruating women globally -
6:25 - 6:27and players progress in the game
-
6:27 - 6:30by defeating menstrual monsters.
-
6:30 - 6:32(Laughter)
-
6:33 - 6:34To sustain this effort,
-
6:34 - 6:38we've installed 10 sanitary napkin
dispensers in several schools. -
6:39 - 6:43Gradually, people's mindsets are changing.
-
6:43 - 6:46But does change come so easily?
-
6:47 - 6:49At a school for the underprivileged,
-
6:49 - 6:51we encountered a girl who had just
got her first period -
6:51 - 6:54but wasn't wearing anything
to absorb the flow. -
6:55 - 6:57Imagine being her,
-
6:57 - 7:00sitting in class feeling
embarrassed and uncomfortable, -
7:00 - 7:02looking down and seeing red,
-
7:02 - 7:06asking your parents for help,
asking what was going on with you -
7:06 - 7:07and being dismissed.
-
7:08 - 7:15Imagine the shame, fear and embarrassment
for being "caught" doing something wrong -
7:15 - 7:18that forces you into living
in ignorance and silence -
7:18 - 7:21at the cost of your health and dignity.
-
7:22 - 7:25While we do our part,
our endeavors will only be successful -
7:25 - 7:29if each one of you internalizes
and spreads onward -
7:29 - 7:32the idea that menstruation
is completely normal, -
7:32 - 7:36if each one of you conveys this message
to every person you know. -
7:37 - 7:42When we can discuss digestion,
blood circulation and respiration -- -
7:42 - 7:45all natural, biological processes --
-
7:45 - 7:48why should menstruation be off-limits?
-
7:48 - 7:51And you, too, can help make it less taboo,
-
7:51 - 7:55simply by being more open
with male friends and family members, -
7:55 - 7:58supporting local
and international organizations -
7:58 - 8:01working to improve menstrual
hygiene management, -
8:01 - 8:05making menstrual bracelets
with middle school kids in your area -
8:05 - 8:08or even by playing Crimson Crusade
with your friends. -
8:08 - 8:13Every small steps counts, because
brushing this topic under the carpet -
8:13 - 8:16perpetuates lack of access
to sanitary absorbents, -
8:16 - 8:19ignorance of menstrual health issues,
-
8:19 - 8:22school absenteeism, infection
and so much more. -
8:24 - 8:27I'd like to end with a few lines
a volunteer wrote for us: -
8:28 - 8:30"Let the crimson tide turn.
-
8:30 - 8:32Let there be waves of positivity,
-
8:32 - 8:33thundering applause,
-
8:34 - 8:37villages full of women
who bleed with pride. -
8:37 - 8:39Let there be a scent of education
-
8:39 - 8:44drifting through the oxygen
inhaled by men, women and children. -
8:44 - 8:47Let all know the marvels of menstruation
-
8:47 - 8:50and celebrate Pravahkriti."
-
8:50 - 8:51Thank you.
-
8:51 - 8:54(Applause)
- Title:
- A campaign for period positivity
- Speaker:
- Ananya Grover
- Description:
-
Having your period is exhausting -- and for many people across the world, menstruation is even more challenging because of stigmas and difficulty getting basic hygiene supplies, says social activist Ananya Grover. In this uplifting, actionable talk, she shares how "Pravahkriti," her campaign to spread period positivity, creatively engages with everyone to promote menstrual health, raise awareness and break taboos around periods.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 09:08
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Erin Gregory approved English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Erin Gregory edited English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Camille Martínez edited English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for A campaign for period positivity |