Chicago — Right now, as I write this, I am on my period. No- wait- don’t click away. Chances are, you’re thinking, “Why do I need to know that?” or “Wow, TMI.”
But here’s the issue with that response: the stigmatism of periods is causing a massive issue in our country and around the world — period poverty. What is period poverty? The lack of access to every day, necessary menstrual products like pads and tampons.
Because periods are rarely talked about, considered gross, and even shamed, there is a clear lack of care about the women and people who face them.
A study led by PERIOD, an organization that aims to educate about period poverty, found that 76% of students are taught more about the biology of frogs than the human female body in school. So many girls are not taught about their bodies, reproductive health, and how to care for it. And this makes it easy to take advantage of them, like charging high prices for period products or making them otherwise inaccessible.
UIC student Zeenat Muhammad is vice president of a student organization involved in the period poverty fight called Blood Buds. They’re advocating for free period products in private universities as well. They work with the UIC and greater Chicago community to educate on periods and call for action.
This guest post is in partnership with True Star Media.