Menstruation is a hush word. Shh, don’t say it out loud. It is a matter of extreme convenience – her body bears children but the very bodily function associated with it is said to be a taboo. You can’t enter the kitchen, can’t pray and so on. Not any more though. Ladies, it’s time we stopped whispering (pun intended) about this vital function of biology that our entire species is born out of. Let’s talk about it out loud.

Here is enlisting some interesting menstrual conversations and conversation makers from world over.
 

Menstrupedia by Aditi Gupta

Menstrupedia by Aditi Gupta

Women across the planet have now started embracing this very natural bodily fluid like any other and the ‘man’kind can come to terms with it too. A brain child of founder Aditi Gupta, this project from Ahmedabad is working to give this whispered issue its wings. Active as a blog and a website that works to create menstrual awareness, Menstrupedia is a fun guide to healthy periods. The team also works to impart menstrual education among children, girls and boys alike. Through Menstrupedia Comics and the Period Project, that takes menstrual awareness drives to schools, this is one menstrual project straight from the Indian heartland.

 

Shilpa Gupta

Shilpa Gupta

In an untitled installation art project of hers, artist Shilpa Gupta attempts to deal with the prejudices concerning menstruation. The project began in 2001 with handing out kits containing cloth, scissors and an illustrated manual which said, "Stain provided cloth with menstrual blood", “Dry”. “Cut along the stains”.

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The installation consisted of blood stained cloth pieces, collected from various women spread on walls and two videos. In one video a hand is carefully stitching a cloth stained with menstrual blood onto a Pyjama/white pants and the other one shows three such pyjamas hanging on a terrace as if to dry.

A tad too graphic we agree, but turns out, it’s just what you need to get people to take notice and drive the point home.

 

Elona

Elona

A young lady from Germany, Elonë has used art activism and social media as a weapon to combat the irrational taboo surrounding menstruation in her striking awesome way. In her path breaking installation art project, Elona put up sanitary napkins onto public spaces with written messages on the pad. These messages compel people (also posted pictures on Instagram) to question not just the menstrual taboo but also fight sexism.

Well the message is loud and clear. A woman’s body commands respect and so does menstruation – an integral part of the continuation of the species. It’s about time we didn’t push it under the carpet and spoke about it openly to ensure good health and sanitation for young girls and women in India.

Read about the Menstrupedia project at www. menstrupedia.com

PHOTO CREDIT: Elona’s Instagram, Menstrupedia website