Let's talk period! Why normalising conversation around menstruation & menstrual hygiene is necessary

In a span of seven years, Bhumi Pednekar has achieved a feat that many Bollywood actresses aspire to. She has not only broken stereotypes on the screen with films like Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Lust Stories and Saand Ki Aankh among others but also called out the bigotry in the industry & society. She has been a champion of women rights and girlchild education and uses her social media platform to spread awareness about body positivity, menstruation and climate change. In addition to these, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, intends to implement a year-long social campaign for which it has roped in the Bollywood actress.

Ahead of International Women's Day, India TV got in touch with Bhumi Pednekar to talk about reshaping the entertainment industry, her film choices that help change perceptions about the "ideal woman" and consciousness when it comes to brand endorsements:
[6:21 PM, 3/7/2022] Vaishali India TV: For ages, the word 'impurity' has been attached to menstruation. In rural areas, a woman is considered untouchable till now when she is on her 'periods.' While multiple menstrual hygiene awareness programmes and government schemes can be credited to normalise menstruation, menstrual hygiene is still a taboo. Over the years, talks about normalising menstrual hygiene have opened doors for many women in various phases of life but the male counterpart is still hesitant to talk even if it means their own kin.

Where a girl feels okay talking about her menstrual cycles and difficulties during this period in front of her partner/boyfriend, she hardly opens up about it to her father or brothers. The thought of judgement or rather shame takes over. If not at home, in the professional space, women are forced to believe that it is not normal to take care of themselves when they are menstruating because it is how it is. Women are supposed to bear the pain as 'God's wish.' Many women I have known have left office or taken a day off due to terrible menstrual cramps and faked it as a headache or said, "I am not feeling well" just for the sake of not being judged.

However, things have taken a turn in the past few years when companies have come forward to acknowledge that it is okay for a woman to take a leave due to menstrual cramps. In 2020, the food-delivery service Zomato announced up to 10 days of 'period leaves' for women and transgender employees. It had set off a debate at that time when people were divided if it is the way to go forward.

Soon after, many more companies followed. Kratika Jain, the COO of Pataa navigations Pvt. Ltd said, "In the changing world where all the women are hustling to balance their personal and professional lives, we are making some efforts to make this journey easier. As a part of this initiative, we will start providing period leaves to all our women employees from the new financial year. We will give one leave to all women when they need it. Also, safety is a primary concern for all the families letting their girls work. To reduce their safety stress, we provide drop services to women employees working later than 8:30 PM. For the women who want to start their careers after a sabbatical, we boost them to restart their careers. Our management plans to create a nursery/creche option for women who are apprehensive about working post-pregnancy so that they don't have to worry about leaving them at home."

In the last few years, menstruation has not only become a topic of discussion but the menstrual hygiene industry has changed manifold. There was a time when one would avert their eyes when an advertisement on sanitary pads was airing on TV and now, new products like menstrual cups and tampons are gaining popularity in India. Talking about the same, Anika Parashar, Founder and CEO of The Woman's Company commented, "The pandemic has impacted the global mindset, making it more health-centric and more inclined towards overall wellness and preventative care. Women's hygiene is the first step towards self-care and is often ignored - despite being a very important aspect that must be handled proactively and responsibly by all women. With priorities shifting from material wealth to holistic health, it goes without saying that we must be more mindful about what we are feeding our bodies and how we are treating ourselves."

Meanwhile, mainstream cinema has also played a crucial role in breaking the barriers around menstrual hygiene and starting up a conversation. For instance, if it wasn't for Akshay Kumar's film 'Padman', people wouldn't have focussed their attention on the poor condition of menstruation hygiene in rural areas. The film was exemplary in its own ways. Another film, 'Period. End of Sentence' about the Indian women fighting the stigma surrounding menstruation and beginning to manufacture sanitary pads attracted the attention of international biggies. The film even won an Oscar.

Away from films, actors these days have also taken the responsibility to talk about this 'taboo' subject and bring a change in the perspective. Akshay Kumar's advertisement on buying pads for women before every film in theatres is proof enough.

Throwing light on the same, actress Bhumi Pednekar who is the Brand Ambassador of Whisper and a representative of their latest campaign #KeepGirlsInSchool, says, "When it comes to our society, I must point out that we have risen above many issues that have plagued us in the past – as you are aware. We are marching confidently towards progressing into making this world a better place to be in. However, as a woman, the one taboo we constantly face and endure is the conversation around periods and menstrual hygiene. We have seen how there are so many myths and an underlying shame around periods in many parts of the country – many of which stem from the lack of sensitization and education around menstrual hygiene management."

She adds, "I strongly believe that change comes from within, which will only be pushed when people receive the right knowledge and awareness about any particular problem, which in turn can happen through efforts by brands like Whisper, with their #KeepGirlsInSchool movement – this is exactly the reason why I have been associated with this movement since so long, because of the promise and commitment the movement has shown towards educating girls and ensure that we don’t lose anymore girls from reaching their dreams and realizing their future."

This year on International Women's Day, let's make a promise to ourselves that we will do our best to fill the gap between society and the education on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) to make it a better future without any menstrual taboos.