"No one saw that blooded body as they were passing nearby. But everybody noticed those small blood stains on her skirt.”- Parth Bisnoi 

“Nobody explained what was happening to my body, or rather, in my body. They just told me that I’m an adult now. And since I was born a girl, I just had to bleed every month. I remember the lengths we had to go through to make sure nobody knew we were on our periods. Us girls, who were naturally supposed to bleed once a month—yeah, you don’t have to know about it, though. In fact, let me go out of my way to make sure you never find out that my body’s natural inner workings are doing exactly what they’re supposed to.” 

Those were the words of Shaktira Mohan on describing her experience with menstruation stigma. Unfortunately, her story was easily relatable for many. 

(Source: Parents) 

Period taboo refers to how some societies perceive menstruation as unclean or shameful. While girls on their periods are not publicly shunned in Malaysia, there is always a certain degree of embarrassment attached to the menstruator’s monthly biological process. In school toilets, girls open their pads as quietly as they can, afraid that others might hear the telltale rustle of plastic packaging and know that they’re on their periods. They become very creative in finding ‘ultrasafe’ compartments to hide their period products, because God forbid if anyone ever saw them. Euphemisms such as the ‘Crimson Tide’, ‘Shark Week’ and ‘Devil’s Waterfall’ are all used to substitute a word that is steeped in shame: menstruation. Though periods are a natural process experienced by half of the world’s population, many people still confine the topic to hushed whispers. 

(Source: Intimina) 

Hence, on the night of August 28, people of various ages, backgrounds and cultures gathered virtually to have an open conversation about menstruation. Periodt was an open mic event organized by Taylor’s Speaker’s Corner in collaboration with Taylor’s Girl Up. Hosted by Girl Up event directors Shivakaaminii Ponniah and Jane Law, the event sought to break the stigma surrounding periods and provide a safe place for everyone to share their menstruation experiences. 

Dorian Wilde, organizer of Taylor’s Speaker’s Corner 

Shivakaaminii Ponniah, host of Periodt 

Jane Law, co-host of Periodt 

People often say that talking about something embarrassing makes it less so, and this event serves as living proof. As each speaker spoke of their period struggles—vigorously checking their garments for stains, squirming at the cashier when paying for period products, receiving sidelong glances during their visits to the gynaecologist—the listeners found their stories reflected in the speakers’. There is something undeniably comforting about hearing another person describe a problem you thought you had to face on your own. This sentiment was beautifully echoed by Shivakaaminii, who said, “Having events similar to this—it creates a space where you feel like you’re not alone.” 

Fellow poet, Jayati Gogia also shared a breathtaking poem written by hers truly about periods in this session. 

While most of the event was centered around the speakers’ personal period stories, the issues that menstruation taboo has created for many girls were also highlighted. 

“According to UNICEF, 1 out of 3 girls in South Asia knew nothing about menstruation prior to getting it,” said Jane. “In India, the majority of women use materials such as rags, hay and dried leaves as makeshift period products because they are unable to afford pads. This societal neglect has led to isolation, physical harm, and sometimes even death.” 

(Source: The Daily Californian) 

Guest speakers Elaine Hong and Charmaine Cheong, who are from Enya and RedTalks respectively, also graced the event with their presence. Enya (@enyawomen) is a period subscription company that produces 100% organic cotton pads and strives to increase product accessibility. During the event, Elaine described how she and her business partner, which was a close male friend, began their company on social media, where they initially received backlash from users. 

“Why are you speaking about [periods]?” they commented. “This is inappropriate, you shouldn’t be talking about things like these.” However, these comments sparked Enya’s evolution into a company that not only produces period products, but also seeks to dispel menstruation stigma. Some of their efforts include inviting followers to share their period ‘horror stories’ every Friday and supply workspaces with free pads as an employee benefit. 

Elaine Hong from Enya talks about her journey of starting a period subscription company. 

The audience also got the chance to hear from Charmaine, whose work on RedTalks (@letsredtalks) aims to normalize periods, advance sex education and provide a safe space for period conversations. She spoke about menstrual leave and its current status in Malaysia: Women are not granted menstrual leave and they have to use their sick leave to rest from period pains. While menstrual leave would acknowledge the pain women experience during periods and is a step towards breaking the stigma, Charmaine expressed concerns about the idea as well. 

“Implementing a menstrual leave might backfire for women as people may think they’re not worth hiring, because they get more days off,” she said. “Some might even abuse the leave.” Other speakers also agreed that there are two sides to the coin that is menstrual leave. 

When asked if she had any tips for non-menstruators who wish to do their part in normalizing the conversation, Charmaine’s answer was simple, but effective. “Listen to [menstruators], because no one knows how to help them better than themselves.” 

Red Talks is currently advocating for paid menstrual leave in Malaysia. 

Biotech student Hailey Tan also spoke about how menstruators can be sustainable during their periods. On average, menstruators spend 6.5 years of their lives having periods. That means 6.5 years’ worth of period products being discarded as waste, while a single sanitary pad can take up to 500 years to be degraded. Hence, she suggests several alternatives such as plastic-free pads, reusable pads and menstrual cups. “Sustainable period products are so important because not only do they help protect our environment, they also aid marginalized communities that experience period poverty and are unable to afford products on a monthly basis,” she explained. 

(Source: Healthline) 

Later that night, several questions were open to the floor for discussion. When asked how menstruators can come to accept and appreciate periods as a part of their lives, Jayati Gogia had this to say. 

“I think the scientific process of disposing the blood in the uterus is both important and beautiful. Just understanding that made me appreciate my periods more.” 

The audience were also asked to share one thing about the event that impacted them the most. 

“Getting into conversations like these, it can sometimes get very argumentative,” Jayati continued. “But that is not what happened tonight. Just to see everyone respectfully taking into account that each of us comes from a different background—I think that was really beautiful.” 

(Source: GloryArt Studios) 

Miss Laveenia Theertha also said that she felt very moved to see the young people of today actively seeking ways to normalize period conversations. 

The hosts of the night, Shivakaaminii and Jane, also expressed how happy and grateful they were for the event’s success. “While planning this event, we worried that we wouldn’t be able to find people who were willing to share their period stories,” Jane said. “But then we got a lot of speakers—more than we expected. And we’re really happy with the outcome.” 

All bright smiles at the afterparty of PERIODT. 

The insight from various speakers have truly shed light on a topic too often avoided in daily conversations. While we can all agree that there is much left to be done in abolishing menstruation stigma, this event was an important step taken towards creating an environment where menstruators need not hide and whisper. Because we need to talk about periods, PERIODT. 

(Source: iStock) 

Taylor’s Girl Up was started by college students in Taylor’s University as part of the global Girl Up movement to empower Malaysian girls with skills, rights, access and opportunity. They focus on the local communities’ struggles with discrimination and stand alongside them to fight for equality. For more information, kindly email tugirlup@gmail.com. 

The Speaker’s Corner is under the purview of Student Engagement Leadership Development (S.E.A.L.), Student Development, Centre for Future Learning. For bookings, enquiries or collaborations, please contact Mr. Dorian Wilde at Dorian.Rajoo@taylors.edu.my.