by Stephanie Guza, Senior at Sacred Heart Greenwich and LiveGirl High School Fellow
A part of the process of becoming a woman is getting your period. It is a moment in a girl’s life that should be celebrated as she begins her journey of womanhood. If only that was the case for every girl, we would be living in a perfect world. Sadly, there is a stigma around menstruation where millions of girls are ashamed, embarrassed, or even unable to attend school because of the lack of education on this topic or resources. Growing up in an environment where we were taught to hide our periods, it is important to shift those negative emotions towards embracing this natural occurrence and feel empowered.
I got my period in fifth grade but didn’t tell anyone until I was in eighth. That was three years of keeping this “secret” at an all-girls school. My friends also got theirs in middle school but no one talked about it. We all followed this unwritten rule where we didn’t speak about periods. Embarrassment doesn’t accurately describe how I felt; in reality, I felt pressured to act like nothing was wrong when I was actually enduring cramps and back pain every month.
As a high schooler, that blanket of secrecy that was put over my class of 82 girls was lifted. I noticed that there wasn’t anything wrong with periods and that we were all going through similar things. We became more open to helping each other out when someone needed a pad, tampon or even Advil!
If you were wondering how my interest in this topic came to be, it was from a YouTube video called How Homeless Women Cope with their Periods. After watching that six-minute video I instantly felt the urge to do something and take action against Period Poverty. In the video, a handful of homeless women were interviewed regarding how they deal with their periods while living on the streets without access to basic necessities (including feminine products). Their answers made my stomach turn. They would use pieces of their clothing, socks, restaurant napkins, and even plastic bags in place of pads and tampons. Even though those women were aware of the health issues that could arise from using unsanitary items, they had no other choice. I wanted to change that and give them the products they need to be healthy and feel their best while menstruating. So, I started a project called Help End Period Poverty with my sister, and with the help of LiveGirl, I was able to make a change in our local and surrounding communities. We started off with a dress down day at my school and asked for a donation of $5 in order to purchase feminine products for homeless and low-income women. After purchasing 68 boxes of products with the $950 we raised, we invited our upper school to help package them into small, reusable bags. Around 500 bags were then donated to local non-profit organizations in Stamford, Darien, New Rochelle, and in New York City. The first drive was a success with very positive feedback from everyone, so we did a second drive and are currently still donating to the organizations.
In order for those drives to happen, I had to make speeches about the facts of Period Poverty and talk about my own experiences to help educate others. This project has changed me as a person; it made me more confident, a better public speaker, and a role model to others. Since no one was talking about Period Poverty at my school, I decided to be the first. Even though I am known as “Class Period” in my yearbook, I embrace it and laugh about it because I no longer feel any shame or embarrassment about the menstrual cycle.
Periods are normal. We all go through it, and no one should feel embarrassed by it. I hope that now you look at periods differently and become inspired to make your passion a part of who you are.
Check out our website helpendperiodpovertyproject.org and our Instagram page @help.end.period.poverty :)
