Navigating Stigmas Around Menstruation
Periods are a little-spoken about topic, surrounded by negative connotations and secrecy. We want to work on educating on these stigmas and discuss why they have manifested themselves into our everyday menstrual lives. Many stigmas surrounding periods make it difficult to make conversation around menstruation no longer taboo, and make it difficult for people who menstruate to feel comfortable in their bodies as well as comfortable simply speaking about their experiences in public or male-dominant audiences. In order to start to break down these barriers, we must learn why the stigma is there, and what it does.
Here are some online resources that may be helpful:
- Glamour Video: This is Your Period in 2 Minutes
- News Medical Life Sciences: Putting a Stop to Period Stigma
- NIH: The persistent power of stigma: A critical review of policy initiatives to break the menstrual silence and advance menstrual literacy
- Verywell Mind: Why Period Stigma Exists and How to Normalize Menstruation
The Undergraduate Student Senate, Hokie Wellness, Women’s Center, Period Club, and Student Affairs are working together to provide no-cost menstrual product dispensers for students and visitors. The Student Affairs Facilities and Operations team installed 41 dispensers across residence halls, dining centers, and student centers to support students and guests visiting Virginia Tech. Products are available to all VT employees, students, and visitors to campus.
Virginia Tech researchers Harsimran Kaur, Bryan Hsu, and Rogerio Bataglioli are part of a team that developed an eco-friendly biomaterial to improve the performance of current women's sanitary products, such as a menstrual cup Hsu is holding.