It's been a busy few months at Sustainable Menstruation Australia. We are proud to announce that we've now prevented over 200 000 tampons and pads heading to landfill over the next ten years. We are one fifth of the way towards our goal of preventing one million disposable products going to landfill. Thanks to our wonderful customers for helping us move towards a greener planet.
It's also been a busy few months in the menstrual movement worldwide. Global menstrual awareness is growing, and the media is starting to take note. Cosmopolitan magazine has named 2015 the "year the period went public". Michelle Obama recently spoke up about the global need for a culture where women are respected, rape is talked about, and school can be attended by all, even girls who have begun to menstruate. Word is getting out there, and the menstrual revolution has begun.
It's also been a busy few months in the menstrual movement worldwide. Global menstrual awareness is growing, and the media is starting to take note. Cosmopolitan magazine has named 2015 the "year the period went public". Michelle Obama recently spoke up about the global need for a culture where women are respected, rape is talked about, and school can be attended by all, even girls who have begun to menstruate. Word is getting out there, and the menstrual revolution has begun.
However, on our own doorstep there is much work to be done. Attitudes still abound where menstruation is "gross", "dirty" and many people still view their cycle as an illness. A recent report showed a woman checking in to hospital due to monthly bleeding, never having been taught about her period. Since returning from the USA, I have been doing some serious thinking about where we can make changes in our own society, and how we can spread positive attitudes, which lead to positive actions. Ultimately, mindset is the catalyst for change, and some epic societal shifts are desperately needed at this time. I'm firmly of the belief that much of the inequality, injustice and scaremongering we experience and spread stems from misunderstanding, disrespect and separation from our menstrual cycles. The menstrual cycle harbours the foundation of life - it is a huge part of being a woman for many of us (noting that not all those who menstruate identify as women, and not all women menstruate). Whilst for the last few thousand years in our society, and particularly the last hundred years, it has become shameful to bleed, or talk about menstruation, the tides are slowly turning, and with the advent of social media and the rapid spread of information across our planet, progress is happening faster and faster.
One of the best ways to bring about a shift in the way we view our cycles is to step out of our comfort zone, and start having menstrual conversations with those around us. It's not easy being a trail blazer, but thankfully there are many of us working toward the same goal, and every day it gets easier. Even my highly conservative university recently wrote a piece about changing the world, one period at a time. The Australian women's adventure magazine, Travel Play Live is featuring my articles on menstruation, beginning with Not So Secret Women's Business. The topic is going "mainstream", one step at a time.
One of the best ways to bring about a shift in the way we view our cycles is to step out of our comfort zone, and start having menstrual conversations with those around us...
I've written my Sustainable Cycles journey into a book, aimed at late teens and young adults to learn about activism and what it's like cycling for something you're passionate about. (Cups, Bikes and Friendly Strangers: A Cycling Journey Across America; available for Kindle here). I'm hoping the youth of tomorrow will take up the baton, and start educating their parents about the options out there, and I'm hoping parents will step out of their comfort zones and start communicating with their children about menstruation, from a physical, emotional, psychological and symbolic standpoint.
I'd love to hear from my readers about how you are personally turning the tides, who you are chatting with, where you get your information, and where you see our menstrual interactions headed into the future. Is it a future you are looking forward to? What projects are you involved with, and where do you think the biggest area of improvement needs to be?
I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope to share a future with you that is inclusive, respectful, peaceful and open.
I'd love to hear from my readers about how you are personally turning the tides, who you are chatting with, where you get your information, and where you see our menstrual interactions headed into the future. Is it a future you are looking forward to? What projects are you involved with, and where do you think the biggest area of improvement needs to be?
I hope to hear from you soon, and I hope to share a future with you that is inclusive, respectful, peaceful and open.
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