The rising cost of health cotton will lead to a rise in women's living expenses, which is a big burden for some women with poorer economic conditions. Women who do not have a tampon replacement are likely to cause infection in their private places . Have you ever wondered why tampons are a basic living thing but cannot be easily made in toilet paper? Why do we always use "that" as "menstruation"? And why should tampons be packed in bags to hold them in hand? In the face of these unreasonable, we need to know more about our bodies before we can make sound for ourselves. (same field Gayon: farewell to the blood stained by history: "Lady's Pointy" revolution )
South Korean girls to protest the price of health cotton soared, July 3 in South Korea Seoul Ren temple hole plastered on the street with pigment dyed red health cotton expression dissatisfaction. The protests come from South Korea's health-cotton maker, Liu Hanqin, who has raised the price of tampons by 20% since June, making it more expensive for women who are not cheap to live in yuhan-kimberly.
The woman who launched the campaign said on the social networking site, Taiwan and Denmark a health cotton about NT $4, the United States and Japan about 5 yuan, France about 6 yuan, but South Korea is as high as 9 yuan, South Korea's health cotton prices are significantly higher than Taiwan, Japan, France, Denmark and other countries 1.5 to twice times, suspected that manufacturers to profiteering. and South Korea from 2010 to 2015 consumer Price index (CPI) only increased by 9.81%, but the price of health cotton rose 24.59%, there are low-income families of women said they could not afford to buy tampons.
Data reference, photo source: Jing Xiang News
Is it an unsightly act to use pigments instead of menstrual blood to launch a protest?
"The ancient Greek era, can be called the pioneering era of human civilization, there are so-called" mother God worship. " From the creation of the goddess of Venus, the mother God entered the world with overwhelming force. Why do women get such high status from the very beginning of civilization? One reason is women's menstrual cycle-related menstruation, and the fact that the mystery is not fatal, but incurable. Excerpt from the history of women in the world.
The woman's World history Author: Rosalyn Myers
Although menstruation has such a sacred status, but with the social changes, from matrilineal Society to patrilineal Society, male power, women's social status continues to fall, menstrual blood is gradually seen as an unlucky symbol, become a harmful filth, forming a taboo on menstruation.
Menstruation has been regarded as a symbol of unclean filth since the beginning of patrilineal society, which may be traced to anthropological studies. The result in eastern society is that women who are menstruating are barred from participating in many things, including sacrifices and going to temples, because they are "unclean" and profane the Buddha. In addition, also want to avoid approaching pregnant women, because the body with blood, will let the other person contact blood light, and alarmed Taiqi.
Of course, the blood so "dirty and filthy" things can not touch men. In the Han Dynasty to seek the son of medicine and room in the surgery are recommended that men do not with menstrual not net of female intercourse, otherwise not only produce good offspring, but also harm their body. The Ming Dynasty has "Compendium of Materia Medica" medical home lishizhen is that menstrual will harm the male yang, so men and women in menstrual cramps during the period not only should not have intercourse, even should be separated into sleep. All sorts of stigma from the Ancients ' knowledge of menstruation, until they claim to be open to the modern still visible traces. (same field Gayon: menstrual cramps have more benefits? )
Remember the first menstrual cramps that day, my mother told me: "From now on, you have to more care, more protection of their bodies," that "came, on behalf of you can have children, on behalf of you to enter adolescence. "Because my mother called" menstruation "as" the one to come ", so I also follow my mother said, and I am the same age of female students also say so, so more strengthen my menstrual image, is" vague "," secret "," say it will make people embarrassed. " But as I grew older, knowledge began to increase a little bit, and I began to think: why should I not speak fair and square during menstruation? Isn't every girl going to have it? ( the same field Gayon: reflection on the case of minor sexual assault: Why "protect oneself" became the amulet of sexual assault? )
Perhaps we women are afraid to say that is never "menstrual" These two words, but afraid to speak out after, get is the patriarchal thinking despise vision. Countries in the time, whenever menstrual cramps, even if the toilet is in the next door of their classrooms, I still insist on the health of cotton in the "beautiful bag", or hidden in the pocket, dare to go into the square. Once, there are male students accidentally see other female students of the health of cotton, immediately exposed the eyes of disgust said: "Evil ~ ~ things collected well, that very dirty!" "At that time I also agree that tampons should hide good ideas, but do not understand why tampons are dirty?" It's even a brand-new, unused tampon.
Hidden "Menstruation", you and I have been afraid to face the "that."
The question goes to the South Korean girls ' protest: Why would it be considered "unsightly" to sign a tampon with red paint? In fact, menstruation itself is not terrible, this is a human life continues to reproduce the natural physiological phenomenon. The "menstrual blood" from the girl's womb is not dirty, is from the body, with more than the tissue left out of the "clean blood", let us feel dirty, never menstrual blood, not health cotton, but from our female body does not understand, there has been not completely eliminate the "menstrual stigma" (The same field Gayon: "Gender Syriac" from dirty weapons to healthy physiology! The ancients also wanted to have a bottle of Metime.
Menstruation shouldn't be a woman's extra tax.
Once the ancients thought so mysterious, awe-inspiring menstruation, to the modern, in order to let women in menstrual cramps more comfortable, and the emergence of "sanitary cotton." Sanitary cotton makes women's life more comfortable, and gradually becomes the necessary cost of women's daily life. However, in 2015, the price of cotton sold in Malaysia because of the consumption tax, causing discontent; This July 5, the South Korean health cotton manufacturers announced higher prices, will lead to some women can not afford. Even UNICEF says that one-tenth of African girls skip school classes during menstruation, as these girls are unable to obtain safe physical supplies at school during menstruation, leading to some girls being expelled from class because of absence.
As a woman, from the moment of birth, is destined to spend more than men in this life a "health cotton fee." Perhaps the cost is not very large, but it does affect the cost of life for every woman. For women with low incomes and even no income, it is the same luxury of living necessities. In Taiwan, there was a mother and daughter in order to save money, menstrual cramps in the day only use 2 pieces of tampons, resulting in intimate place infection eczema, have to seek medical attention. Such an incident would not be a case, and it would be enough for us to think: why should such basic necessities of life become a luxury cost to be saved? (same field Gayon: intimate lessons that every woman has to learn: intimate care )
Because toilet paper is a necessity for people to go to toilet, most of the public toilets will be provided. In addition to providing toilet paper, some restaurant toilets offer female users of tampons-and such moves are considered "intimate" by the public.
But, to put it another way: women's demand for tampons is the same as the need for toilet paper after all the large ones. While we take it for granted that toilet paper is provided as "extra intimate" for public toilets, I think perhaps the world has not fully embraced the concept of "tampons as a daily necessities for women". When the world accepts this concept and is internalized into its own values, we truly stigmatize menstruation.
You have more options than tampons.
After reading the above discussion, you are not also beginning to think, more easily in public access to health cotton, menstrual to the stigma of the importance of it?
Sanitary cotton is very common in Taiwan because it is easy to change and is not an invasive product, which is quite acceptable to the physiological women in Taiwan. But the disadvantage of health cotton is that it is easy to feel hot and humid, in sleep, exercise and side leakage of worry. Do you think there is a problem with the use of tampons? In fact, in addition to tampons, you have more options.
To solve the outflow of menstrual blood is a woman's life must face the problem, in addition to the government management companies to drive up the price of health cotton, women actually have other options, can make their menstrual more comfortable. But this does not mean that we can make the world more friendly to menstruation by simply choosing a product other than tampons. The greatest expectations, in addition to hope that all women can better understand their own body, but also look at this article in addition to you and I, people all over the world can use a healthier attitude to see the arrival of menstruation. (same field Gayon: who wants "clean"?) Adolescence, forgotten sensory memory )
The health-cotton protests, launched by South Korean girls, drew public attention with the red pigment of tampons. In addition to letting the public understand their grievances and aspirations, it also symbolizes progress: menstruation is no longer a "private matter" for women, but an ordinary physical phenomenon--the need to protest is necessary when the easy purchase of physical demand becomes a cost burden.
Menstruation should never be "avoided" the words mentioned, dear Big Girl, little girl, we all want to cherish their menstruation, menstruation is the important cycle of human life, but also a unique mature physiological women's gifts. Such a special gift, it is definitely worth you to share openly with others!
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