Change India with menstrual encyclopedia! The most gentle TED speech: "Menstruation is not a disease, nor a curse."

"Menstrual, blood, menstrual, nausea, secret, cover." Why? Menstruation is a physiological process that every girl and woman will experience, but it is considered taboo by us. --Aditi GUPDA

Founder of the "menstrual encyclopedia" Aditi Gouppe Tatsu Aditi Gupta stood on the TED stage, do not talk about large data, not talk about the vastness of the universe, do not talk about biotechnology, her eyes gently look at her body, has been neglected for many years, the most intangible sensitive piece: why the period of human survival and reproduction, but is considered not to say taboo?

She reflects on why society has taught girls and women since childhood, your menstruation is shameful, your body must be incognito, you want to secretly buy tampons or clean sanitary napkins?

She puzzled, why menstrual cramps woman, is considered unclean? Nor can you worship or engage in any religion-related matters? Temples more explicitly prohibit menstrual women to enter, worried about the humiliation of God only?

In a devout India, Aditi Gupda wants to solve a gender problem: let India face up to the existence and importance of menstruation, help India's girls and women have better sanitation, through the life of the menstrual encyclopedia comics, to establish India's menstrual exclusive social circle.

Aditi GUPDA by sharing their experience began, adolescence, she repeatedly washed in the dark blood dyed red rags, the private place often inflamed itching, and at one time, she thought it was her own woman's fault. (same field Gayon:"Gender Syriac" from dirty weapons to healthy physiology )

"Menstrual cramps, I can only use rags, and hide in the dark wash"

"I finally read the chapters in my textbook about menstruation, and the biology teacher skipped it," he said. You know what I learned from that? I learned people to discuss menstruation as a disgrace, I learned to take their own body as a disgrace, I learned not to face the existence of menstruation. 」

"The study shows that in India, there are three girls per 10, who ignore menstruation at the beginning of their cramps. In the western Indian Rajasthan, 10 girls have nine who do not know what is menstruation: because of the unfamiliar menstruation, they first through the blood when they thought they had blood cancer, that they are dying. 」

"Menstrual if not good sanitary conditions, easy to cause genital infection." In India, however, 88% of women do not pay attention to personal hygiene during menstruation. I am also one of them. 」

"I was in the town of Jharkhand Gava County Magistrate Big, where even buy sanitary napkins are very ashamed." Menstrual cramps, I used a rag, every time I used up, I wash it clean and re-use, but in order not to let people find my menstrual cramps, I usually have to hide these rags in the dark damp place. Repeated cleaning and preservation of the relationship, these cloth became very thick, I often have a rash and allergies. 」

In India, a girl's understanding of her own body starts like this, hidden everywhere, no guide, no help, religious beliefs and social climate control of the girl's body, she sat on the bed linen and sofa must immediately wash, she can not touch and eat pickled, temples expressly refused her body, the gods will not listen to the prayers of menstrual women. (Recommended reading: are You "comfortable" today? )

When she was menstruating, she was no longer herself, and she could no longer be a devout believer. Religious superstition generations, the home of the elderly women also earnest confession, this is the fate of women.

"In India, 85% of women, the default period of the existence of the moral constraints can not be freed." 」

Ignorance of menstruation is not just a rural phenomenon

"We usually think that ignorance of menstruation only exists in rural areas, but according to my survey, it is also a common phenomenon in the cities, and so is the educated class." Visit many parents and teachers, found that many people would like to provide girls about menstrual knowledge, but suffer from no suitable pipeline. And because menstruation is a taboo issue, they are generally depressed and ashamed to talk about it. 」

In India, the school taboo talk about menstruation, parents do not know how to talk about menstruation, girls can not face their menstrual period. And if we look at, even in our "progressive" countries, menstrual blood and menstrual cramps still with the control of concealment and punishment of color.

South Korea's health cotton prices are twice times more expensive than other countries, low-income households, women say they can not afford to buy sanitary cotton; in Taiwan, cotton strips are considered to be 2-level invasive medical supplies, only open network traffic, part of the lifting of the ban, is currently fighting for the Moon Cup and cotton, can be (same field Gayon: from cotton strip to Moon Cup!) An interview with the Moon, the Archbishop of Vanessa: No bleeding not bloom of the anti-Bone woman flower

In India, Aditi Gupda to draw comics, the introduction of the girls to understand the menstrual period of the menstrual encyclopedia, aroused women to explore the curiosity of menstruation and learning motivation. (Recommended reading: an average of 92 people are raped every day!) Priya Shakti, a cartoon heroine determined to reverse the brutal state of India

"We prepared three main characters, not yet come to the girl in the first Giya, menstrual cramps girl and stable to menstruation girl Mila." The fourth role is the Latiti, following Nefertiti's gaze, the girls can find their place in the three characters, learn about menstrual health knowledge, understand their own body. 」

"Parents and teachers are beginning to use this book, to talk about menstruation feel more comfortable, sometimes, even boys want to read this book." 」

Cultivate menstrual consciousness! Imagine a future in which menstruation is no longer a curse.

Kristeva Julia Kristeva's theory of cheap doctrine points out that, like menstrual blood so threatening "I" and "not my" main boundaries of things, often cause group panic. She mentioned that only when the threat of the main body of the base of the object is completely "body", the subject will be able to reconstruct the "clean" state.

Aditi Gupda's approach is gentle, she invited all the girls back to look at their bodies, imagine a period is no longer taboo India, imagine a menstrual period is no longer a curse of the future.

"Many volunteers use this book to teach girls to start menstrual awareness workshops in five different provinces in India," he said. A volunteer took the book to a convent in Ladakh to teach young women monks. 」

The menstrual encyclopedia was marketed in September 2014, with more than 4,000 girls being taught. In India, more and more schools have included the book as a textbook, and school education is no longer skipping the knowledge of menstruation.

"I dream that in the future, women's menstruation is no longer a curse, a disease, but a joyful change in the lives of women," she said. I would like to invite the parents here to think about it, if you are ashamed of your menstrual period, so will your daughter. So, hug your menstrual period. 」

In India, changes are underway, so what about in Taiwan?

I look forward to one day, the menstrual stigma is no longer, when we talk about menstruation, it is no longer always "that" or "that come"; the purchase of tampons no longer needs to be covered with shame; there are more options on the shelf for physical products, whether it's tampons, tampons or moon cups. (Recommended reading: Why Taiwanese girls don't dare to use tampons?) )