
A new documentary addresses the stigma of menstruation in India - sohkamyung
https://www.economist.com/prospero/2019/01/22/a-new-documentary-addresses-the-stigma-of-menstruation-in-india
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mahin
My partner and I face similar challenges in Pakistan. We sell cups instead of
pads, so we get the stigma of menstruation being a taboo as well as the
reluctance to insert cups because they are thought to make a women lose her
virginity.

The virginity issue doesn't make any sense, but it's a big part of the culture
here. It's good to see posts like these showing the way people think about
menstruation in places like India.

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lifeisstillgood
The story of the entrepreneur behind this is a stunning example of sheer not-
giving-up-ness - he lost his wife, his job, became a social outcast but built
a social company - keeping funds in local areas, giving jobs to local women
not multinational pharmas

He's pretty much a hero

I look forward to watching this.

An older reference:
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26260978](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-26260978)

~~~
deepaksurti
That is Arunachalam M, his story was also made into a movie. [1]

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_Man_(film)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pad_Man_\(film\))

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mschuster91
> Some 23% of girls drop out of school upon reaching puberty, humiliated by
> their peers and unable to access clean, private toilets.

What I find disturbing is that school peers humiliate each other over
menstruation. Nearly all girls get it during puberty, so why are they shaming
each other? And for the boys who shame their classmates, why aren't their
teachers holding them accountable?!

~~~
pembrook
In a country without access to toilets and clean water, why would they have
the resources for 1st world level teacher oversight?

This is kind of like asking why water is wet. Many children (likely due to
their parents) are insecure savages with under-developed empathy. Humiliating
each other is simply what they do. Hence why we force them to undergo decades
of education outside the home to learn how to relate to each other in a
civilized, healthy way by adulthood.

~~~
zanny
To be fair, plenty of first world children can be perfectly competent secure
savages with self-centered complexes and self-gratification perpetuated by
their parents and family wealth.

Kids really don't learn empathy innately. It has to be taught, and its not
something to just lecture, it needs to be learned through experience.

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latchkey
I'm in Vietnam and friends with someone who built a business around promoting
and selling silicon re-usable cups for women in VN. She said that a lot of
what she goes up against is the train of thought that a woman will no longer
be a virgin. I find this really depressing and sad as it makes no logical
sense at all.

~~~
waterpowder
Hi! could you share the name of the business, please?

~~~
latchkey
Please contact me privately. I don't think HN takes kindly to advertising...
even for a good purpose like this.

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AmericanChopper
I’d highly recommend the movie mentioned in this article, Padman. It’s
incredibly heartwarming, and the guy it’s based on is truly remarkable.

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hycaria
I hate how the push (even lobbying I'd say) for pads and tampons is never
questionned. It's expensive, it produces tons of waste, but most of all it
creates dependent customers. Yet it's acclaimed as selfless ?

Give these women cups and they're settled for life.

~~~
stochastic_monk
I don’t understand why tampons and pads are the primary recommended methods
for dealing with period blood (at least in the US). Cups are more sanitary,
better-suited for extended internal use, and are often reusable. Some cups can
even be worn during sex. I think it’s largely a matter of being uninformed, in
turn likely because of the stigma associated with a perfectly natural bodily
function.

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
> I think it’s largely a matter of being uninformed, in turn likely because of
> the stigma associated with a perfectly natural bodily function.

There's a lot of stigma there. Some women can't find comfortable cups, some
have flows too heavy to use a cup, and some don't like the idea of washing out
a bloody, clot covered menstrual cup in a public washroom's sink.

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nailer
Everywhere, pads and tampons should be looked at like toilet paper. Not taxed,
put in toilets by whoever runs them, and in the rare case someone steals them
- then OK they're obviously dirt poor no big deal.

~~~
dankiz
First, toilet paper is taxed at the same rates pads and tampons are.

Second, stealing is not OK. And if they put pads and/or tampons in toilets
they'll disappear in a matter of minutes. If you think only a dirt poor woman
would steal them, you are wrong.

~~~
nailer
1\. I don't know if you live in India or the US or somewhere else, but that's
awesome. You however don't know where I live so please stop correcting me on
'facts' that aren't relevant worldwide. They're classed as 'luxury goods' in
the UK:
[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42013239](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42013239)

2\. People steal toilet paper all the time. It's not considered a big deal,
probably because every loo has toilet paper - I'm sure you see the point here.
If someone steals it from a cafe for their house (which happens, if you've
worked in the service industry) nobody really cares.

~~~
Guest10928391
In developing countries, I think it's a different story. I've visited my fair
share of countries where public toilets don't have toilet paper. Or, someone
stands at the door collecting payments, asks if you need toilet paper, and
they take some sheets off the roll for you to use. If you put toilet paper in
these kind of countries, it just disappears instantly. People have difficultly
affording it when they make a dollar or two per day.

For a similar comparison, imagine if toilet paper costed $20 a roll in the US.
Suddenly, it's being stolen everywhere from public places. Businesses can't
afford to stock it in their toilets, as they can easily lose hundreds of
dollars a day from theft. People also have trouble affording it at home, so
it's not common in households. People are stealing entire rolls or filling
their pockets with sheets because they can't afford to buy it. There's also
suddenly a market for stolen toilet paper. People start stealing it from
public toilets, and selling it for half price, $10 a roll on the street. Now
we're in a situation like developing countries. This is why toilet paper is
never provided, or you pay for a few sheets.

For the same reason, you can't stock pads and tampons in these countries. You
said it yourself, stock them like toilet paper. Well, free toilet paper
doesn't work in these places.

I don't know the solution. I would assume you need to give people ID numbers
or stamps, and they can freely pickup N pads or tampons per month from a
secure building.

~~~
nailer
Totally support everything you've said. They should be looked at like toilet
paper _in places that can afford to give away toilet paper_.

------
codecrusade
More here Disposable Pads Are A Hazard, A Look At Some Alternatives
[https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/disposable-
pads-...](https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/disposable-pads-are-a-
hazard-a-look-at-some-alternatives/301031)

~~~
thisisit
At the YC Bangalore event last year, we had a guy who was developing a
disposable and water soluble pad. The pricing was too high for these things to
be mass market, though.

Unfortunately I don't remember the name. But it would have an interesting
product for a startup.

------
thewhitetulip
As recently as 70yrs ago, women needed to drain all blood in a utensil. That's
why the tradition was formed of 'women staying in one room one corner during
periods'

This was due to obvious reason that if she moves then it'll make everything
bloody. The issue is, people don't understand the reason behind such
traditions.

Funny anecdote.

A guru had 4 students. They used to meditate together by lighting a small
bonfire. Now the guru had a cat so he asked his students to bring a rope so he
could tie the cat.

50yrs later guru passed away and now their tradition is 'have meditation near
bonfire' but bring a cat and a rope and tie it outside the room.

Failure to understand the reason behind traditions makes ppl think women r
impure. They used to be impure during periods when there weren't sanitary
napkins. But now its not the case.

~~~
hartator
> They used to be impure during periods when there weren't sanitary napkins.

Are you saying women used to be impure before pads? Are you serious?

~~~
meestaahjoshee
thats not what he/she is saying

~~~
elliekelly
That's exactly what they're saying:

> They used to be impure during periods when there weren't sanitary napkins.
> But now its not the case.

~~~
thewhitetulip
You seem to not understand what you are reading. If you bleed then the blood
is on your body. That makes you technically "impure"

The same logic is being peddled by retards in this century to say women r
imoure during periods.

Learn to read objectively and if you can't then keep your ignorant thoughts
with yourself otherwise you go around announcing your ignorance.

------
vinayms
I wonder how many of the posters here pontificating on various
methods/products are women, and how many men have actually discussed this
topic in depth (no pun) with females they know personally. As a man, I think
men must stop being opinionated wrt two specific matters about women -
menstruation and childbirth - as its impossible for us to imagine/simulate the
real ordeal.

~~~
adrianN
I have informed opinions on many things that I can't personally experience.

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codecrusade
A marketing pitch for sanitary pads. Cloth and traditional alternatives worked
wonderfully in India for thousands of years, but who listens..

>>Nielsen, a research firm, estimates that around 70% of women in the country
cannot afford sanitary products: 300m use unhygienic alternatives like
newspapers, dry leaves and cotton rags.

~~~
vict00ms
>>70% of all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual
hygiene

From the article. I don't agree with your assessment that these "traditional
alternatives" are working "wonderfully".

~~~
codecrusade
Have you been in India? Do you know anything about menstural hygiene?

