[Music]
middle schools can be kind of tough back
when I was a girl I struggled with
taming my ever frizzy lion-like hair and
matching my braces rubber bands with my
outfit of the day and let’s not forget
puberty a magical time in any young
person’s life when voices get lower
sweat levels get higher and bodies
change and for girls that means getting
your period but uh why don’t we continue
to whisper about something that’s a
natural part of any woman’s life but uh
I don’t whisper about mine instead I
call it Lucifer’s waterfall or Shark
Week
luckily I am out of middle school now
but my period still followed me to high
school for some of the men in the room
and even some women all of this period
talk may be making you feel
uncomfortable that’s exactly the
problems we have live in a society that
heavily stigmatizes periods makes them
an expense some young women even in our
own community cannot afford and that is
my concern it should be our concern men
straining is inconvenient
you don’t say but little is being done
to make sure girls my age we’re not
distracted are worried where the next
tampons coming from especially at school
well it should be acknowledged that
public schools are required to have a
limited supply of menstrual hygiene
products at their disposal of their
students
they’re often hidden away in a dark
cabinet in the nurse’s office this
simply isn’t cutting it anymore
take it from me and any other girl my
age when you’re on your period at school
and stranded without the products you
need it’s embarrassing doc don’t leave
your classroom walk all the way down to
the nurse’s office beg for a pad in
front of a gaggle of your sick
classmates walk to the bathroom use the
product and then return to your
classroom where you are greeted by your
teachers and peers asking what took you
so long then how do you even answer I
got lost
not only can this experience be
mortifying
trust me I know but you end up missing
out on valuable instructional time a
spokesperson for the Department of
Education stated students must feel
comfortable in their classes so they can
focus on learning having three easy
access to material hydrogen products is
essential to make this happen without
access to supplies students often miss
class or do not participate as
vigorously for fear of leakage and
embarrassment impacting overall
educational outcomes
additionally periods can come
unexpectedly there like a little
surprise in a survey conducted by Harris
Interactive 79% of women under the age
of 18 are not yet on a predictable
monthly cycle meaning they are often
caught off guard and this contributes to
heightened stress at schools when you
don’t know when you will start flowing
or how to take care of it by menstrual
hygiene products being conveniently
located in school restrooms rather than
hidden away across the building it can
take some of the stress out of a young
woman’s day but besides that convenience
aspect of this issue it also comes down
to financials periods are expensive with
a single box of pads or tampons costing
seven to ten dollars we mean the average
woman in the United States spending 80
to 120 dollars on menstrual hygiene
supplies each year for lower income
families the cost of purchasing supplies
can be more than they can afford for
example in the public school districts
of our community they’re currently 1473
female middle and high school students
eligible for free and reduced lunch
meaning they can’t always afford food
let alone their own emergency supply of
menstrual hygiene products easy access
at schools to help alleviate some of the
financial strain having a period
provides
and while it’s easy for school districts
and leadership boards choose their own
financial situations or budgets as
reasons they cannot provide these
products no one and I mean no one thinks
twice but the cost of stocking restrooms
the toilet paper and hand soap and paper
towels yeah
menstrual products are considered luxury
I don’t know about you but uh when it
called my period very luxurious and it
only costs about four dollars and 67
cents per female student for schools to
provide them with sanitary products for
the entire school year so in other words
for the price of a footlong at Subway or
a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks
provide their students with menstrual
hygiene products for a year so I
challenge you to stand with me and
support young women with the resources
we need to manage our periods because
I’m tired of living in a BYOD bring your
own tampons Society and as corny as it
sounds we can all make a difference if
you’re a lawmaker cross legislation that
increases students access to vital
hygiene products if your school
administrator or leader or teacher
facilitate open conversations with your
students about their hygiene needs and
why not add pads and tampons onto school
supplies list just as tissues are both
our concerns over students health should
be viewed the same way and if you’re a
parent why not drop a box of sanitary
supplies in your daughter’s school
restroom trust me
girls everywhere will thank you if we
all band together to increase the
convenience and accessibility of
menstral hydrogen products for young
women would be a huge step in supporting
the hygienic and by a lot
means of women and it would make Shark
Week a little less menacing
middle schools can be kind of tough back
when I was a girl I struggled with
taming my ever frizzy lion-like hair and
matching my braces rubber bands with my
outfit of the day and let’s not forget
puberty a magical time in any young
person’s life when voices get lower
sweat levels get higher and bodies
change and for girls that means getting
your period but uh why don’t we continue
to whisper about something that’s a
natural part of any woman’s life but uh
I don’t whisper about mine instead I
call it Lucifer’s waterfall or Shark
Week
luckily I am out of middle school now
but my period still followed me to high
school for some of the men in the room
and even some women all of this period
talk may be making you feel
uncomfortable that’s exactly the
problems we have live in a society that
heavily stigmatizes periods makes them
an expense some young women even in our
own community cannot afford and that is
my concern it should be our concern men
straining is inconvenient
you don’t say but little is being done
to make sure girls my age we’re not
distracted are worried where the next
tampons coming from especially at school
well it should be acknowledged that
public schools are required to have a
limited supply of menstrual hygiene
products at their disposal of their
students
they’re often hidden away in a dark
cabinet in the nurse’s office this
simply isn’t cutting it anymore
take it from me and any other girl my
age when you’re on your period at school
and stranded without the products you
need it’s embarrassing doc don’t leave
your classroom walk all the way down to
the nurse’s office beg for a pad in
front of a gaggle of your sick
classmates walk to the bathroom use the
product and then return to your
classroom where you are greeted by your
teachers and peers asking what took you
so long then how do you even answer I
got lost
not only can this experience be
mortifying
trust me I know but you end up missing
out on valuable instructional time a
spokesperson for the Department of
Education stated students must feel
comfortable in their classes so they can
focus on learning having three easy
access to material hydrogen products is
essential to make this happen without
access to supplies students often miss
class or do not participate as
vigorously for fear of leakage and
embarrassment impacting overall
educational outcomes
additionally periods can come
unexpectedly there like a little
surprise in a survey conducted by Harris
Interactive 79% of women under the age
of 18 are not yet on a predictable
monthly cycle meaning they are often
caught off guard and this contributes to
heightened stress at schools when you
don’t know when you will start flowing
or how to take care of it by menstrual
hygiene products being conveniently
located in school restrooms rather than
hidden away across the building it can
take some of the stress out of a young
woman’s day but besides that convenience
aspect of this issue it also comes down
to financials periods are expensive with
a single box of pads or tampons costing
seven to ten dollars we mean the average
woman in the United States spending 80
to 120 dollars on menstrual hygiene
supplies each year for lower income
families the cost of purchasing supplies
can be more than they can afford for
example in the public school districts
of our community they’re currently 1473
female middle and high school students
eligible for free and reduced lunch
meaning they can’t always afford food
let alone their own emergency supply of
menstrual hygiene products easy access
at schools to help alleviate some of the
financial strain having a period
provides
and while it’s easy for school districts
and leadership boards choose their own
financial situations or budgets as
reasons they cannot provide these
products no one and I mean no one thinks
twice but the cost of stocking restrooms
the toilet paper and hand soap and paper
towels yeah
menstrual products are considered luxury
I don’t know about you but uh when it
called my period very luxurious and it
only costs about four dollars and 67
cents per female student for schools to
provide them with sanitary products for
the entire school year so in other words
for the price of a footlong at Subway or
a fancy cup of coffee at Starbucks
provide their students with menstrual
hygiene products for a year so I
challenge you to stand with me and
support young women with the resources
we need to manage our periods because
I’m tired of living in a BYOD bring your
own tampons Society and as corny as it
sounds we can all make a difference if
you’re a lawmaker cross legislation that
increases students access to vital
hygiene products if your school
administrator or leader or teacher
facilitate open conversations with your
students about their hygiene needs and
why not add pads and tampons onto school
supplies list just as tissues are both
our concerns over students health should
be viewed the same way and if you’re a
parent why not drop a box of sanitary
supplies in your daughter’s school
restroom trust me
girls everywhere will thank you if we
all band together to increase the
convenience and accessibility of
menstral hydrogen products for young
women would be a huge step in supporting
the hygienic and by a lot
means of women and it would make Shark
Week a little less menacing
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