The best of #JustATampon
The best of #JustATampon
Last week we launched the #JustATampon campaign with V Point News and it was fantastic to see social media flooded (no pun intended) with tampon selfies. Hundreds of people embraced the campaign, posing with tampons in weird and wacky ways, and your response to our call to start a big conversion about menstruation was very encouraging.
So why do we need to talk about menstruation?
Women and girls all over the world face stigma just for having a period. By talking about menstruation and educating women, girls, men and boys on menstrual hygiene we can help to eradicate the myths.
In the West, a woman will use about 11,000 tampons in her lifetime. But only 12 per cent of women and girls in India have access to sanitary products - affecting millions more in all developing countries. Access to clean sanitary materials is restricted, many women and girls use cloth rags, and some even use materials such as mud, leaves or cow dung, which have a high risk of causing infections.
Due to the stigmas attached to menstruation and the poor access to sanitary products, adolescent girls in developing countries often miss school during their period and women are unable to go to work. UNESCO estimates that one in ten African girls miss school during their periods, which leads to higher dropout rates. And a study in Bangladesh found that 73 per cent of female garment workers missed an average of 6 days of work a month due to vaginal infections from unsanitary menstrual materials.
Menstruation is an important topic, so thank you for helping to break the taboo and raise awareness. Here’s a selection of our favourite #JustATampon selfies.
Join the campaign
It’s not too late to show your support for the #JustATampon campaign. Help us keep the momentum going. Text TAMPON to 70007 to donate £3 to Plan UK and share it on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #JustATampon.
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