- Local author, Amaya Waymon, has released a new book with a goal to reduce stigmas around menstruation and to help young girls navigate their period for the first time.
- One study by Thinx, INC. and PERIOD found that 75% of teens say periods are still seen as "gross" or unsanitary."
- Watch the video to find out how Waymon is trying to confront these numbers and why she's connecting with local organizations to reach more young girls.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Putting pen to paper to continue her fight to end the stigma of something that happens naturally. That's menstruation.
I'm finding out why one author was driven to release a book about periods and why it's important for her to connect with young girls in our city.
A mission to enact change borne out of lived experience.
"I started my cycle back when I was in elementary, 4th grade to be exact," said newly local author, Amaya Waymon.
Waymon said this incident made her upset at the time. "My teacher wouldn't let me take my purse to the restroom," said Waymon.
That's one of the reasons why she decided to write her new book "Oh No, My Period Started! It's Okay."
The book also builds on her work with her non profit The Girl Flow providing menstrual products to schools and colleges.
"I think that it's important to talk about periods as well as being able to talk about the effect of how it happens to young readers," said Waymon.
She wants to empower young students to speak openly about menstruation, something she wishes had been more common when she was growing up.
"The whole point of writing book was really to break that taboo," said Waymon. "A lot of people don't talk about it and want to shy away from it but it's something that needs to be addressed."
According to a 2023 study from Thinx, INC. and PERIOD, two entities working in the menstruation field, data shows taboos around periods are still affecting teenagers.
- 75% of teens say periods are still seen as "gross" or unsanitary"
- 88% of teens hide their period products when they go to the bathroom
- 60% of teens agree society teaches people to be ashamed of their periods
These numbers are one of the reasons Waymon has been spending time at the Oasis Center for Women and Girls, sharing her book with young girls.
"Being able to pour back into those young readers and letting them know why I wanted to write my book and also be able to encourage and empower them," said Waymon.
Kelly Otte, Executive Director of the Oasis Center, said conversation is one of the best ways to create that empowerment.
"The thing that the community has to do more than anything is to stop talking about menstruating as somehow an evil thing," said Otte.
Otte said that stigma can also be reduced by expanding access to period products.
"The idea is to make it just a regular part of wherever women are, to help them have access to what they need," said Otte.
To expand access to period products in our community, the Oasis Center for Women and Girls accepts donations of pads and tampons. They give these out to organizations and women who need them including their women in therapy and support groups.
You can drop donations off at their office on Highland Oaks Terrace.
