Period. @ ISU

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois State chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Period Poverty, like much of women’s health, is a severely underdiscussed topic. Period. is an organization that is helping lead discussions and awareness of the menstrual movement. With chapters in over 40 states and 20 countries, Period. is aiming to lead the conversation about period poverty and the stigma that comes with it. 

October 11th is Period Action Day, the global day of action to end period poverty. Period Action Days fall on the second Saturday of October. In honor of Period Action Day, the Illinois State University chapter of Period., Period @ ISU, reached out to our Her Campus team to help spread the word. I got to the interview Period. @ ISU current president, Camila Fontes.

Period Poverty

Period Poverty refers to the lack of access to menstrual products, education, and awareness to manage menstrual health. 

I had never heard the term “period poverty” until July 2022. Youtubers Brooklyn and Bailey launched a fundraiser with the Alliance for Period Supplies that summer, aiming to combat Period Poverty. They traveled in an RV with the goal of going to all 50 states before Bailey’s next period. Their goal was to raise $100,000, equating to about 1 million period supplies. While the concept of traveling via RV to spread the word on Period Poverty may sound silly, the sisters were successful in raising $200K in 22 days. 

Period Poverty is far from over, and Period. @ ISU is one of the many programs aiming to help spread awareness for the period movement. 

What is Period.

Period. is an organization focused on ending menstrual poverty through education. Camila says this includes educating people on what periods and period poverty are. Period. Also focuses on advocacy, through protesting the tampon tax and working with legislators to make new and better laws surrounding menstruation. They also act as a service, donating to the community. Period. @ ISU’s focus has already been on service, but this semester, Camila says they have started to integrate some education on period poverty into their work.

When I asked Camila what sparked her interest in Period, she shared a personal story. “When I was 17 years old, I started to donate period products to a poor, rural community from the city where my dad was born, Caeté (Minas Gerais, Brazil). Growing up, I always visited that community, and as I got older, I became more involved in the work that was done to help the families. With the work I did, pads were donated to them for the first time in 30 years. So, fighting period poverty was already something that was important for me and that I planned on doing once I got to ISU. I found out about Period. @ ISU, in my first semester in college, when I saw them advertising their meeting on Snapchat, and went to it. I talked with the old president, and she asked if I wanted to be involved in the executive board. And, since then, I have been a member of this amazing organization.”

Why Period Poverty Persists

Period Poverty is rarely discussed, and there are many factors feeding into this issue. “Even though we know that not all women menstruate and not all people who menstruate are women, period poverty is, above all, a women’s issue and, unfortunately, it has been treated as such,” Camila said. “Just like anything that is related to the female body (gynecological healthcare, pregnancy, etc.), menstruation – and anything surrounding it – has been seen as dirty, hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, and it has been highly neglected.”

Another major contributor is the fact that many people in power positions have never experienced menstruation or the pains or hormonal changes that come with it. The US Congress is 71.8% male. 5 of the 9 Supreme Court Justices are male. We have a male president and vice president. The people who hold power in America are predominantly male, and they are the ones who have the most control over what legislation is being passed about women’s bodies. “They don’t know what cramps feel like or how the lack of menstrual products can be very harmful and keep menstruators from doing their daily activities, so why would they give this any priority?”

Get Involved!

I asked Camila if there was something she wished more people knew about Period. “I wish people knew that one doesn’t have to have a period to be involved in our club or to fight against period poverty. I hope we have more non-menstruators and cis guys coming to our meetings and getting involved with our RSO soon. Unfortunately, the stigma that surrounds menstruation has most likely pushed a lot of cis men away from the period equality movement.”

As mentioned above, October 11th is Period Action Day. Camila explained how the parent organization takes this day very seriously and helps guide the chapter members every step of the way. They held a general meeting to explain how to conduct their week-long period product drive the week leading up to the 11th. Camilia also has a person she was able to contact and work with to brainstorm plans for the Period. @ ISU event. “Period. also has an entire website designated for this day, on which we can post our event and see what else is happening around the US.” The website can be reached here: https://www.periodactionday.com/. “For us, Period Action Day meant a lot of emails were sent and calls were made so we could reach out to as many people as possible and get help from everyone.”

You can get involved with Period. @ ISU’s upcoming events. On October 21st, they’re holding a meeting with the ACLU to discuss how to help in the fight against period poverty. On November 11th, fraternity brothers will come to play a game about menstruation and Period Poverty. And on December 5th, they’ll have Pride and Black Girl Code join them to talk about period and diversity. 

Original photo by Camila Fontes

I’d like to thank Camila for taking the time to discuss Period. @ ISU’s mission! If you’re interested in learning more about Period. @ ISU, check them out on their Instagram (found at Period.isu).