From Taboo to TED Talk: How Menstrual Health Is Entering the Mainstream
- CASEY MOLLER
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
For a long time, periods were something to hide.Whispered about. Joked about. Ignored. But in recent years, menstrual health has stepped out of the shadows and into the mainstream through documentaries, global campaigns, research, activism, and everyday conversations. What was once taboo is now being discussed on global stages, in classrooms, workplaces, and living rooms. And that shift matters.
The Turning Point: Stories That Changed the Conversation
One of the most powerful drivers of change has been storytelling, real stories, told publicly, without shame.
Period. End of Sentence.
This Academy Award–winning short documentary follows women in rural India who begin manufacturing sanitary pads, challenging stigma while creating education, employment, and dignity.
🔗 Watch: https://www.netflix.com
🔗 Learn more: https://thepadproject.org
The message is simple but powerful: Periods are normal and access to products can change lives.
The Pad Project
Founded by students, The Pad Project focuses on menstrual equity through:
Education
Access to products
Advocacy for systemic change
Their work highlights how menstrual health is deeply connected to education, gender equality, and economic opportunity.
Campaigns Bringing Periods Into Public Conversation
Share the Dignity
In Australia, Share the Dignity has been instrumental in shifting how we talk about periods.
Their work includes:
Distributing millions of period products
Installing free Dignity Vending Machines
Advocating for policy change
Raising awareness about period poverty
They’ve helped normalise menstruation through national campaigns, media, and community partnerships.
Menstrual Health Day (May 28)
An annual global awareness day that promotes:
Education
Advocacy
Open conversation
It’s now recognised worldwide, with events, campaigns, and education initiatives across schools, workplaces, and communities.
From Silence to Science
Menstrual health is also entering the mainstream through research and innovation. There is growing attention on:
Gender bias in medical research
Underfunding of menstrual and reproductive health
The need for inclusive, evidence-based education
Books like Invisible Women have helped expose how women’s health has been overlooked and why data matters.
Periods on Big Stages
Menstrual health is now being discussed in:
TED Talks
Policy debates
School curricula
Workplace wellbeing initiatives
Social media campaigns
Public figures, educators, activists, and young people are sharing their experiences openly helping to dismantle shame one conversation at a time. When periods are visible, they become easier to understand, support, and normalise.
Why This Shift Matters
When menstrual health enters the mainstream:
Young people feel less alone
Period pain is taken more seriously
Access inequality is addressed
Education improves
Shame loses its power
Normalising periods doesn’t trivialise them, it validates them.
What You Can Do
You don’t need a platform or a microphone to be part of this change. You can:
Share accurate information
Support menstrual equity organisations
Talk openly at home and school
Challenge stigma when you see it
Advocate for access to products and education
Every conversation counts.
A Final Thought
Periods were never meant to be secret. They were made taboo. The move from silence to spotlight from taboo to TED Talk, shows what’s possible when stories are told honestly and collectively.
And this is just the beginning.
Helpful Links & Resources
Period. End of Sentence.: https://thepadproject.org
The Pad Project: https://thepadproject.org
Share the Dignity (Australia): https://www.sharethedignity.org.au
Menstrual Health Day: https://menstrualhygieneday.org
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