Together We Are Helping, Period.

I vividly remember the day I got my first period. It was 6th grade, middle school. I asked to go to the bathroom because I felt weird and remember seeing red. The bathroom didn’t have a dispenser or a box of supplies, and I didn’t know what to do. I was scared to go down to the office and ask the nurse for something, anything to help. So, I just stuffed some toilet paper in my underwear and hoped for the best. I know my mom remembers that day well, as when she got the text from me, she was at a work event and her boss told her to leave and “go be a mom!”

Even nowadays as a high schooler I notice that menstrual products are very scarce in the bathrooms, or you must pay money to get one. What teenager brings change to the bathroom? I am very fortunate to have the resources to be comfortable on my period, but I know not everyone is. Back in elementary school, my best friend got their first period. You can bet that their mom was not prepared for that. And as you could expect, elementary schools don’t have many period products available for their students. Most middle schools don’t either, even though most kids get their first period around age 12. This presents a problem to families that can’t afford to get enough products at home, especially if there are many menstruators at home.

Sometimes when this is the case, I’ve seen my classmates skip class for their heaviest days so they wouldn’t have to deal with bleeding through at school. This takes away from important learning time that shouldn’t even have to be avoided in the first place. Together we are helping, period. My friends know that I have their back if they ever forget to bring products to school, so we need to let all the other menstruators know that we have their backs as well, and that they can get the products they need. We also need to support young kids, so they are not shamed about their body’s natural functions. I know that the Monthlies Project is only leading to bettering the future, and I’m proud to say I’m heavily in the flow of this initiative, and I hope you join us too.

Thank you.
Madison Wilcox, Junior at Appleton North High School