#FEMOJIS
How menstrual emojis can influence the stigma surrounding periods
We use emojis daily to express our moods, emphasize facts, or simply because they are colorful and fun to look at. Over the past years, product designers and technologists have frequently added new icons to the stack so everybody could find one to fit any situation. However, besides having two different dragon emojis, any breakfast food you could imagine, and bikers in front of varying terrains, there are none that illustrate one of the most natural, everyday topics: periods. The British female-supporting non-profit, Plan International, has started a campaign to promote the idea of creating menstrual emojis. In addition, they are spreading awareness about the lack of menstrual supplies for many women in countries like India.
It is nothing new that monthly bleeding, although roughly 50% of the world‘s population have it, still is not viewed as a comfortable subject. Texting and social media in general, on the contrary, are casual and a normal part of our lives. Point is: Excluding menstruation from this regularity can make it appear as though periods are not as normal as they actually are, making the stigma around it worse. There is an overall secretiveness, among girls especially, that is wafting around menstruation. According to Plan International’s statistics, “48% of girls in the UK aged between 14 and 21 are embarrassed by their periods.” Many feel uncomfortable talking about it, because society has made the topic taboo. Thus, introducing a period emoji can help normalize menstruation. While period emojis are yet to be approved by Unicode Consortium for 2019, researches of Plan International say that many females would feel more liberated to talk about their period with friends given the existence of period icons. Only when society de-stigmatizes menstruation and women feel free to talk about it, will we be able to embrace the beauty (and, well, necessity) of periods.
https://www.cnet.com/news/menstruation-emoji-could-help-stop-the-stigma-of-periods/
