End To Period Poverty
Gisel Feliz
Professor RobbGrieco
COM 416
15 February 2023
LEAP 1 Essay
For my topic, I chose the Power to the Period campaign and had a great time collecting memes/gifs that best convey this campaign. There are a lot of women out there that do not have access to period products and according to this campaign, “as many as ⅔ of low-income people who menstruate struggle to afford period products.” As a woman, I really wanted to shed light on this topic.
I have to be honest, I’m fortunate enough to be able to afford these products and it didn’t cross my mind that these products may not be as accessible to other women until I came across this campaign. It really made me think about how fortunate I am and I immediately began to do some research. While doing my research I learned more about the term “Period poverty.” Period poverty describes the inability to afford or access period supplies. This term started to become popular during the COVID-19 pandemic when materials like toilet paper became scarce. Not only were materials like toilet paper and period products becoming scarce but people were also being laid off from work left and right. This made it even more difficult to purchase period products. The Gender Policy Report states that “the pandemic may have made period poverty more salient for some, but it is not a new issue. For years, low-income women and others have suffered in silence, ‘making do’ with toilet paper, cut-up diapers, or rags when unable to afford tampons and pads” (Crawford & Waldman, 2022). By not being able to purchase these products, women are unable to go to work and make a living. The Gender Policy Report surveyed women and “thirty-six percent of surveyed women who were employed reported missing work at least once a month because of their periods” (Crawford & Waldman, 2022). Not only are women being held back from going to work because of this, but young women are also unable to attend class and get an education because of the lack of period products. There was a national survey of college students that was conducted in 2021 and the George Mason University and the University of Pennsylvania found that “10% of all female college students are unable to afford menstrual products each month, leading to skipped classes and greater self-reported rates of moderate or severe depression” (Crawford & Waldman, 2022). This period poverty affects women of all ages and it’s something that needs to be addressed. Luckily, it is mentioned that “in a small minority of states, schools are required to provide menstrual products for free to students” (Crawford & Waldman, 2022). In the bathrooms of URI, I have actually seen menstrual products in the women’s bathroom and I’m glad that educational institutions are taking that step to provide menstrual products for those that need them.
In order to address this issue I decided to collect some memes/gifs to get the message across that period poverty is an issue and we need to take a stand. I used the website, Giphy, and searched up keywords such as “period poverty” and “period cycle” to collect these memes/gifs. In this day and age, a lot of people go on social media and see memes and gifs and laugh because they’re funny. Gifs and memes are more appealing to the eye and it grabs a person’s attention almost instantly. Instead of taking a funny approach, I decided to take it more seriously and find gifs that addressed this issue. The moving parts of these gifs will definitely catch people’s attention and it addresses a need that a lot of women need which leads me to one of the four keys of propaganda.
One of the four keys of propaganda is to respond to the audience’s needs. These memes are addressing the needs of women. Women who see these memes can personally relate to having a menstrual cycle and can agree to put an end to period poverty. These memes are relevant to them so it will most likely cause them to share these memes and get other people to also pay attention. I also think that these memes address another one of the four keys of propaganda. These memes also address the activation of strong emotions. When seeing these memes women can feel strong emotions about period poverty in general. Women can feel frustrated seeing these memes because they realize that this is an issue that is occurring today that needs to end. Other women can also feel hope that period poverty will end. These memes can also appeal to the emotions of those who do not have menstrual cycles. Those who do not have menstrual cycles may look at these memes and feel empathy for women and might also join the movement as well.
Overall, I really did enjoy finding the memes to create propaganda for the Power to the Period campaign. Not only were they fun and entertaining to find, but I also learned a few facts and statistics about this issue that I didn’t know about before. Not only did I learn that this was an issue but I also learned that there are countries out there that are already implementing solutions. It is interesting to know that this is an issue that occurs in the United States and that there are other countries like Scotland that achieved ending period poverty. In fact, “in 2020, during the ongoing pandemic, the Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill” (Crawford & Waldman, 2022). Some states in the U.S. also followed suit like Massachusetts but it is time that we pass a law that makes it a requirement to provide free menstrual products for the country as a whole.
Works Cited
“Power to the Period.” DoSomething.org, https://www.dosomething.org/us/campaigns/power-to-the-period-2023.
Swift, Jayne. “Period Poverty in the United States: What the Law Should Do.” Gender Policy Report, 24 May 2022, https://genderpolicyreport.umn.edu/period-poverty-in-the-united-states-what-the-law-should-do/#:~:text=In%20a%202021%20national%20survey,of%20moderate%20or%20severe%20depression.
