Can you imagine missing school one week every month? If you add up all those weeks, it means losing almost a quarter of the school year. Crazy, right?
However, during her stay in Uganda, designer Diana Sierra discovered that this situation is very common among girls in Africa. The reason? Every time they get their period, they miss school simply because they don’t have access to sanitary products to protect themselves.
Girls Prisoners of Their Own Bodies
The situation in Uganda is not unique and is repeated in many parts of the world. The nature of a girl’s body is the cause of her isolation and, in certain countries, marks the beginning of systemic gender inequality. A problem that starts in classrooms at a very young age and becomes a snowball that keeps growing.
By missing school, girls do not perform well enough. Then, parents decide to take them out of school and put them to work, since education is a significant financial burden. Girls become prisoners of their own bodies.
Menstruation becomes an insurmountable barrier to education and consequently to a more equitable future. A terrible and inconceivable situation to us. A problem that Diana Sierra felt needed a solution.
Only 10% of the Population in Africa Has Access to Sanitary Pads and Hygiene Products
A Problem. A Solution: BE GIRL
After learning about the problem, something clicked in Diana’s brain. She thought, “I have to do something.” She took an umbrella, a mosquito net, and started designing a prototype of reusable pads.
Back in the United States, Diana presented her project at Columbia University in New York, which decided to support her initiative. While juggling her master’s studies with her work as a designer for brands like Nike and Panasonic, she developed more prototypes.
That small idea eventually transformed into Be Girl. A social brand that currently distributes sanitary products: menstrual panties, menstrual cups, and washable, reusable pads to 35 countries.
Much More Than a Product, a Concept
Beyond the product itself, Be Girl is a concept. An idea of engaging with the global female community, a push to promote change towards equality through sisterhood.
For example, through a sponsorship system, Be Girl offers the possibility to donate a pair of panties or a product to someone in need.
“One thing is the object: panties for menstrual protection, but the important thing is not the object, but the fact that it allows a girl not to feel limited by her body,” explains Diana Arias.
“All girls have the right to be proud every day of the month.”
Normalizing Menstruation, Without Taboos
Working closely with the girls, Diana discovered that the problem also had a cultural background, different from access to conventional sanitary supplies. In many rural areas of Africa, South America, or India, menstruation is a significant taboo.
Even in more developed societies, talking about menstruation is often hidden or transformed into euphemisms. ‘I’m on those days,’ ‘Today I’m a woman,’ ‘I’m indisposed’… Also, in Latin America, it turns into the most creative denominations: ‘Andrés came,’ ‘Juana the red,’ ‘the rooster crowed for me.’
Having your period is something intrinsic to a woman’s nature, so why be ashamed or hide it? Are you ‘more of a woman’ on the days you’re menstruating?
In South America, a girl’s first period comes with a set of restrictions. “You can’t ride a bike, you can’t jump… and of course, you can’t hang out with boys.” As Diana herself experienced.
The false myths surrounding menstruation heavily contribute to inequality, even in vocabulary. This discrimination grows in environments and cultures where misinformation abounds. Women are degraded and placed in a position of inferior conditions compared to their peers.
Design as a Trojan Horse
To end these situations, Be Girl also works on an educational project to help thousands of girls understand, embrace, and love their menstruation.
Understand: Because when a girl is informed about how her cycle works, she is also protected and finds it easier to manage.
Embrace: Because a girl who embraces her body has freedom of movement and, therefore, access to new opportunities.
Love: Because when a girl loves herself, she feels secure and has the confidence that her body is invincible.
“I like to think of my work as a Trojan horse. I have designed a device to achieve a very different end than what appears on the outside,” says Diana.
Thus, the brand develops workshops and talks for girls and boys about the menstrual cycle in 35 countries, such as activities carried out in Kenya, Ghana, and Mozambique.
What If Men Menstruated?
Yes, boys and young men too. Through a contest, Diana asked them: What if men menstruated? Because breaking the taboos and social stigma of menstruation requires educating everyone. And inevitably, this involves engaging the male population in a broad reflection.
For example, the Smart Cycle is one of the products developed with this goal. It is a necklace designed to better understand how the menstrual cycle works. As a manual calendar, women and girls can count the days of their cycle and it also serves as a tool to inform about sexual health.
“All girls have the right to be proud every day of the month,” says Diana Sierra. “And all of us, with our education, our background, and our professional experience, can help others have access to new opportunities.”
Be Girl is a great example of a social design brand that helps eradicate gender inequality, a problem with many facets. Ultimately, that’s what it’s about. The more people contribute with their experience and ideas, the easier it will be to pave the way to equity.
María Ángeles Domínguez
