Name: Olivia Bagan
Social Justice Group: Menstrual Health
Date of Fieldwork: November 18, 2017
Name of Organization: Period: The Menstrual Movement
Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: The entire Period team, Diva Cup representatives, Lunette Representatives, Glad Rags CEO, Thinx representative, Flo Candle CEO, Ingrid Nilsen, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, (probably some others who I am forgetting at the moment).
Type of Fieldwork: Convention
What I did:
We went to the convention and talked to many people from the different companies and organizations listed above about volunteer and/or interview opportunities and about our project. We also discussed internship/job opportunities with Nadya (Period Founder and Executive Director) and Eudora (Programs Director). We got an interview with Ingrid Nilsen as well!
What I learned:
I learned so much about reusable products. For example, on average, a woman produces up to 300 pounds of waste with menstrual (not feminine hygiene) products alone. By using a menstrual cup, washable pads, or thinx underwear, you can eliminate all this waste that would take 2-3 centuries to decompose. I also learned about how hard it can be to be a menstruating human using he/him or they/them pronouns because of language used to describe these products.
What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:
Through this fieldwork I learned how hard it can be to spread awareness about this topic because of the stigma and taboo surrounding periods. I also learned the proper and appropriate language to use when talking about menstruation. I think that not many people feel comfortable talking about this topic and it may take some time to get everyone used to the fact that menstruating is natural and it’s something that 50% of the population has to go through every month. Lots of people are also unaware that this is in fact a human rights topic because of how these products are thought of as a luxury when they are a necessity.
