Periods through the ages: A photo story on ending the stigma of menstruation

May 22, 2024
By Sirena Cordova
May 22, 2024
~2 min read

As you are reading this, around 300 million women and girls are on their periods. Maybe you’re one of them; maybe you know one of them.  

Or, maybe periods are a foreign concept to you and they kind of gross you out. Plenty of people don’t talk about periods openly because of the “ick-factor” associated with menstruation. But what if this reluctance to talk about it prevents girls from caring for their menstrual health? 

Well, it kind of does. 

Nearly a fourth of the world’s girls and women (that’s 500 million people) face some kind of barrier to managing their periods, like lack of access to period products and clean bathrooms. Some of the girls on their periods right now are missing school because, on top of these challenges, they also get harassed and shamed by classmates who perpetuate period stigma. 

[Read more: Why we say “menstrual health” instead of “menstrual hygiene”]

But something is changing; more and more, girls around the world are speaking up about their experiences, to end the stigma and achieve global period equity. Plan International met with some of these girls and their mothers and grandmothers, who didn’t have the chance to use their voice, until now.  

Seila, Sokna and Bui Non in Cambodia

Teenage girls Seila sits next to her grandmother Bui Non and mother Sokna on a wooden table outside their home in Cambodia.

Rahamatu, Sakina and Rahamatu in Nigeria

Teenager Rahamatu stands in front of her mother Sakina and grandmother Rahamatu, who all hold examples of menstrual pads their unique generations use in Nigeria.

Hazel, Ana and Paz in El Salvador

Teenage Hazel stands with her grandmother Paz and mother Ana outside their home in El Salvador.

Pushpa, Rita and Tilki in Nepal

Teenager Pushpa stands between her grandmother Tilki and mother Rita as they hold up examples of menstrual pads they use in Nepal.

Denise, Esther and Inna in Togo

Teenage Denise next to her mother Esther as the lean over and hug grandmother Inna outside their home in Togo.