| If you were to buy a packet of menstrual pads in a convenience store or pharmacy in China where I grew up, the cashier will more often than not offer a black plastic bag for you to keep them in. The reason? To allow you to carry the pads discreetly — because displaying menstrual products or talking about menstruation in public are a no-no. Menstrual stigma is not limited to China, and is common in Japan, Malaysia, India and other Asian countries. In some cultures, menstruating women are treated differently: they aren't allowed to cook or touch sources of water or even enter temples and attend rituals. Sometimes, they're even barred from the courtyards in their own houses. This isn't a universal practice though. How women are treated varies depending on regional and cultural norms, however even in a developed and modern society like Singapore, talking about periods openly is rare. To address the stigma, 'Blood,' a local period-care startup launched a video campaign in February titled Periods Aren't Cute. It features cartoon characters including Crampy, Spotty, Moody and Sleepy — named for symptoms women feel during periods. Together with a fifth character titled Paddy, they form the "Period Squad" to foster open conversations on the subject.  Blood's "Period Squad" in-store display at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur. Photographer: Yap Sze Chin/Blood Blood also engages social media influencers to talk about periods on Tiktok, while holding menstrual pads wrapped in a bold red package. "Forget the sugar-coated ads and picture-perfect period myths," reads the campaign slogan, "Let's drop the act – cramps suck, breakouts hit hard, and mood swings are a handful." The founders of Blood told me their campaign aims to encourage people to not only talk about menstruation, but also talk about it in an honest way. The majority of menstrual products in the market are "really hiding a lot" about periods, Blood's Tan Peck Ying says. "Everyone is saying you can dance in the wilderness, do your yoga, and push through your day while having period, but for the majority, they do feel quite horrible, and that's where we find ourselves to empathize with." Such initiatives are happening across Asia. Unicharm, a Japanese company that sells feminine care products, started the #NoBagForMe social media campaign in 2019 that encouraged customers to refuse bags when purchasing menstrual products and challenge period shaming. This campaign not only attracted more customers to the brand, but also drove conversation about menstruation on social media. Period Pride, a Chinese social innovation group focusing on menstruation health and hygiene, launched an online campaign #NothingToBeAshamedOf for the 2021 International Women's Day that gained more than 9.2 million views in three days. The goal of removing menstrual stigma is not only making society a better place, but also solving a long-neglected public health problem. Lack of information about menstruation leads to unhygienic and unhealthy menstrual practices. It also creates negative attitudes and even gender-based violence, according to the World Bank. Addressing this issue requires "breaking cultural taboos, improving menstrual health education, ensuring economic access to menstrual products, and promoting gender equity," says Malisse Tan, founder of Bobble, a Malaysian company that produces feminine hygiene products. "Societies can break the cycle of shame and silence." — Karoline Kan | 
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