TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The GoMoond Period Party in Huashan 1914 Creative Park was held this weekend (May 27-29) with the aim of raising awareness of period poverty and eliminating period-shaming.
Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤) were invited to this first-ever meeting in Taiwan for a panel discussion on their work improving period education in schools and advancing relevant policies.
The three-day event was held by GoMoond, a company that designed the first period panties to free females from less sustainable feminine hygiene products.
GoMoond co-founders, Shih Wen-Pei (史文妃) and Chen Yuan-Yi (陳苑伊), said that the aim of the event was to invite the public, men and women, senior and junior generations, to talk about menstruation with a humorous and light-hearted approach as an effort to destigmatize and normalize the topic.
GoMoond Co-founders, Shih Wen-Pei (史文妃) , Dr. Hsu Shu-Hua(許書華), Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) and DPP Legislator Lai Pin-yu (賴品妤) in GoMoond Period Party opening panel discussion held on May 27. (Taiwan News, Chang Ya-chun photo)
Legislator Lai pointed out that in the past decades, people have been less afraid of talking about periods directly rather than referring to them as “good friend,” “auntie,” or “THAT.”
However, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Lai emphasized that males should not be excluded from period education, and textbooks should display a variety of sanitary products to “empower the younger generations with physical autonomy.”
“Girls have the right to know each kind of period product and decide which they want to go for,” Lai affirmed.
Instead of mere theory and images in health education textbooks, Councilor Miao stressed the importance of teaching female students more practical ways of taking care of their physical health.
To enhance general equality and erase period poverty, “policy is as vital as education,” Miao said. She added that in terms of current period policy, young people could easily be influenced and empowered by public policies like providing pads and tampons in unisex toilets.
Hsu Shu-Hua(許書華), a doctor and a writer who also joined the panel discussion, clarified the misunderstandings surrounding Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). She called for the public, especially males, not to be indifferent to female counterparts who suffer from these syndromes and to show more empathy toward them.
