What I learned from an initiative to teach boys' school students about menstruation
Ever since I read an article about an initiative to help students at boys' schools learn about menstruation and learned about this seminar, I've always thought it was a fantastic idea. I found myself nodding along to what was written in the article so many times that I thought my neck would break, so I'd like to write about my thoughts on the changes in the media and menstruation, as well as sex education, while reflecting on my own experiences.
Read the article here
Who would have thought that menstruation would be featured on television?
"Four years ago, I submitted a proposal to a TV station to do a special feature on menstruation, but the station told me, 'It's impossible to cover menstruation on terrestrial TV.'"
In the end, the two TV stations rejected the idea, and the project was scrapped. The female producer who had backed the project apologized, saying, "We in the media should be the ones to change society, so I'm sorry."
(Quoted from the article)
I (Takashima, CEO of Murmo) was previously involved in TV program production, but at the time, the idea of making menstruation the theme was unthinkable. I didn't think, "I want to do a project about menstruation!" or "I can get a project approved!", and I didn't even have that kind of idea in mind. In other words, I thought that menstruation was something that shouldn't be talked about openly.
Recently, it has become something of a fad, with "menstruation" being featured in various programs and dramas, and as a viewer, I feel a sense of nostalgia as I watch to see how much it has come into the public eye.
So I am simply in awe of how amazing Be-A is, having steadily held this seminar since 2020 and built the foundation for this movement.
The roots of the idea that "menstruation is something that shouldn't be talked about publicly"
Going back to the topic at hand, even as a woman, I thought that "menstruation is something that shouldn't be talked about in public," but I realized once again that this was largely due to the influence of sex education about menstruation.
When I think back to the classes I had on menstruation in elementary school, I remember that all the girls were gathered together, we were given pouches filled with sanitary products, and we were given a brief explanation about menstruation.I remember the pouches we were given, but honestly, I don't remember what was said.
From junior high onwards, I attended an all-girls school, where I remember being given a chart to record my menstrual cycle and basal body temperature. However, because I only had my period once every two to three months, I felt uncomfortable recording and visualizing my irregular period, so I soon stopped recording it. I became worried about my irregular period and once spoke to my school nurse about it, but although I was somewhat relieved when she told me that it was okay if my periods were irregular when I was young, I was still scared and didn't keep a record. I also never talked about my period with my father or my younger brother, who is two years younger than me.
Even after I started working, if I were to talk to a man about my period, I would only tell him things like, "My stomach hurts today because of my period," or "My period pains are so bad today it's hard for me to stand," and just let him know how unwell I was feeling. This was because I wanted to avoid pushing myself too hard, and also so that he wouldn't worry if he noticed I seemed to be in a low mood.
So I never talked about basic information like what menstruation is specifically. I think I assumed that men knew nothing about menstruation. And somewhere in my mind, I may have thought that because menstruation is a woman's thing, there was no need for men to know about it. (I regret this.)
Don't let periods end as a passing fad
I feel that it is important that there are places where people of all genders can learn basic knowledge about menstruation and think about how to deal with it, and that the media covers this.
And the most important thing is to make sure that this movement does not end up being a passing fad, and to do that, I think it is necessary for education about menstruation to become something universal rather than something special, and for it to become commonplace to know about and talk about menstruation in everyday life.
Murmo will continue to share more information about menstruation.
