This month’s ‘Pin•Points That Matter’ even caught our women-owned, women-run team a bit off guard. However, when we put ourselves back in the shoes of our own teenage selves, the sentiments game flowing back:
- 76% of teens in the US think we are taught more about the biology of frogs than the biology of the human female body in school – Thinx + PERIOD, 2020
- And 65% of teen girls believe society teaches people to be ashamed of their periods – Thinx + PERIOD, 2020
- Yet, 98% of girls get their period before they turn 15 years old – Mayo Clinic, 2023
- And 4 out of 5 teen girls either missed or knew someone who missed class time because they did not have access to period products – Unesco, 2014
The story is telling. Despite girls in the US getting their first menstrual period about 6 months earlier on average than they did in the 1950s and ’60s (NPR, 2024), girls today feel a lack of support, comfort, and education at a pivotal moment in their early years. This has led to teen girls feeling the need to miss class during their period, feeling of shame when that time of the month rolls around, and feeling like they aren’t as important as… well frogs in science class. Society – we have a ways to go in supporting our youth and empowering them to be women in this world. It’s time.