The Problems with Periods

This article was co-authored with Fearless Girl Fire.

Alright, it's time to get personal, ladies. Let's talk about the one thing no one talks about. Periods. Not only are periods a recurring interruption to our mental, emotional, and physical lives, but they're also taking a significant toll on our planet and our wallets. This week, we'll be publishing posts each day to keep you informed on the impact this bodily function has on your financial future, the planet, and what we can all do to change it.

In the spirit of bringing women together worldwide, this week-long series will be created and published by two female co-authors, Victoria of Victoria Ko Inc. & Emory from The Fearless Girl Fire.

Victoria:

Hello to all my readers around the world. I'm Victoria, the founder of Victoria Ko Inc (VKO Inc.). I've partnered up with Emory to bring to light a unique topic that affects all ladies around the world… periods! The once a month visit we get from a special lady to tell us- hey, your bodily functions are still working! (Yay us!)

Personally, I've never been embarrassed to talk about my period. And why should you be?

So, I first thought about this topic when I started Victoria Ko Inc. Why? It's something that I rarely see budgeted for, rarely talked about - unless we’re complaining about the pain- and rarely discussed with the other sex.

When COVID started back in March, many of us lost our jobs. It was difficult as is, but I realized that many of us needed to dig deep into our finances. From analyzing our budgets to stressing over the numbers… we didn't know what to do.

And so it dawned on me to write this blog with Emory and really dig deep on periods. I saw she had written a post on the pink tax post and thought she’d be great to partner with on a collaboration about periods.

Emory:

Hi All, I'm Emory and the author behind Fearless Girl Fire. I'm 29 years old, and I've been getting my period every month for 16 years. Victoria and I have partnered up on this project to help you start normalizing the conversations about periods. By starting the conversation, we can talk about some of the sensitive subjects that come with this topic - budgeting for our period problems and lobbying for tax-free goods.

Because surprise, all women have periods. That's right 50% of the population will menstruate in their lifetimes and for a long time, about 38 years. Why isn't this part of regular conversation? You bleed, I bleed, 50% of the world bleeds... Periods are almost as taboo to speak of as money. So let's get comfortable with the uncomfortable because this is going to be a long 38 years.

Honestly, haven't we all been stuck somewhere when our period decides to pay us an expected visit? I don't know about you, but when this happens to me, I feel shame, I get embarrassed, and I try to hide it the best I can. But why? Why do women have to conceal a normal bodily function that almost every single woman will experience in their life?

This is the week we’re breaking down barriers by talking about - how much our periods are actually costing us, how other women are impacted, and what we can do about it.

We're so excited to be on this journey with you and can't wait to share the good, the bad, and the ugly of the menstrual cycle.

Thanks for stopping by.