Students Make G20 India Logo With Sanitary Pads: How It Combats Stereotypes

The upcoming G20 meeting of 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, seems to be a good opportunity for people and causes to get noticed.

South Gujarat University students have created the G20India logo using 3000 sanitary pads. The sanitary pads were afterwards distributed to underprivileged women at the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.

G20 Menstrual Pads Logo

With women’s day soon approaching, this G20 logo made of sanitary pads reflects a light on the menstrual unawareness spread among the citizens in the country. The health of a woman's period is essential to her well-being, as well as to the well-being of those around her.  Yet, attitudes, traditions, and institutional biases too frequently hinder women from receiving the menstrual health care they require, particularly in poor countries like India. One of the most difficult developmental issues we constantly confront is menstrual hygiene.

Menstruation is linked to the start of puberty in girls, and it frequently results in regulations, limitations, social exclusion, and altered social expectations for girls. This shift in attitude towards girls, which includes limitations on their freedom of speech, education, and movement, has an enormous impact on how women think.

In Indian society, menstruation is still stigmatised. Even today, it is extremely difficult to ensure that girls are provided with accurate information on menstrual hygiene due to cultural and societal effects on individuals. This logo shows that it’s high time we start talking about periods openly.

In addition, mothers are hesitant to discuss this subject with their daughters since many of them do not have a scientific understanding of puberty and menstruation.

The high percentage of illiteracy, particularly among girls, poverty, and a lack of knowledge about menstrual hygiene are the major causes of this taboo's continued relevance in Indian society. Women and girls may face significant challenges if they lack proper information on hygiene and sanitation services, particularly in public settings like schools or workplaces.

The patriarchal mindset still controls the independence of women in many homes today. People's views and mentalities around menstruation have not significantly changed with the development of these societies.

Menstruation is seen as an unpleasant or humiliating activity in certain households, to the point that it is avoided both in public and private. On their visit to a pharmacy, many girls even conceal themselves out of fear or humiliation, and many cannot even afford to purchase sanitary pads.

Suggested reading: Women Hesitate To Even Utter Menstruation Or Periods In Public, Why?