Beyond the pad: the conversation we're not having

Think about the last sanitary pad advert you watched. Chances are you saw a woman wearing white trousers, laughing with her friends, going to work, exercising, or dancing through the day. The message is always the same: no leaks, no stains, no worries. But where is the pain? For many girls, the first day of their period isn't about worrying whether they'll leak. It's about trying to survive cramps that make it difficult to sit through a lecture, focus on an assignment, or even get out of bed. Yet we've seen so many adverts that ignore this reality that we've started to believe it's simply part of being a woman. The problem is that menstruation is normal. Debilitating pain is not. We've become so used to seeing women smile through their periods that anyone who admits she's struggling is often told to "be strong" or "it's normal." Sometimes, that pain is a sign of conditions like endometriosis or fibroids, but because we've normalized suffering, many girls don't seek medical help until years later. On campus, this reality plays out every month. Some students force themselves into lectures while battling intense cramps because they don't want to fall behind. Others miss class and worry about being judged for something they can't control. Maybe it's time we changed the conversation. Period products shouldn't only promise protection from leaks. They should also acknowledge the pain that so many girls experience. More importantly, we need to stop treating severe period pain as something women should simply endure. Girls shouldn't have to earn praise for suffering in silence. They deserve to be heard, believed, and encouraged to seek help when the pain is more than "just cramps."