T’Neil Gooden is a Girls Inc. Brand Ambassador using her voice to highlight issues impacting girls today.

Menstruation should be taught with the same persistence and effort provided to students taking Physical Education. Menstruators are not provided with information until it has happened to them. Children should be given a beginner course on menstruation so that they would not be surprised when the event occurs or when their peers are having these experiences.  Schools should begin to incorporate the understanding of menstruation into their curriculum as it is of utmost importance. Students will be more confident in their knowledge of not only the  body but the mental and physical impact  of menstruation. Students can learn how to deal with cramps, pack their menstrual products in their school bags, and integrate productivity when on their menstrual cycle. I want to see more female bathrooms have free pads and tampon distributors that will continuously be restocked. Women have been brainwashed to think that menstruation is a taboo topic with no room for conversation. Nowadays, brands, like It’s August ( A Menstruation Company), allow many women to see how their period has meaning that should not be hidden from their eyes and should be embraced in every aspect. August is a brand that is run by women for women in order to make menstruation be seen as normal breaking the notion of it being a taboo topic. I want more brands like this to be pushed into the limelight so that women can see and learn about their menstruation through the lens of other women.

Girls Inc. allowed me to fully understand my body in terms of menstruation and how I can continue to support my body when it is going through its natural process. Diving deeper than just definitions to understand the ideology of menstruation is what Girls Inc. taught me, the more we adopt the notion that our menstrual cycle is a regular event that should be celebrated, the more we will see a change in our thinking. Menstruation is powerful, not hindering to women.