Skip to content
🍒 • Afterpay available • Free Moon Cycle Tea with orders over $100 🍒
Menu Wā Collective Wā Collective Cart Cart
🍒 • Afterpay available • Free Moon Cycle Tea with orders over $100 🍒
Menu Wā Collective Wā Collective Cart Cart
  • Shop
  • Student Subsidised Cups
  • Ins and Outs
    • Size Flow Chart
    • FAQ
  • About Us
    • Our Crew and Supporters
    • Our Story
    • Contact Us
    • Stories and Period Yarns
  • Doing Good
    • Our Ethical Production
    • Who is my Wā Cup Helping?
    • The Body Shop X Wā Collective
  • Media & Blog
    • Media and Awards
    • Blog and Period Yarns
  • Contact Us
  • Donate
Search Right
Facebook Youtube Instagram
Katie's Period Story

Katie's Period Story

Jul 16, 2019
Share Facebook Share on Facebook Twitter Share on Twitter Pinterest Pin the main image Email Email this product to somebody

Image: sourced @natureyoni

Kia ora! My name is Katie and I’m a new writer for Wā Collective. I’m currently doing my Honours degree in Gender studies at Otago. I’m passionate about discussing topics that society tells us we shouldn’t be talking about, like menstruation, sex and women’s health issues. To be honest, if someone tells me I shouldn’t be talking about my ‘feminine woes’, it just makes me want to talk about it even more as a big fuck you to the patriarchy. 

I’ve had excruciating periods since I was 11 and I’ve recently been diagnosed with endometriosis, which is a part of my life I manage all the time. I don’t currently menstruate as I’m taking hormones for my endometriosis to suppress my periods. My background gives me an edge where I can speak to several experiences: what it’s like to have debilitating periods, feeling shame around menstruation, waiting 5+ years to get my pain taken seriously, what it’s like to not get a period, and how these experiences have materially impacted my life in the past, present and future.

I aim to have a diverse approach in my writing as I know that periods aren’t exclusively experienced by cis-females. Many gender queer and trans-male individuals menstruate as well, but they often experience difficulties that cis-females don’t have to think about, like not having access to menstrual product bins in men’s bathrooms So that’s why I believe that periods are important for everyone to understand. Beyond this, I believe we all experience periods, just on different levels. 

There are a variety of issues that menstruators grapple with as they navigate the world - lack of access to menstrual products and bins, period poverty and identifying the difference between normal and abnormal cycles, to name only a few. Educating ourselves on these issues, and having a greater understanding of menstruation means society will be better-equipped to help menstruators navigate these experiences, and ensure they are healthy and have access to the products they need.

Really, I’m just someone who cares (probably a bit too much) about making the world a better place and this is just one of the many areas that means a lot to me. So, when I saw Wā Collective’s post asking for writers, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to dig my intersectional fingernails into some bloody good content.

- Katie

Leave a comment

Back to Stories
Left
Older Post
Newer Post
Right
  • FAQ
  • Sizing
  • Shipping Rates
  • Legal Bits and Bobs
  • Student Subsidised Cups
  • Stockists
  • Subsidised Student Cups
  • RuralCo ORDER FORM
  • Contact Us
Facebook Youtube Instagram

© 2021 Wā Collective. Powered by Shopify

  • American Express
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay
  • Mastercard
  • Shop Pay
  • Visa

Search