Students from Lahore have covered a wall with menstruation pads in a controversial bid to tackle the stigma that is attached to having a period.

Students Mavera Rahim, Eman Suleman, Mehsum Basharat, Noor Fatima, Sherbaz Lehri and Asad Sheikh from BNU Lahore wrote distinct messages on each pad that was stuck on the wall.

The messages included:  “Why am I more embarrassing to buy than a condom?”

“I’m not flawed or poorly made.”.

“Periods are not inherently sexual.”

“Don’t ridicule her for having a stain.”

“Don’t hide me.”

“My biology is not gross.”

Mavera Rahim wrote about the protest on her Facebook page. “The protest was against the stigma attached to menstruation and the sharmindagi with which we discuss it.

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“We are made to put pads in brown paper bags when we buy them, we are made to talk about periods in hushed voices as if it's a dirty secret, and all in all made to act as if it is something we should hide more so than other bodily functions, when it's really a natural part of our biology.

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“Several women contract diseases because they are not fully informed of hygienic practices when it comes to menstruation because very few people will actually discuss it. 
“Over centuries and across different cultures, people have approached menstruation differently, some celebrating it and some shaming menstruating women.

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“Our idea was to break this taboo around the subject in our society.”

Addressing the negative responses to the wall, Mavera added, “No, I’m not some shameless libertine, but I don’t think I should feel shame for this, even though I do feel very very embarrassed and self-conscious about this whole experience.”