You probably remember Thinx from its (creative and badass) subway ads. A few people were less than thrilled with them, but that didn't stop Thinx from spreading its message: Periods happen to a huge chunk of the population, so we shouldn't be ashamed of them or think of them as gross or inappropriate. As if emboldened by the resistance to its original ads, Thinx's latest venture, a short documentary entitled the The Week, aims even higher.
The film accomplishes a lot in less than 15 minutes. It features Thinx CEO and cofounder Miki Agrawal, actresses Sophia Bush and Joy Bryant, and many other women speaking directly from the heart — or the uterus, as the case may be — about their periods, while addressing more contested issues (of a religious, political, and social nature) around the simple act of menstruation.
Agrawal calls out moments in the Bible and the Quran that condemn menstruating women and call them unclean. She questions why 27 million girls in India will drop of out school upon beginning puberty. Bush criticizes the way in which girls are taught about their periods and even uses the word "sloughing." (Shudder.) If you're looking for an antidote to whatever ridiculous menstruation video they showed you in middle school health class, you came to the right place.
OPENER IMAGE: Courtesy of THINX/YouTube.
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