Bravery to break taboos #inmyWUKA
This World Menstrual Health Day, we are amplifying the voices of those who bravely share their individual experiences. We’re celebrating their period stories and them as individuals.
Redefining ‘glamour’
We are redefining how ‘glamour’ is depicted online by amplifying the voices of individuals who share their lives with no filter. What comes to mind instantly are ‘Insta-model’, ‘beauty’, ‘runway’ and other synonyms surrounding a societal construct of beauty that depict women as mannequins who meet the requirements that have been moulded through reality TV, social media and what is deemed desirable from an artificial lens. Why do we not think of women who we might pass on the street, or those who we admire or feel moved by their bravery and lack of fear when they share intimate moments of their life?
So this year, we at WUKA want to bring bravery to the front of the camera. Featuring women from all walks of life, and holding space for them to freely express and share their stories.
This is #inmyWUKA.
These stories and amplified voices encapsulate the purpose of the #InMyWUKA campaign. As a sustainable period pants brand, WUKA, we are proud to be inclusive and be a brand that aims to represent every body. By celebrating these individuals and highlighting their stories, we hope to encourage others to feel free to express themselves and their own period experiences.
Meet our incredible WUKA women
Samantha Renke
Actress, presenter and disability activist, Samantha, shared her experience as a disabled woman. She opens up about how
“no one would talk to me about sex, about periods, about puberty. It was just a really taboo subject, and even now, I am not expected to be a sexual being. I’m objectified or treated like a child. A product like [WUKA] is amazing because it gives you autonomy. It gives you independence. It’s going to change my life and make me feel more independent.”
Dani Harmer
British actress, best known for her lead role as Tracy Beaker, shared her experiences getting her period for the first time. And how as a mother, she wants the topic of periods to be open between her daughter and her. She mentions that she began her period at a cheerleading competition and the emotions she felt were shame, embarrassment and nerves. She didn’t feel comfortable opening up or talking about it, and doesn’t want anyone to ever be made to feel like that.
Sophie Edwards
Body positive fashion influencer, Sophie, who shares how she lives with PCOS, opens up about her irregular periods, hormone imbalance and how sharing her story can help others feel less alone and encourage people to “be [their] authentic self”.
Polycycstic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects a woman’s hormone levels. Women with PCOS produce higher levels of testosterone, and this can cause the body to skip periods, or induce a heavier flow.
Emma Whittaker
Model and Endometriosis campaigner, Emma, opens up about how that affects her period. One of the symptoms includes having “really painful, really long periods. Even maxi, super pads just don’t work for me” and she shares how WUKA is “like a product that was made for someone like me” and how it makes her feel “empowered, and understood”. By opening up herself and encouraging others who have endometriosis to share their experiences, this will help remove any stigma.
Caprice-Kwai Ambersley
Caprice is a model, and she shares her experience with mental health on her period. She found that her self-esteem dipped typically around her period, and it is something she actively works on. By “embracing the mental health challenges and bloating, my period [now] makes me feel empowered because my body is going through something amazing”.
Elizabeth
An empowering individual who is navigating perimenopause, Liz shares her experience online. By “being more honest about what happens”, she hopes to encourage this as a topic to openly speak about. She shares that it is safe, it’s healthy, and “80% of women get serious vaginal dryness in perimenopause, and nobody is talking about it. Which can lead to some really serious problems. If you’ve got a tampon that’s soaking up 35% of your natural moisture, that’s not a healthy set up at all”.
In celebration, we want everybody to feel like they can share their truths in any way, shape or form. And we all deserve to feel recognised, to feel seen and to be heard. Especially on our periods. We say goodbye to the shame, and welcome a world of bravery and choice. To toast Menstrual Health Day, we're giving back. To you all. Because making the switch to sustainable period pants not only contributes to saving the planet, but to yourself too. Bleed freely, speak freely and be free.
