Day Twenty-Seven: The Lessons We Learn

03/21/22 • 14 min

1 Listener

India travels back to the Victorian Age to probe at the use of the vaginal speculum and considers its link to menstrual shame and embarrassment, particularly in education. India then meets Chella Quint, founder of the Period Positive Movement, and also Professor Chris Bobel, who are the women at the forefront of revolutionising menstrual education both within school and the home.

Credits: Presented by India Rakusen. Producer: Ellie Sans. Assistant Producer: Jorja McAndrew. Executive Producer: Suzy Grant. Original music composed and performed by Rebekah Reid. Sound Design by Charlie Brandon-King.

Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists.

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists.

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Previous Episode

Day Twenty-Six: The Shock

India considers the role of the femcare industry in perpetuating menstrual stigma and single use products with Chris Bobel, an Associate Professor of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Co-Editor of the Critical Guide to Menstruation.

We also meet Dr Sharra Vostral, a Professor of History at Purdue University in Indiana, to discuss the rise of Toxic Shock Syndrome in the 1970s and 80s and how this healthcare event shaped the tampon industry today.

Later India considers the rise of reusable products with Alec Mills, the founder of the sustainable period product brand, DAME.

Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists.

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Next Episode

Day Twenty-Eight: New Power

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Through this series we have demonstrated how inequalities in research and persistent myths about women's bodies have led to inequalities in healthcare. In this episode, India talks to someone who has the power to influence change. Dame Professor Lesley Regan has dedicated the last decade of her career to fighting for better health outcomes for women all over the world.

Special thanks to all contributors and audio diarists.

A Listen production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.