Do you love any kind of cereal, period?
If so, prepare to chomp on a treat with philanthropic flair.
Per the Daily Mail, a bold new breakfast food was sitting on the pad; now it’s blasted off:
A ‘uterus-shaped’ cereal has been launched with the goal of putting conversations about periods on the table.
Feminine care brand Intimina developed its raspberry-flavored “Period Crunch” to encourage families to discuss menstruation more openly at breakfast.
Those who find it bloody good will be getting a mouthful — each brightly-hued bit “resembles the entire female reproductive system.”
‘UTERUS-shaped’ cereal aims to normalise conversations about periods at the breakfast table https://t.co/LvpWc4cSje
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) May 25, 2022
Maker of products such as the Ziggy Cup™ reusable menstrual cup, the KegelSmart™ exerciser, and the Laselle™ pelvic floor training ball, Intimina asserts conversations concerning menstruation haven’t yet been “normalized.” With Period Crunch, the company intends to “make a statement.”
And what better way to urge acceptance of something than to have people eat it? You may recall how Frosted Flakes normalized the undependable elderly.
The need for de-marginalizing menses, the Mail makes clear, is heavy:
A survey of more than 2,000 people by the company found 48 percent of girls and women are too embarrassed to talk about their period.
Nearly half of women, in fact, have been “period-shamed.”
To be sure, conversation isn’t nearly as corked as it used to be; one international leader is trying to plug periods into the paid-leave equation:
The cereal campaign comes after Spain last week became the first European country to propose paid, unlimited menstrual leave for women in pain.
Still, Intimina’s Danela Zagar is pushing for a profound oppression reprieve. And where shaming is concerned, starting the day with some biological breakfast-time banter might stem the tide:
‘[B]ecause of the ongoing stigma around menstruation, period conversations remain difficult and embarrassing for people, even with loved ones. There’s no more normal and everyday a scene than the whole household sitting down together at the kitchen table and talking over a meal. And if period conversations were truly normalized, then they wouldn’t be off this table — or off any table, for that matter.”
And there’s more than just dynamic dialogue in store. Not only is the wheat cereal — clearly confected to color your milk — socially scrumptious; it’s also educational:
Period Crunch’s box is illustrated with a diagram of the female reproductive system to help educate children.
King’s College Hospital gynecologist Dr. Shree Datta, for one, is gushing:
“I’m delighted Intimina has taken the bull by the horns and developed Period Crunch to help raise awareness of the ongoing social stigma around periods. Periods are a natural part of who we are, so it’s deeply concerning to hear that so many people remain uncomfortable discussing them, when they are just another part of our health.”
Indeed.
Will you soon be spooning a box?
There’s no excuse not to — the cereal is actually free:
Although it won’t ever be stuck on supermarket shelves, people can get a free box by contacting the Swedish company.
And not only can you enjoy it yourself; it’s great for a guest if your Aunt Flo or Cousin Red comes to visit.
So get you some Period Crunch. And if you don’t like eating the same thing every morning, maybe just have it a few days a month.
It’s wonderful to see women getting the respect and awareness they deserve, but I’d prefer that Intimina’s campaign isn’t the start of a trend.
Let’s hope Kix or Count Chocula doesn’t slightly tweak its name for a limited edition to promote prostate health.
Story cited here.
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