As we begin the new year with the hope of a better world for our loved ones and a global community, activists across the world may be able to show us how we can work together to build a warmer and more engaging community. Menstrual activism is a global cause and commitment to creating support systems and pushing for more comprehensive legislation around the rights and needs of menstruators. You may be asking yourself ‘What can I do to support the menstrual equity movement?’ or ‘What must I take into account when supporting a community? In 2023, Vivi Lin and I exchanged ideas and thoughts over a cup of coffee around these questions to understand in what direction this movement is going around the world. 

Vivi Lin, 25, a global menstrual activist from Taiwan, has inspired many people across the world to take a look at their own stories of menstruation and those of the people around them. When I ask her when she started her activism, she responds with an answer I have only ever heard from her: “I would say I started my activism with my first period, at the age of 12.” Having recognised the hush-hush manner around the topic of periods in her family and amongst elders, Vivi Lin confronted those around her to open up to others about periods. 

In 2019, Vivi founded the NGO With Red when she saw the concerning lack of studies and research on periods, menstruation, and stigma. With Red would become a multifaceted organisation, combining various projects such as lectures, talks, and working with household name brands and various communities and policymakers to start the menstrual equity journey in Taiwan. This was no easy task, as Vivi started on her own and needed to mobilise friends and other volunteers to found With Red. Their debut post on Facebook garnered approximately 130,000 hits and views, under which the comment section was filled with people sharing their experiences with periods. One can only begin to imagine how reassuring the anecdotes must have been to those sharing the space under that post. Vivi recounts how such a wave continued to grow in Taipei and spread through the country with various forms of support. As of November 2023, With Red has more than 20 active projects and 12 members working full time. One of With Red’s notable successes is the opening of the world’s only Period Museum in Taipei which opened in 2022 as a way to increase public engagement. You will find art pieces inspired by menstruation and a small public library with a growing collection of literature on periods and menstruation. 

As the conversation continues with Vivi, I feel inspired by all the different ideas and projects she has started with her team. She is on my screen, sitting in Edinburgh, I am on the other side of the screen, sitting in Amsterdam. She travels occasionally to Taiwan, while also managing her NGO from Scotland. We talked about how we met and talked to people from different countries and regions about all forms of menstrual activism. What can we learn from each other? What can other activists learn from With Red? Vivi draws out an image in my mind of how she has a team in Taiwan that actively takes note of the needs and evaluates the impacts of their projects or other policies and an international team that works closely with international organisations and policy makers. With an evidence-based research method, the team connects with citizens in Taiwan, the restrictions in society, and their stories. One story that Vivi shares with me is that of the interviews with grandmothers in Taiwan. By shedding light on the tales of period culture in Taiwan through the lens of the grandmothers, With Red combines activism with art and storytelling. So far, With Red has published two documentaries on menstruation. 

In Western Europe, many would assume and call the region progressive and developed. In news articles and academic papers, we have often been attributed the title of the ‘developed’ nations. This clear divide between the so-called Global North and Global South has a significant impact on how people view sentiments on their own development and need for activism. In the Netherlands, many of us menstrual activists have been met with arguments that there is no need for a review on the accessibility of period products, as they believe that there is ‘no poverty’ in the Netherlands or that ‘period products are affordable enough’, therefore in many people’s view period poverty would not a major concern to the Netherlands. Despite the cases of period poverty affecting 1 in 10 people in the Netherlands (Plan International Nederland, 2019), the conversation around menstrual poverty and menstrual justice does not seem to have the same weight as the same conversations taking place in countries such as Taiwan or Scotland. 

Vivi Lin’s interpretation of this peculiar case is note-worthy. She stresses that the Western world must first admit that period poverty exists and in Europe, the stigma around poverty must change to see how poverty manifests. Vivi believes that advocacy is not only the duty of an activist but it is a duty that can come from anyone in society. Activism is a response to a human concern. She also points out how Scotland and Taiwan have political incentives to adopt more progressive legislation on menstrual equity. Scotland and Taiwan have a shared interest in solidifying their sovereignty and independence by following the lead of activists and politicians such as Vivi Lin and Monica Lennon. 

As activists, as human beings, we must take into account the political and social narratives on development and progress in our strategy plans. There is no cookie-cutter version of activism, especially not with an issue as intimate as menstrual justice and equity. The intersections of culture, health, body, financial stability, gender, and geo-political contexts give way for different challenges we must tackle and overcome. Hopefully, this incentivizes more menstrual activists to branch out to the international community in order to share and exchange ideas and insights. Shifting our perspective from a Eurocentric one to a global perspective is imperative to the success and progress of the menstrual justice movement and community. As activists in Europe, we must think outside the box, take some lessons from the global community, and adapt our perceptions of activism to one that builds stronger communities across multiple borders - and not just the geo-political borders.