What a new lens Period Power by Nadya Okamoto offers to a new generation of girls experiencing menarche.  No more of the hush, hush, the euphemisms, the reminders to hide the natural cycles of your body.  Period Power very clearly states that, “the Menstrual Movement is the fight for equitable access to period products and the fight to break down the sigma around periods” (pg. 11).

The book also defines a Period Warrior as “someone who is ready to fight the sigma around periods and start conversations around menstruation” (pg. 12) and that, “if people react negatively when you discuss periods, this is a sign that your work is needed” (pg. 56).  The book is not just educational about the basic cycle mechanics, the wide variety of products to choose from during your flow, it also clearly explains why it is important to confront any perpetuation of the “taboo” culture around menstrual cycles.

I am so enlivened that this book has been written, has been published by a mainstream company and is now available to a generation of girls experiencing menarche, and also to those who may be years or even decades past menarche.  Even those of us closer to menopause than to menarche, appreciate the power that comes from better understanding our bodies and Period Power welcomes us to pivot away from the stigma and to embrace the “menstrual experience” (pg. 18).