April 22, 2025 • 18 mins
It’s 2025, and we’re still whispering the word period.
Despite being a natural, regular part of life for half the population, periods are still wrapped in shame and silence. They're sanitised in ads, tiptoed around in schools, and often treated as something to hide — even at home.
We’re unpacking why the stigma still exists, and how it continues to impact women and people who menstruate today.
Plus, the 3 simple phone settings experts say you should change now to help keep your kids safe online — without totally invading their privacy.
And in headlines today Opposition leader Peter Dutton has been narrowly declared the winner of last night's third leaders debate; Labor has promised to protect women from financial abuse, making perpetrators liable for debt created in their victims name and blocking them from getting their victims super after death; The Coalition has promised an extra $21 billion to be spent on defence if they win at the election; A 4.6 magnitude earthquake has struck the Hunter Valley town of Singleton shaking residents of parts of Sydney awake just before 3am; The Pope now lays in state ahead of the funeral to be held on Saturday attended by dignitaries including Prince William; The Academy who oversee the Oscars, will now enforce a rule that all who vote in the awards will have to prove they have watched all the movies that are nominated.
Check out our video testing men's pain response - in short: hilarious.
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CREDITS
Hosts: Grace Rouvray & Claire Murphy
Guests: Lux Perry from AAWA Period Underwear and Annaliese Todd.
Executive Producer: Taylah Strano
Audio Producer: Lu Hill
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
You're listening to a mother Mia podcast. Mumma Mea acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on. Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'm Grace Rubray. This is mumam is twice daily news
podcast The Quickie. When it comes to pain, women are
often dismissed or told they're being dramatic, especially when that
pain is period related. But it's not just the pain
that's silenced. Periods themselves are still stigmatized. So to challenge
that and open up the conversation that's long overdue, we
(00:43):
decided to put men's pain tolerance to the test. Plus,
are you worried about how to keep your kids safe
on their phones without totally invading their privacy? Finding that
balance between protection and trust can feel impossible, but experts
say there are three simple phone settings that can make
a big difference Before we get there. Here's Claire Murphy
with the latest from The Quickie newsroom for Wednesday, April
(01:06):
twenty three.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Thanks Grace, Opposition leader Peter Dutton was narrowly declared the
winner of the third Leader's debate. Overnight, Prime Minister anthen
Albinezi emphasize the need for stability following the uncertainty from
US President Donald Trump's policies that are impacting the world,
including a slew of tariffs that have seen the global
stock market take a plunge and many Australian businesses impacted,
(01:28):
saying complacency and the uncertain world that we inherit is
the last time where you'd want to take a risk.
Mister Dutton doubled down on the coalition's plan to follow
in Trump's footsteps with a policy to crack down on
government spending waste, saying they'll look at the budget and
see where the government is wasting money. Labour unvalued that
they will set aside seventy eight million dollars to fast
(01:49):
track training for six thousand tradees to help build homes,
Treasurer Jim Chalmers saying they are tackling the housing shortage
from every responsible angle to build more homes more quickly
and in all parts of Australia. Labour has also promised
to help protect women from financial abuse, saying they'll prevent
domestic violence perpetrators from from using the tax and corporate
(02:11):
systems to create debts in their victim's name, making them
accountable for paying them back if they do they will
also look into stopping a coercive control perpetrator from receiving
a victim's superanuation after death. They've also committed eight point
six million dollars to boost domestic violence perpetrator responses such
as electronic monitoring and ankle bracelets, and intensive behavioral change programs.
(02:35):
Peter Dutton and the Coalition have pledged to spend twenty
one billion dollars over the next five years on defense
if the Coalition is elected at the upcoming federal election.
Dutton says the money would go towards reinstating a fourth
Joint Strike Fighter squadron, but didn't specify where the rest
of the money would be allocated, saying the extra spending
on defense was needed in globally on certain times. Mister
(02:58):
Albanizi will be campaigning in Sydney today while mister Dutton
will head to Perth. A four point six magnitude earthquake
has hit the New South Wales town of Singleton, shaking
residents awake in part of Sydney. The trema struck at
two fifty five am this morning near the Hunter Valley town,
located two hundred kilometers north of Sydney and initial reading
(03:18):
recorded it as a five point one magnitude quake at
a shallow depth of around ten kilometers. There were no
immediate reports of damage, but more than two thousand, six
hundred people had reported the quake to the Geoscience Australia
website by four am. The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center
says the quake poses no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland,
islands or territories. The Pope will lay in state from
(03:42):
today for Catholics to visit and pay their final respects
to the pontiff, who passed away aged eighty eight on Monday.
Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, with dignitaries
including President Donald Trump and Prince William attending the service
at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Rome. Before his passing,
the Pope expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica,
(04:02):
one of his favorite places, and not in the Grandest
Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. As his customary for
popes of the past us, the Pope, dressed in a
red robe laze in state for the general public to visit.
Between eleven am and midnight today, Tomorrow and Friday. His
hands folded in front of him holding a set of
rosary beads, He'll be watched over by the Swiss Guard,
(04:22):
a corps of Swiss soldiers tasked with the pontiff's safety.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body
behind the oscars, have implemented a new rule that has
many wondering why it didn't exist in the first place.
In the past, those members of the Academy who cast
their votes were asked not to vote in any category
in which they hadn't watched all the movies that are nominated,
(04:44):
but it was all based on an honor system. From
now on, members will not be allowed to use the
E voting system unless they've demonstrated they have in fact
watched all the films. They'll track viewing through the members
only Academy Screening Room streaming app, and if they watched
the movie at another time, like at a screening, they'll
have to fill out a form declaring where and when
they watched it.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Thanks Claire. Next, why are women's pain levels so often
to dismissed? If you're a woman who's ever sought medical
help for pain. These responses might sound familiar.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's normal, you're being dramatic. Just go on birth control,
maybe try some anti anxiety medication for lux.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Pery, These were the dismissive responses she heard for two
decades or struggling with what would eventually be diagnosed as endometriosis.
Like many of the one in nine Australian women living
with endo lux, spent years being gas lit about her symptoms.
Told that the excruciating pain that left her bed ridden
was simply part of being a woman. It's a pattern
(05:49):
that speaks to a broader issue how women's issues are
minimized or dismissed entirely. So what happens when men are
asked to experience the same level of pain that women experience?
Mamma Maya decided to test men's pain tolerance using simulators
that replicate periods and endometriosis pain. The results were revealing.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Ah, help me, my god, this has pain.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
We're superior. Call in ages agoic too.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Some men were surprisingly empathetic they'd witnessed their partners struggle
with chronic pain. Others who didn't have the data, not
so much.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Torture.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Oh wow, just give me a minute or an apaturial
uh I deserve this.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Imagine you're going through what you're going through right now,
and then somebody looks you swear in theater and says it's.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Not that bad. But perhaps the most interesting finding was
just how impossible it is to standardize pain. Lux Perry
is passionate about improving the lives of women and people
who menstraight, and that drive is at the heart of
everything she does. Her latest venture as the owner of Awa,
a period underwear brand, is more than just a business.
It's a mission to dismantle a stigma that somehow in
(07:02):
twenty twenty five still persists, a shame and silence surrounding periods.
Despite being a natural, regular, biological function experienced by half
the population, periods are still treated like something to hide
there whispit about, sanitized in advertising, and often met with
embarrassment in schools, workplaces, and sometimes even at home. Lux
(07:24):
sees this as part of a bigger issue, the long
history of women's health being overlooked, dismissed, or treated as
a taboot. Lux the Awa mission statement is to help
menstruators reconnect with their cycle. How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
So essentially, Awa was founded by a Maudi woman in
New Zealand in al Tierroa and the concept of the
company was to be able to reindigenize periods, so to
bring ceremony back into our cycles, to better connect with
our body, to understand what's happening to us, and kind
of decolonize this concept of menstruation that we've all come
(08:00):
to know and become familiar with over the last one
hundred years. And so AWA is just kind of this
way to experience your menstrual cycle in a more personal
and connected way because there's like this a huge amount
of stigma around reusables because people are actually really afraid
of their own blood. When you use reusables, you inevitably
come in contact with your own blood. And that was
(08:22):
a really big step for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Do you think people have that same issue with using
like a moon cup? So there's kind of this There
are so many different products that people can use when
they have their period, but a moon cup, and I'm
speaking from my personal experience, it does terrify me from
insertion to removal. Is this part of the conversation that
you found absolutely?
Speaker 3 (08:42):
I mean same, I started using one like about ten
fifteen years ago, it was so shocking. It was like,
what do you mean, I've got to put something inside
me and now I have to find it and I
have to empty it, and I'm gonna have blood on
my hands. And that's because there's like such a disconnect
between our periods when we use disposables. It's like you
put it in, you don't have to look at it,
you can remove it with tissue. You kind of never
(09:02):
come in contact with your own period, which is fine
for some people, but it's certainly not the way it
has to be. And there's so much opportunity in our
cycles to connect with our bodies and better understand, like
our cycles tell us so much about ourselves, and kind
of that disconnect that disposables and societal shame and stigma
create really remove us from that like true experience of
what's happening to our bodies.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
When there is so much conversation and there is so
much being put towards the advocacy of this, why are
we still terrified of having these conversations or God forbid
that being period, blood on a piece of clothing, or
you know, if we accidentally destroy our underwear that month,
This shame like, why do you think that still is?
Speaker 3 (09:42):
I think that despite extreme influx of conversations we've been
having about periods, and especially we even see it in
like younger kids like gen Z Alpha, even they talk
about periods so openly, like there is such a shift.
But our workplaces and are like professional contexts and sport
and all of these things still demand that we kind
(10:03):
of push that conversation aside to be able to participate
and show up in the same way that our peers
do who might not men straight, And so I think
that there's still old infrastructure built around our lives that
doesn't necessarily come down as fast as our social norms.
Like I think that in our friends' groups, we're sharing
a lot more about it. I think people's partners are
(10:25):
talking more to them about it. I know that through
like the period pain Simulator, that those conversations are starting
to happen. But I think we're still afraid to tell
our boss that that's why we can't come to work.
We're still afraid to admit that that impacts our ability
to show up in gym class. There's still these like
more difficult conversations that are maybe more public or more
professional or structured setting that feel deeply intimidating. And then
(10:48):
on top of that, we're also like not believed by
doctors or whoever is telling us that our problems are
not as big or serious as they are.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And that idea of shame or anxiety around periods is
that part of the design process of ours products.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, I mean we have waste fans that say the
brand on them, and so even that, even though it
seems insignificant, you know that Ahwa is a period underwear brand,
and now you have these boxers with this name on it.
Most people wear their boxers in a way that you
can see them, particularly women, you would be able to
see that you're wearing a period underwear. And so I
(11:27):
think that that's a really interesting way that it's kind
of coming out of the shadows and into everyday life,
that people don't feel ashamed that somebody might notice that
they're wearing period underwear. So I think that's a really
small piece of it, But I think that overall, it's
about creating a better experience for people so you don't
have to wear plastic or hear that crinkle or grow
an out of products when you don't have them.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
If more people are choosing to wear period underwear. Do
we have stats on how many pads and tampons have
been saved from being in landfillm Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
So obviously it depends on the person's cycle. As I
go through like five million tampons a cycle if I'm
wearing them, and some people use one like their entire
period because they're blessed, But it can be anywhere from
one hundred and fifty to one thousand per person.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Per person, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
And that's over the life cycle of that specific pair
of underwear, So one pair of underwear can last up
to five years. We have some people who have been
wearing them the entire time, like still wearing the ones
they bought when we launched seven years ago. Over the
life cycle of that pair of underwear, they can replace
a ton up to a thousand tampons.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
If you had a message to people, and this is
regardless of sex, what else can we do to help
destigmatize the conversation around periods.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I think that destigmatization starts with the self. So I
think explore what it is that makes you uncomfortable about
your own period, and whether that's seeing your own blood,
touching it, talking about it, and kind of trying to
unpack where that comes from and how we got here.
When you start to unravel that in yourself and you
become more comfortable menstruating out loud, whether that's talking or showing,
(13:02):
or experiencing it for yourself in whatever way is meaningful
to you, I think that that makes it easier for
other people to connect. I think it's a lot of
internal work, despite the fact that you want to go
out into the world and scream it from the rooftops,
which we do, but I think it all starts at
home and kind of unraveling that for yourself.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Right now, across Australia, parents are letting their kids indulge
in a little extra screen time during the school holidays.
But with more time in front of screens comes more
risk of our tiny humans being exposed to potentially damaging
or dangerous content. If you've got kids with phones or tablets,
there are three settings experts say that you need to
change right now. Mumma Bee's lifestyle writer Analse Todd has
(13:45):
just returned from Apple HQ with practical advice for parents
out there. Analise, we do want you to impart your
phone safety wisdom onto us. What do you think parents
need to know first?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Okay, So the first basic step is that you need
to set them a separate Apple account for your child,
and that way they can't access your personal information and
read your text messages and they've got their own safe
space to explore. And then from there you can easily
set all of the age based p rental controls and
they can use family sharing. Talk us through how this
communication safety works and what exactly does it block and
(14:18):
what doesn't it block. So I've given it the very
official unofficial title Nudity Blocker. It's like a digital bodyguard,
so it protects your kids from getting inappropriate images. So literally,
if someone tries to send them something that the AI
detects as nudity, it will actually blur the image or
video so they can't actually see it. Then there's a
(14:39):
three step verification process. If they still choose to try
and see the image, you as the parent, get a
notification and then you can say yes or no you
can view this.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So there's really so many safeguards in place before that
image is revealed to them and potentially could never be
revealed to them. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I think as parents, one of the scariest things is
people sending your children in appropriate content, and this literally
puts you back in the driver's seat. Not to ask
what your children get sent, but have you been able
to tr why and test this in real time? I
have actually, and it was an accident. They were sending
photos in the family group chat, so that's with you know,
(15:19):
their grandparents, my parents and me and the kids, and
they were sending extreme close up photos of toes and
it actually activated that nudity blocker because AI thought it
was something inappropriate. So I think it's great because obviously
that wasn't inappropriate. Although it's questionable because it's toes and
that's gross, but it's great to know that it is
actually working.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It's picking up flesh of some kind. There's an ask
to buy feature. Could you explain what that is and
how does it prevent those surprise credit card charges?
Speaker 4 (15:49):
So I know so many people who've been stung by
at purchasers fortnite skins, and some people have had like
hundreds and hundreds of dollar bills from their children actually
buying things without them knowing. So once you actually activate
this setting, each time your child tries to make a purchase,
you received that request and then you need to approve
it before for it's actually bought. I mean that's a
(16:12):
game changer, right, Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Is tech safety one of the things that is in
your group chats with other parents.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
One hundred percent? You know, I am a parent of
tween and teenagers and this is just a whole new world.
We don't understand it because we didn't grow up with it,
so we are scared of it.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
In these conversations, are other parents worried about controlling too
much and pushing their children away? Is that a concern
as well?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Definitely. I think people grapple with their kids right to
privacy because there's that line of I've given you a device,
a phone, I have the right to read your messages,
but then they also have a right to their own privacy.
So it's a really tricky one.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
How do you start that conversation with your kids to say,
I'm not going to overstep your privacy or your boundaries,
but I want to look after you in ab and
c ways. How do you start that conversation with your kids.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
It's all about communicating right from before getting the device.
I've also heard advice which I think is good that
you actually together see up a mobile device contract. So
you sit down with your child and you negotiate, like,
what are the rules if you get sent something? What
do you do if you witness bullying in a group chat?
And so you actually kind of sit down together and
(17:23):
come up with a contract of appropriate use that they
can stick by and if they break it, then they
can have the phone removed. But I think communication is
just so important. Every week there's a new thing or
a new game and we don't understand it. So it's
really about keeping up the conversation with the kids, evolving
it as it becomes more age appropriate to have deeper
(17:45):
and more intense conversations and just keep chatting to them
about it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Just one for the technologically illiterate parents that might be listening.
Are these safeguards easy to install and manage? Yes?
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Because I am not a techie person, But that's why
I wrote this article. It's literally got a step by
step guide with little phone diagrams that you can follow
and look along on your phone and actually implement them.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Thanks for taking the time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quickie is produced by me Grace Rubray
and Claire Murphy with audio production by low Hill
You're listening to a mother Mia podcast. Mumma Mea acknowledges
the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast
is recorded on. Hi.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
I'm Grace Rubray. This is mumam is twice daily news
podcast The Quickie. When it comes to pain, women are
often dismissed or told they're being dramatic, especially when that
pain is period related. But it's not just the pain
that's silenced. Periods themselves are still stigmatized. So to challenge
that and open up the conversation that's long overdue, we
(00:43):
decided to put men's pain tolerance to the test. Plus,
are you worried about how to keep your kids safe
on their phones without totally invading their privacy? Finding that
balance between protection and trust can feel impossible, but experts
say there are three simple phone settings that can make
a big difference Before we get there. Here's Claire Murphy
with the latest from The Quickie newsroom for Wednesday, April
(01:06):
twenty three.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Thanks Grace, Opposition leader Peter Dutton was narrowly declared the
winner of the third Leader's debate. Overnight, Prime Minister anthen
Albinezi emphasize the need for stability following the uncertainty from
US President Donald Trump's policies that are impacting the world,
including a slew of tariffs that have seen the global
stock market take a plunge and many Australian businesses impacted,
(01:28):
saying complacency and the uncertain world that we inherit is
the last time where you'd want to take a risk.
Mister Dutton doubled down on the coalition's plan to follow
in Trump's footsteps with a policy to crack down on
government spending waste, saying they'll look at the budget and
see where the government is wasting money. Labour unvalued that
they will set aside seventy eight million dollars to fast
(01:49):
track training for six thousand tradees to help build homes,
Treasurer Jim Chalmers saying they are tackling the housing shortage
from every responsible angle to build more homes more quickly
and in all parts of Australia. Labour has also promised
to help protect women from financial abuse, saying they'll prevent
domestic violence perpetrators from from using the tax and corporate
(02:11):
systems to create debts in their victim's name, making them
accountable for paying them back if they do they will
also look into stopping a coercive control perpetrator from receiving
a victim's superanuation after death. They've also committed eight point
six million dollars to boost domestic violence perpetrator responses such
as electronic monitoring and ankle bracelets, and intensive behavioral change programs.
(02:35):
Peter Dutton and the Coalition have pledged to spend twenty
one billion dollars over the next five years on defense
if the Coalition is elected at the upcoming federal election.
Dutton says the money would go towards reinstating a fourth
Joint Strike Fighter squadron, but didn't specify where the rest
of the money would be allocated, saying the extra spending
on defense was needed in globally on certain times. Mister
(02:58):
Albanizi will be campaigning in Sydney today while mister Dutton
will head to Perth. A four point six magnitude earthquake
has hit the New South Wales town of Singleton, shaking
residents awake in part of Sydney. The trema struck at
two fifty five am this morning near the Hunter Valley town,
located two hundred kilometers north of Sydney and initial reading
(03:18):
recorded it as a five point one magnitude quake at
a shallow depth of around ten kilometers. There were no
immediate reports of damage, but more than two thousand, six
hundred people had reported the quake to the Geoscience Australia
website by four am. The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center
says the quake poses no tsunami threat to the Australian mainland,
islands or territories. The Pope will lay in state from
(03:42):
today for Catholics to visit and pay their final respects
to the pontiff, who passed away aged eighty eight on Monday.
Pope Francis's funeral will be held on Saturday, with dignitaries
including President Donald Trump and Prince William attending the service
at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Rome. Before his passing,
the Pope expressed his wish to be buried at the Basilica,
(04:02):
one of his favorite places, and not in the Grandest
Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. As his customary for
popes of the past us, the Pope, dressed in a
red robe laze in state for the general public to visit.
Between eleven am and midnight today, Tomorrow and Friday. His
hands folded in front of him holding a set of
rosary beads, He'll be watched over by the Swiss Guard,
(04:22):
a corps of Swiss soldiers tasked with the pontiff's safety.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the body
behind the oscars, have implemented a new rule that has
many wondering why it didn't exist in the first place.
In the past, those members of the Academy who cast
their votes were asked not to vote in any category
in which they hadn't watched all the movies that are nominated,
(04:44):
but it was all based on an honor system. From
now on, members will not be allowed to use the
E voting system unless they've demonstrated they have in fact
watched all the films. They'll track viewing through the members
only Academy Screening Room streaming app, and if they watched
the movie at another time, like at a screening, they'll
have to fill out a form declaring where and when
they watched it.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Thanks Claire. Next, why are women's pain levels so often
to dismissed? If you're a woman who's ever sought medical
help for pain. These responses might sound familiar.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's normal, you're being dramatic. Just go on birth control,
maybe try some anti anxiety medication for lux.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Pery, These were the dismissive responses she heard for two
decades or struggling with what would eventually be diagnosed as endometriosis.
Like many of the one in nine Australian women living
with endo lux, spent years being gas lit about her symptoms.
Told that the excruciating pain that left her bed ridden
was simply part of being a woman. It's a pattern
(05:49):
that speaks to a broader issue how women's issues are
minimized or dismissed entirely. So what happens when men are
asked to experience the same level of pain that women experience?
Mamma Maya decided to test men's pain tolerance using simulators
that replicate periods and endometriosis pain. The results were revealing.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Ah, help me, my god, this has pain.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
We're superior. Call in ages agoic too.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Some men were surprisingly empathetic they'd witnessed their partners struggle
with chronic pain. Others who didn't have the data, not
so much.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
Torture.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
Oh wow, just give me a minute or an apaturial
uh I deserve this.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Imagine you're going through what you're going through right now,
and then somebody looks you swear in theater and says it's.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Not that bad. But perhaps the most interesting finding was
just how impossible it is to standardize pain. Lux Perry
is passionate about improving the lives of women and people
who menstraight, and that drive is at the heart of
everything she does. Her latest venture as the owner of Awa,
a period underwear brand, is more than just a business.
It's a mission to dismantle a stigma that somehow in
(07:02):
twenty twenty five still persists, a shame and silence surrounding periods.
Despite being a natural, regular, biological function experienced by half
the population, periods are still treated like something to hide
there whispit about, sanitized in advertising, and often met with
embarrassment in schools, workplaces, and sometimes even at home. Lux
(07:24):
sees this as part of a bigger issue, the long
history of women's health being overlooked, dismissed, or treated as
a taboot. Lux the Awa mission statement is to help
menstruators reconnect with their cycle. How do you do that?
Speaker 3 (07:38):
So essentially, Awa was founded by a Maudi woman in
New Zealand in al Tierroa and the concept of the
company was to be able to reindigenize periods, so to
bring ceremony back into our cycles, to better connect with
our body, to understand what's happening to us, and kind
of decolonize this concept of menstruation that we've all come
(08:00):
to know and become familiar with over the last one
hundred years. And so AWA is just kind of this
way to experience your menstrual cycle in a more personal
and connected way because there's like this a huge amount
of stigma around reusables because people are actually really afraid
of their own blood. When you use reusables, you inevitably
come in contact with your own blood. And that was
(08:22):
a really big step for a lot of people.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
Do you think people have that same issue with using
like a moon cup? So there's kind of this There
are so many different products that people can use when
they have their period, but a moon cup, and I'm
speaking from my personal experience, it does terrify me from
insertion to removal. Is this part of the conversation that
you found absolutely?
Speaker 3 (08:42):
I mean same, I started using one like about ten
fifteen years ago, it was so shocking. It was like,
what do you mean, I've got to put something inside
me and now I have to find it and I
have to empty it, and I'm gonna have blood on
my hands. And that's because there's like such a disconnect
between our periods when we use disposables. It's like you
put it in, you don't have to look at it,
you can remove it with tissue. You kind of never
(09:02):
come in contact with your own period, which is fine
for some people, but it's certainly not the way it
has to be. And there's so much opportunity in our
cycles to connect with our bodies and better understand, like
our cycles tell us so much about ourselves, and kind
of that disconnect that disposables and societal shame and stigma
create really remove us from that like true experience of
what's happening to our bodies.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
When there is so much conversation and there is so
much being put towards the advocacy of this, why are
we still terrified of having these conversations or God forbid
that being period, blood on a piece of clothing, or
you know, if we accidentally destroy our underwear that month,
This shame like, why do you think that still is?
Speaker 3 (09:42):
I think that despite extreme influx of conversations we've been
having about periods, and especially we even see it in
like younger kids like gen Z Alpha, even they talk
about periods so openly, like there is such a shift.
But our workplaces and are like professional contexts and sport
and all of these things still demand that we kind
(10:03):
of push that conversation aside to be able to participate
and show up in the same way that our peers
do who might not men straight, And so I think
that there's still old infrastructure built around our lives that
doesn't necessarily come down as fast as our social norms.
Like I think that in our friends' groups, we're sharing
a lot more about it. I think people's partners are
(10:25):
talking more to them about it. I know that through
like the period pain Simulator, that those conversations are starting
to happen. But I think we're still afraid to tell
our boss that that's why we can't come to work.
We're still afraid to admit that that impacts our ability
to show up in gym class. There's still these like
more difficult conversations that are maybe more public or more
professional or structured setting that feel deeply intimidating. And then
(10:48):
on top of that, we're also like not believed by
doctors or whoever is telling us that our problems are
not as big or serious as they are.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
And that idea of shame or anxiety around periods is
that part of the design process of ours products.
Speaker 3 (11:06):
Yeah, I mean we have waste fans that say the
brand on them, and so even that, even though it
seems insignificant, you know that Ahwa is a period underwear brand,
and now you have these boxers with this name on it.
Most people wear their boxers in a way that you
can see them, particularly women, you would be able to
see that you're wearing a period underwear. And so I
(11:27):
think that that's a really interesting way that it's kind
of coming out of the shadows and into everyday life,
that people don't feel ashamed that somebody might notice that
they're wearing period underwear. So I think that's a really
small piece of it, But I think that overall, it's
about creating a better experience for people so you don't
have to wear plastic or hear that crinkle or grow
an out of products when you don't have them.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
If more people are choosing to wear period underwear. Do
we have stats on how many pads and tampons have
been saved from being in landfillm Yeah.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
So obviously it depends on the person's cycle. As I
go through like five million tampons a cycle if I'm
wearing them, and some people use one like their entire
period because they're blessed, But it can be anywhere from
one hundred and fifty to one thousand per person.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Per person, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:12):
And that's over the life cycle of that specific pair
of underwear, So one pair of underwear can last up
to five years. We have some people who have been
wearing them the entire time, like still wearing the ones
they bought when we launched seven years ago. Over the
life cycle of that pair of underwear, they can replace
a ton up to a thousand tampons.
Speaker 2 (12:30):
If you had a message to people, and this is
regardless of sex, what else can we do to help
destigmatize the conversation around periods.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
I think that destigmatization starts with the self. So I
think explore what it is that makes you uncomfortable about
your own period, and whether that's seeing your own blood,
touching it, talking about it, and kind of trying to
unpack where that comes from and how we got here.
When you start to unravel that in yourself and you
become more comfortable menstruating out loud, whether that's talking or showing,
(13:02):
or experiencing it for yourself in whatever way is meaningful
to you, I think that that makes it easier for
other people to connect. I think it's a lot of
internal work, despite the fact that you want to go
out into the world and scream it from the rooftops,
which we do, but I think it all starts at
home and kind of unraveling that for yourself.
Speaker 2 (13:23):
Right now, across Australia, parents are letting their kids indulge
in a little extra screen time during the school holidays.
But with more time in front of screens comes more
risk of our tiny humans being exposed to potentially damaging
or dangerous content. If you've got kids with phones or tablets,
there are three settings experts say that you need to
change right now. Mumma Bee's lifestyle writer Analse Todd has
(13:45):
just returned from Apple HQ with practical advice for parents
out there. Analise, we do want you to impart your
phone safety wisdom onto us. What do you think parents
need to know first?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Okay, So the first basic step is that you need
to set them a separate Apple account for your child,
and that way they can't access your personal information and
read your text messages and they've got their own safe
space to explore. And then from there you can easily
set all of the age based p rental controls and
they can use family sharing. Talk us through how this
communication safety works and what exactly does it block and
(14:18):
what doesn't it block. So I've given it the very
official unofficial title Nudity Blocker. It's like a digital bodyguard,
so it protects your kids from getting inappropriate images. So literally,
if someone tries to send them something that the AI
detects as nudity, it will actually blur the image or
video so they can't actually see it. Then there's a
(14:39):
three step verification process. If they still choose to try
and see the image, you as the parent, get a
notification and then you can say yes or no you
can view this.
Speaker 2 (14:50):
So there's really so many safeguards in place before that
image is revealed to them and potentially could never be
revealed to them. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (14:58):
I think as parents, one of the scariest things is
people sending your children in appropriate content, and this literally
puts you back in the driver's seat. Not to ask
what your children get sent, but have you been able
to tr why and test this in real time? I
have actually, and it was an accident. They were sending
photos in the family group chat, so that's with you know,
(15:19):
their grandparents, my parents and me and the kids, and
they were sending extreme close up photos of toes and
it actually activated that nudity blocker because AI thought it
was something inappropriate. So I think it's great because obviously
that wasn't inappropriate. Although it's questionable because it's toes and
that's gross, but it's great to know that it is
actually working.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
It's picking up flesh of some kind. There's an ask
to buy feature. Could you explain what that is and
how does it prevent those surprise credit card charges?
Speaker 4 (15:49):
So I know so many people who've been stung by
at purchasers fortnite skins, and some people have had like
hundreds and hundreds of dollar bills from their children actually
buying things without them knowing. So once you actually activate
this setting, each time your child tries to make a purchase,
you received that request and then you need to approve
it before for it's actually bought. I mean that's a
(16:12):
game changer, right, Yeah, it's huge.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Is tech safety one of the things that is in
your group chats with other parents.
Speaker 4 (16:18):
One hundred percent? You know, I am a parent of
tween and teenagers and this is just a whole new world.
We don't understand it because we didn't grow up with it,
so we are scared of it.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
In these conversations, are other parents worried about controlling too
much and pushing their children away? Is that a concern
as well?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Definitely. I think people grapple with their kids right to
privacy because there's that line of I've given you a device,
a phone, I have the right to read your messages,
but then they also have a right to their own privacy.
So it's a really tricky one.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
How do you start that conversation with your kids to say,
I'm not going to overstep your privacy or your boundaries,
but I want to look after you in ab and
c ways. How do you start that conversation with your kids.
Speaker 4 (17:02):
It's all about communicating right from before getting the device.
I've also heard advice which I think is good that
you actually together see up a mobile device contract. So
you sit down with your child and you negotiate, like,
what are the rules if you get sent something? What
do you do if you witness bullying in a group chat?
And so you actually kind of sit down together and
(17:23):
come up with a contract of appropriate use that they
can stick by and if they break it, then they
can have the phone removed. But I think communication is
just so important. Every week there's a new thing or
a new game and we don't understand it. So it's
really about keeping up the conversation with the kids, evolving
it as it becomes more age appropriate to have deeper
(17:45):
and more intense conversations and just keep chatting to them
about it.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
Just one for the technologically illiterate parents that might be listening.
Are these safeguards easy to install and manage? Yes?
Speaker 4 (17:56):
Because I am not a techie person, But that's why
I wrote this article. It's literally got a step by
step guide with little phone diagrams that you can follow
and look along on your phone and actually implement them.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Thanks for taking the time to feed your mind with
us today. The Quickie is produced by me Grace Rubray
and Claire Murphy with audio production by low Hill
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