A girl’s first menstruation is the start of her monthly troubles... or is it?
What do you think of when you think of ‘menstruation’? Most might think that it is a painful, troublesome, uncomfortable, and bloody process—one that is often shrouded with negativity and secrecy.
I started my thesis journey of designing to alleviate menstrual taboo by designing for young preteen girls, where menstruation happens for the first time. Could we, as designers, offer a more positive way of viewing this female physiology, thus empowering girls to form a better initial and lasting perception of menstruation?
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What if a girl’s first menstruation was celebrated as a milestone of her womanhood?
Through talking to parents, many expressed that the arrival of their daughters’ first menstruation signifies the symbolic start to her womanhood. However, while educational and practical topics are discussed, celebrating a girl’s first menstruation as a milestone of growing up is often overlooked and uncommon.
What if we could improve the communication of a girl’s first menstruation, from parents to their preteen daughters, such that the aspect of womanhood is communicated?
Maintaining the delicateness of the topic and age appropriateness, I explored various objects and means of communication. The final design utilises red anaglyphic effects and the metaphorical language of flowers to explain the changes that happen to a girl’s body during puberty. Bloom was thus conceived.
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Gifting preteen daughters with a beautiful metaphor on their blooming bodies.
Bloom is a book and necklace gift set designed to be gifted by parents to their preteen daughter upon her first menstruation.
A poetic story on blooming flowers on the surface, the necklace reveals a deeper metaphor about the blooming of female bodies during puberty—providing parents with a beautiful language to communicate with while empowering girls to embrace and celebrate their menstrual cycle from a young age.
