Written by: Kristýna Vondrová
A table full of goodies, inspiring women and a loud debate about menstrual wellbeing. This is what the breakfast looked like on Wednesday, June 19, where our female ambassadors, journalists and members of the team Whoop·de·doomet. The main reason? Introducing a new summer campaign to support women suffering from period poverty. Check out her sneak peek with us!
Welcome ladies and one gentleman
It's a sultry June morning. The concentration of women in front of our showroom on Kamenická is growing abnormally. Instead of going to the store, however, the girls head to the side entrance and the higher floors, where Whoop·de·doo (respectively the company Anna Marešová designers) has its studio. Prosecco in a chilled bucket leaves no doubt that this is a festive occasion. Nevertheless, the biggest attraction of the breakfast is the homemade cold brew.
The room is dominated (apart from the opulent banquet) by two large canvases by the painter Musy (alias Lukáš Musil). He is the only man on the guest list today. How does menstruation affect him? This will be explained to us in a moment by Anna Marešová, the founder of the brand.
Good deeds
Gaining the attention of the crowd, Anička helps make them laugh Tonya Graves. Comedian Adéla Elbel or cellist Terezie Kovalová (with whom we published a new interview) sits next to her. Among our present female ambassadors you will also find Petra Nesvačilová or Ilona Mančíková.
Anna does not waste the guests' time. "We want to cut into the taboo of period poverty in the Czech Republic. And contribute to positive change, that is in the DNA of our brand. That is why we will launch on the platform during the summer donio.cz crowdfunding campaign. In the contributor rewards you will find our menstrual cup with a new unique cover and artwork by Lukáš Musil. One will go to you, the other to a single woman.”
From Letná, via Šatník, to single mothers
How to get to the group of singles so that there is no abuse of the situation? Whoop·de·doo will be helped with this by journalist Nora Fridrichová, who runs the Šatník foundation in the Holešovice Market. Of course, she has breakfast with us and shares her experience.
"We have about 15,000 women on the register. I know from their reactions that for them a package of pads is worth its weight in gold, even if it is a temporary solution. There is even more interest in a cup or panties, because such devices generate a huge value and relief for a tight budget, "explains Nora.
Also recalls the proposal to reduce VAT on menstrual supplies. "Within the EU, we belong to the countries with the highest rate, almost only Hungary is worse with its 27%. I am convinced that if the Minister of Finance was a menstruating man, he would not look back at the missing millions in the state budget."
We nod in agreement. And we hold each other's noses. Although shame does not hinder us in the discussion in the women's collective, we lack the perspective of the men and their empiricism with the topic. If we are to move the icebreaker, there is no room for gender banter and stereotyping.
A period as a reason for an absence at school
The last word takes Manuela Haug, author of qualitative research mapping menstrual wellbeing of university students in the Czech Republic. Even though our summer campaign concerns a different target group, its methodology brings us the necessary insights: "I divided period poverty into four categories: financial availability of period products, access to decent menstrual management facilities, menstrual stigma and access to period information. Even in the Czech Republic, girls affected by period poverty do not go to school or work during their days."
Manuela emphasizes that we do not have scientific information about the extent and impacts of this phenomenon, which is why she started the questionnaire survey in the first place. Nevertheless, we believe that the topic is coming to the fore. Ostrava can serve us as a role model. The socially demanding city released half a million crowns in its budget for pads and distributed them to elementary schools in need.
Hitting the red bullseye
After the exchange of opinions in the wider plenary, we move to the next room, where Anna Marešová shows a cup in a new limited packaging. We will show you the photos only when the campaign is launched, but its elegant color and innovative, even more sustainable packaging will make everyone present fall in love at first sight.
We also say goodbye to the visitors with a small gift package (in which they cleaning spray Cotton, perfect for the care of erotic and period products). As is evident from the words of the speakers, we still have a decent amount of work ahead of us, so let's get to it.