By Yumna Bodiat
Edited by Imaan Moosa
Featuring creative Ellen Heydenrych and her illustrations on period positivity.
Twenty-five-year-old freelance artist Ellen Heydenrych uses a combination of hand-drawn and digital mediums to design her unique illustrations on her creative platform @hey__ellen.
Exhausted by the many ways in which women are made to feel insecure about their bodies, as well as the stigma and taboos about periods, Ellen began a series of illustrations with the aim to spread period positivity and normalize menstruation.
The more we are able to talk about menstruation openly – both in real life and in the online sphere – the more we can work towards alleviating issues such as period poverty. You can't alleviate a problem if people refuse to acknowledge that the problem exists.
Sometimes these things takes baby steps, and my work can aid in taking baby steps towards a shift in public opinion to realising that periods are a natural and beautiful part of being a woman.
Her menstruation series of illustrations have initiated conversations about periods with people in her daily life and she hopes these conversations extend out of her direct circle.
Ellen told To EmpowHER she loves the space she has been able to create online where others are encouraged to feel comfortable to reach out on topics like menstrual cups or birth control.
I've also loved that some of the men in the periphery of my life would pass me on campus at university and say, 'Hey Ellen, cool menstruation illustration this week!' Just for men to see my illustrations and think they're cool means I'm adding to the destigmatisation of periods in my own small way!
Some of Ellen's illustrations on period positivity. Photos: Provided
To Ellen, period positivity means "realizing that menstruation is not something to be ashamed of". Part of this includes her understanding that not only women menstruate and shifting conversations about menstruation beyond gender.
We asked Ellen how she believes South Africa can improve by providing access to sanitary products and menstrual education to women. She told To EmpowHER that her friend Candice Chirwa is a great activist in this field.
Candice's NGO Qrate focuses on teaching critical thinking to young people through workshops. One of the social issues she tackles is menstruation by hosting educational workshops that encourage dialogue about menstruation and break the stigma around periods.
As her friend, Ellen is also is an advocate for menstrual cups.
I am so glad I started using a menstrual cup. I've been using a cup for three years, and since then, I've felt so much more at home in my body.
When I started using a cup, I had to really become acquainted with my body in a way I hadn't before, and it can be a bit weird and tricky. But I'm so glad I took the leap. I've saved so much money that I would have spent monthly on sanitary wear.
Ellen told To EmpowHER she also applauds Mina Cup, a local South African manufacturer of menstrual cups which specifically cater to first-time menstrual cup users. Through the distribution of menstrual cups and workshops, Mina Cup aims to empower underprivileged girls so that they may continue their education without interruption.
Support and follow Ellen Heydenrych's illustration page:
Instagram: @hey__ellen
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