In 2016, we're still not at a stage where all girls and women feel comfortable openly talking about their periods. This is despite the fact that over 300 million women worldwide are on their period at any given moment
But a new online petition hopes to change all of that.
Tampon and sanitary towel provider Bodyform has called on Unicode (the folks behind emojis) to introduce six new period-related emojis to its already extensive collection.
The "femojis" include icons to depict pads and periods as well as cramps, bloating, PMS and spots.
Research by Bodyform found that half of girls aged 12-14 found it difficult to talk about their periods with friends and family, something which can lead to anxiety and lack of confidence.
Four out of five girls aged 12-14, and mums of girls the same age, said they'd find emojis useful to help express their feelings.
Nicola Coronado from Bodyform said: "Menstruation is a totally natural process – but we have all felt a bit shy about discussing it. We want to break down the taboo around periods.
"Based on the current emoji keyboard, women can be a princess and send each other lipstick and nail polish symbols.
"They can even talk about acorns, puffer fish and four different types of train. But for the important things in life, like our periods, there is no way to express ourselves in this new universal language.
"We want to change this, which is why we’ve launched the Change.org petition and would encourage everybody who has ever felt awkward talking periods to sign it!"
The Change.org petition is now live, you can sign it here: www.change.org/femojis-uk.
SEE ALSO:
This British Company Is Launching A 'Period Policy' For Female Staff
