ETC
charity
Back Row: Holland Ausley, Patrick Laciuga, Christina Light Bottom Row: Sofia Ahumada, Reagan Reese
Project Period Ocala Vanguard students work to alleviate “period poverty” and the stigma of feminine hygiene ›› BY CARLTON REESE
W
alking to class, she could hear the snickers and laughter behind her – a pair of boys apparently amused by something the girl was not cognizant. Noticing the situation, a friend approached to discreetly tell her the boys were laughing at her. A stain had developed on her pants, the
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| JAN 2022 | OCALAMAGAZINE.COM
result of her monthly period and she had not realized the blot was there for all to see. Her friend loaned her a sweater to tie around her waist in order to hide what nature had beset on her that morning. Elsewhere, another girl has her period but is unable to afford the necessary hygiene products. As result, she decides against going
to school altogether, instead opting to stay home and avoid whatever embarrassment would await her. Such embarrassment, especially in the halls of a high school where teen cruelty knows no bounds and mature reactions in such a situation are still years from development, are commonplace and the cause of
