Cindy Wang ’24 cofounded Period club this year alongside Ijin Shim ’24. Period club, a local branch of the international organization “Period. the Menstrual Movement”, focuses on education, awareness and activism. Learn more about Period club from this Q and A with Wang.

Why did you start Period club?

There was no [one] moment in time where I was like, I need to start this club. Over the years, I’ve noticed how little education there is about menstrual stigma and periods in general, and, as a woman, this really struck me.

Why do you think there’s a stigma around periods?

From a young age, we didn’t get the education that we needed in elementary school. I feel like it was just so underground compared to the other things we were taught. We would talk about periods for one second, and a lot of people would be like, “I don’t want to talk about this. It’s disgusting.” And then the conversation would just end there. I think that’s where a lot of this stigma stems from.

Do you have any personal experiences with this stigma?

I’ve had so many times where I’m in a little bit of a bad mood and then somebody says, “Is it that time of the month again?” [This] really is stereotyping periods because periods aren’t the only reason why a woman can be mad.

Would you describe Period club as more of like a volunteering club or like more of like an activist organization or both?

It’s service and advocacy and education. We’re going to do a [menstrual] product drive with the Coralville Food Pantry. But we also are going to make posters and put them around the school to educate people about periods.

What are Period club’s future plans?

We plan to have a period packing parties. So basically what these are is you get the period products and you sort them into bags. Then, [the bags] go to the organizations we’re connecting with [like the food pantry or women’s shelters]. We want to do bake sales in the future … to raise money so we can purchase tampons for our school bathrooms. 

Why should someone join the Period club?

In general, Period club is fun and welcoming. And it’s pretty laid back. We’re going to do important things and teach you. It’s a well-rounded club. You can come for fun, and you learn in the process.

When and where are the Period club meetings?

Period club meets every other Friday during AFT in the Little Theater.  

If you want to become involved with Period club and be included on its email list, reach out to Cindy Wang via her email: [email protected].