All Things Periods: Sheffield, girl, 13, seeks to end stigma by opening up about her experience in new book

Jasmine Bayley, 13, is one of the youngest contributors to the book All Things Periods.

She wrote frankly about her experience for the book in the hope it will give others the confidence to open up, help to improve education and end the stigma surrounding periods.

The Tapton School pupil, who lives in Crookes, describes in the book how she ‘dreads’ going to school when she is on her period because she finds it so hard to focus that teachers tell her to ‘stop daydreaming’, and she has to make ‘seemingly endless journeys to the toilets with a tampon concealed in my sleeve’.

She writes: “It seemed as if all through sex education, the subject of periods was always met by people saying ‘that’s dirty’ or else ‘ew’.

"I just wish we could talk about periods without a second thought about it being a ‘dirty subject’.”

Jasmine read out her contribution during the book launch, which was held in Newcastle on Monday evening.

Following the event, she said: “I think that Period Power is such an important movement that brings to light struggles for people younger and older who experience periods. The messages this book brings forward, I hope, will definitely bring others confidence and education about such a common thing that isn’t at all talked enough about.

"I wanted to contribute as the best way to make a change is to speak out. Normalising speaking about periods is something that is extremely important to me.”

All Things Periods was produced by the charity Period Power, which aims to end period poverty, which is where women and girls cannot afford the sanitary products they need.

The charity praised Jasmine and her fellow contributors for helping to make the book happen and appearing at the launch event.

It said: “An absolutely amazing night at the launch of our book ‘All Things Periods’. Wonderful women being open and honest and helping to remove the stigma surrounding periods.”

For more about the charity Period Poverty and the All Things Periods book, visit: periodpower.co.uk.