Emma Pallant-Browne was photographed menstruating during a race (Picture: Instagram / Emma Pallant-Browne)
Female athletes are sporting a ‘big red period’ patch to help battle the shame and stigma surrounding menstruation in sports.
As part of the ongoing #SportYourPeriod campaign, spearheaded by the Canadian professional volleyball player Brandie Wilkerson and underwear company Knix, female athletes are opening up about their period and how it impacts them.
Menstruation plays a huge part in women choosing not to take up sports. In fact, research has shown that 70% of teen girls in the UK will avoid sports during their periods, mainly due to the fear of leaking.
Last year, female tennis players campaigned for Wimbledon to allow female athletes to wear dark-coloured shorts while menstruating, rather than the traditional white garments.
It came after a number of high-profile tennis players spoke up about the impact of their period and the dress code on their performance.
British tennis player Heather Watson once cited her period as a reason for her loss at the Australian Open, stating that she was in a constant state of fear that she’d be photographed leaking through her clothes.
‘[The period issue] is absolutely something the players talk about around Wimbledon because of the all-whites,’ she told BBC Sport last year.
‘I think people speak about it a lot – maybe not to the media but among ourselves, for sure.’
Now, athletes such as American rugby player Ilona Maher and British triathlete Emma Pallant-Browne are raising awareness about how menstruation (and the stigma that surrounds it) impacts female sports in general, as part of a partnership with Knix.
Emma, who visibly bled during a race earlier this year, shared a picture of herself sporting her period patch on Instagram.
‘Earlier this year, the whole world saw me competing while menstruating,’ she wrote.
‘Some said that not hiding it was courageous, and others said that it was outrageous.
‘I say that it was neither – it was normal.
‘What is not normal, is that 1 in 2 menstruating teens skips sports, fearing leakage.’
She added: ‘By sporting my period 🔴 to show that I am menstruating while practicing the sport I love, I want to encourage every menstruator to feel confident anytime they want to be active.
‘If you want that too, let’s end period stigma.’
While Ilona shared her campaign video on TikTok.
She said: ‘Period fears and discomforts are directly affecting menstruating people from participating in sports and staying active.
‘This needs to change.’
Ilona added: ‘Sports helped me to develop into the woman I am today.
‘Being active gave me confidence and appreciation for my body.
‘I can’t imagine wanting to stop because of something that’s so natural to me.’
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‘This needs to change.’