Demigirl, JohnRoss Woodland…………………………………………………………………86 Depression, Emmanuel Ellis……………………………………………………………………88 DivaCup, Loredana Segota Doomscrolling, Ali Hasan………………………………………………………………………91

DivaCup

Loredana Segota

Ever heard of a DivaCup? Despite what you may think, this is not a bedazzled thermos, or a mug that Beyonce drinks from. A DivaCup is a menstrual cup - a hygienic period device, usually made from silicone, which is designed to be inserted into the vagina during a woman’s period to capture blood. The DivaCup, which has been around since 2003, is the most well-known and popular menstrual cup on the North American market right now. Menstrual cups in general have been around for much longer than most people realize. The first versions of menstrual cups were called catamenial sacks, and were formulated in the late 19th century. More modern menstrual cups, similar to the ones we use today, made their way into the market in the late 1930s. Menstrual cups are largely endorsed for their simple use, reusability, financial benefits and overall sustainability, especially compared to disposable pads and tampons. So, where does this fit into adolescent development and health?

Periods are still one of the most taboo subjects on planet Earth. The menstrual cycle, which is the catalyst for and origin of all human life, is an extremely stigmatized topic in government, education and society as a whole. In many cultures, menstruation is viewed as something negative, evil and unclean, as opposed to something natural and beautiful that brings new life. These taboos are ancient - some even argue that they are central to the formation of many patriarchal societies around the world. We refer to periods as everything but what they are - Aunt Flo, Mother Nature’s Gift, time of the month, the rag... As Hermione Granger would say - Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself! Period poverty exists as a result of this negative perspective towards menstruation, and thus the inaccessibility of period products to women globally. Many nations have worked to combat this, by removing tax from feminine hygiene products or providing them for free in schools. Though even in today’s schools, genuine and intentional education about periods is largely avoided. This is especially true in Catholic schools, where the attitudes towards reproduction are lined with embarrassment and shame, under the guise that one will “learn” more about this topic through marriage. This leads to a huge gap in knowledge for young adolescents, whether they menstruate or not. Feelings of embarrassment or shame are common in young females who have been taught by the society around them that their period is something to be concealed. There are consequences to young women not being educated on the changes their bodies are undergoing, and the resources and options available to them to support them in taking charge of their bodies and cycles in a way that is safe, accessible and shame-free. We refer to the unequal access to education, resources and acceptance around periods as menstrual inequity. This looks different for women across the world. Menstrual equity and the elimination of period poverty starts with the education of our young people, and changing the narrative around periods. Access to and awareness of various

period products is key in facilitating this change - this is where the DivaCup comes in. The rise of the DivaCup has led to numerous innovative period products, like period underwear and vaginal discs, hitting markets and being used - no, championed - by young people. Gone are the days where young women chose between pads or tampons. Introducing and educating adolescents about these products is a crucial step in ensuring body autonomy for our young women, promoting menstrual equity and ensuring our adolescents are not ashamed or embarrassed of what naturally occurs in their bodies.

Here is a link to the DivaCup website and blog, where you can learn more about the various types of DivaCups and read informative articles around periods, period products and other menstrual information.

Pandora’s Box - Lifting the Lid on Menstruation - An awesome documentary film produced by DivaCup which investigates period poverty and menstrual inequity around the world.

References

Druet, A. (2021). How did menstruation become taboo? Clue. https://helloclue.com/articles/culture/how-did-menstruation-become-taboo

[Website] (2022). DivaBlog. Diva. https://divacup.com/divablog/?per_page=10 TheDivaCup. (2022, January 1). Pandora's Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation

[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fki-a5Vj5M8&t=27s [Website] (2022). History of the Menstrual Cup. Lunette. https://www.lunette.com/blogs/news/short-history-of-menstrual-cups

Doomscrolling

Ali Hasan

Doomscrolling is defined as spending a lot of time looking at bad news or negative stories, especially on social media. It also can be used when you are constantly refreshing social media to get updates about a developing tragedy. The word is an obvious combination of doom and scrolling, doom referring to the negative news you see/search for, and scrolling like on social media or a website. The word is a relatively new one. According to google trends, it started being used in 2020, with its most significant spikes in November 2020-January 2021 and then peaking in February 2022. It is clearly influenced by the pandemic and constant updates about infection numbers. Doomscrolling can almost be described as a generational mindset. I think the word is indicative of the modern adolescent’s mindset. Today's adolescents are bombarded by negative news, terrible tragedies, and unprecedented global events. The fact that WW3 has trended online several times in the past few years indicates how unstable the political climate is. Massive wildfires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters speak to how damaged the environment is and how young people have to inherit a world riddled with pollution. Additionally, and unfortunately, instances of school and mass shootings are also on the rise. Finally, many people point out how the cost of living has gone up exponentially, but paying jobs hasn’t matched the rate of inflation; many adolescents fear not even being able to rent a house, let alone buy one. Doomscrolling seems like one of many words the youth use to summarize their experience online. Adolescents are on social media a lot, so the constant flurry of negative information has a harmful effect on their mental health.

This term is valuable as it gives us insight into the culture of youth, specifically online. Often times the word is used casually to describe how they spend their time or what they are doing. They know they are spending their free time doing something that can negatively affect them. But to some of them, it is unavoidable because the majority of the news is negative and because of the way social media connects everyone instantaneously, there is an almost unlimited supply. For them to stay informed and remain an active citizen aware of current global events requires them to be aware of the news, which, unfortunately, is mainly negative. This feeds back into a negative loop. It can be very similar to falling down a youtube rabbit hole, where you watch one video, which leads you to another and another. Doomscrolling can have the same effect. Reading about one troubling news story leads to reading another one and another one. This is partly to blame on news sources and other media outlets, as many try to put catchy titles or clickbait articles to attract more readers. Because of the addictiveness of social media, youths have a hard time separating themselves from it. It is essential for adolescents to recognize the unhealthy behaviour of constantly consuming social media content. Bibliography

“Doomscrolling.” Urban Dictionary, www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=doomscrolling.

Price, Matthew, et al. “Doomscrolling during COVID-19: The Negative Association between Daily Social and Traditional Media Consumption and Mental Health Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, vol. 14, no. 8, 2022, pp. 1338–1346., doi:10.1037/tra0001202. “Doomscrolling” Google Trends https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2020-0101%202022-11-03&q=doomscrolli ng