Men in India’s Kerala screamed in agony as they experienced the pain and discomfort of menstruation during a recent campaign in one of the most progressive states of the country.
The organizers of the campaign called Cup of Life set up menstruation simulators at colleges and shopping malls in the district of Ernakulam to let men briefly experience period cramps, according to a NextShark article carried by Yahoo News on Saturday.
The project was launched by Congress lawmaker Hibi Eden and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to normalize conversations and discredit myths surrounding menstruation, which remains a taboo topic in many parts of India as well the subcontinent.
A significant number of people still believe that women are impure when they menstruate and that they should be kept away from certain events.
As part of the campaign, the organizers of the #Feelthepain movement conducted simulations and distributed free menstrual cups to male participants.
The simulator, which has a pain level that can be dialled from one to 10, can be attached to two people at the same time.
A video of the simulations showed men experiencing the pain of menstrual cramps for the first time.
Meanwhile, the women – who naturally experience the pain on a regular basis – watched as the men writhed in pain.
Sharan Nair, a social media influencer who participated in the campaign, said: "That was really painful. I never want to experience that ever again."
He noted that while the women who tried it felt nothing, "the guys, including me, were hollering and bringing the place down”.
Like Nair, many of the male participants could barely stand the pain and asked to switch off the machine immediately.
Akhil Manuel, an official from IMA and a coordinator of the Cup of Life campaign, said: "Women don't even flinch at [level] nine while men find it hard to make it past four, even though the simulator only transmits 10% of the actual pain."
While perceptions may have changed in modern cities, discussions about periods are still often avoided by women who do not feel comfortable talking about them with others.
According to lawyer Sandra Sunny, one of the event organizers, the simulator is the "easiest way" to promote positive attitudes on such a sensitive topic.
"If you ask college boys directly what they know about period cramps, they'd be reluctant to talk,” she said. “But if you ask them… have they talked about periods with anyone, what makes them reluctant to talk about it – after using the simulator, they are more forthcoming."
