In the year 2022 it is quite remarkable that people are still battling to normalise a completely normal bodily function and trying to tear down the stigmas around it.
Yet, that is still the case, and girls and women around the world continue to face social difficulties when it comes to menstruation. In many places education about menstruation comes late, if ever, on top of many girls and women having to battle lack of water and access to personal hygiene products.
With her latest single, ‘Flores Rojas’ (Red Flowers), Guatemalan rapper Rebeca Lane tries to use her talents to educate both young and old about this amazing and powerful part of the women’s body.
The animated video follows a young girl around, doing all the things society tells girls they can’t do while menstruating. The music video, and the song, is an ode to the female body and the feminine spirit around the world.
“My grandmother, the moon
Sows my womb
Various seeds to keep
And every month flowers germinate in me
They’re red like my menstrual blood”
“To menstruate with dignity is a human right”, Rebeca writes on her Bandcamp page. In many countries, though, it is seen as something dirty and unnatural. According to this article, “across Africa it is estimated that one in 10 girls will miss school when they have their periods, and can miss approximately 10-20% of school days – factors which can lead to them dropping out altogether. This puts them at greater risk of child marriage, and getting pregnant at a younger age, which comes with heightened health risks.”
Rebeca understands that there is still a great deal of work ahead and hopefully her beautiful music video can help create a positive change for women and young girls around the world.
Rebeca’s new album, Florecer, comes out in April 2022.
