You can argue with me all you want but the truth remains that we as a society are not as open-minded as we would like to believe. I mean, we can’t get over the fact that women have periods and talking about it alright. For some random unnecessary reason, we’re uncomfortable talking about periods. Moreover, we’re so afraid of it, that we don’t let others – especially women – talk about it. And if some woman, by any miracle, talks about it openly, she’s called ‘sick’ and vile for doing it. Don’t agree? Take this instance of a journalist who recently was targeted with hate comments after she shared a story wherein she got her period and asked a tea seller for sanitary pads and he like a true gentleman helped her out.
Journalist Ismat Ara took to her Twitter to appreciate a tea seller that helped her get a sanitary pad when she realised she had gotten her period and had no pad on her. In the tweet, she expressed how grateful she was for “men like Manaf (tea seller)”
Stopped at a tea stall and realised I had got my period. I asked the shopkeeper if he had any sanitary pads. So he sat on his bike, told me to sit down, and brought me pads from a nearby shop. You're like my sister, he said. I feel so grateful for men like Manaf. Thank you.
— Ismat Ara (@IsmatAraa) June 19, 2022
Also Read: What Is A UTI? What Are Some Common Mistakes During Periods That Can Cause UTIs?
Sharing the incident on Twitter, Ismat Ara wrote, “Stopped at a tea stall and realised I had got my period. I asked the shopkeeper if he had any sanitary pads. So he sat on his bike, told me to sit down, and brought me pads from a nearby shop. You’re like my sister, he said. I feel so grateful for men like Manaf. Thank you.”
Such a sweet tweet by the journalist received a lot of hate from Twitterati. In fact, some took it even as far as to call her “sick” for asking for sanitary pads from strangers and making fun of the entire incident. What was more disturbing was the fact that other women also joined in on the hate and called her exploitative towards the tea stall owner.
Check out the tweets below:
Behen , please go and see a good psychiatrist. Who asks for a sanitary napkin at a tea stall ?💐 After this go and see a good gynaecologist. Girls carry sanitary pads in their handbags. Get well soon💐
— Twinkle (@veda_padma) June 19, 2022
An adult female who has regular periods is very conscious about keeping pads with her all the time especially if periods are anticipated in few days. If periods are so irregular that she needs a help of chaiwala and can't go to chemist shop in her own car, she must consult a doc!
— The Critical Doc (@TheCriticalDoc) June 19, 2022
next what? asking for lingerie in a furniture shop? And then the furniturewala would sit in his bmw, tell u to wait in his shop, go to a mall, get the perfect size for u, return, and say, you are so much like my wife… ?
Feeling grateful for men like abdul & 785 others.— রানী রায় (#ISupportCAA&NRC)🇮🇳 (@raniroyrocky) June 19, 2022
Who asks sanitary pads from a tea stall ???
— Rishi Bagree (@rishibagree) June 19, 2022
Also Read: The Khalsa Aid Group Is Providing Free Sanitary Pads To Women Farmers Facing Problems With Menstrual Hygiene During The Protests Against Farm Laws.
But this type of stories should be kept secret.. there's a clear line between issues of concern with modern minds and Hayaa.
— Mo.Danish Iqbal (@MoDanishIqbal4) June 19, 2022
https://twitter.com/nandinisharma99/status/1538831277700263936?s=20&t=nl1Kc-YtVQzteed6zyJK0w
Tum chutya aurat ho.
That's it.
That's the tweet.— Bharti 🇮🇳 (@SoulfulBharti) June 19, 2022
Why will a tea stall person have sanitary pads? And why are you not equipped for emergency in your handbag while going out? We all women are. 🤔
— Shining Star 🇮🇳 (@ShineHamesha) June 19, 2022
You are sick. How could you say this
— Atreyo Mukhopadhyay (@atreyom) June 19, 2022
If you ask me, I don’t think she did anything wrong. I mean, I would have also asked for a pad if I got my periods and wasn’t carrying one. Most women don’t get their periods on the same date every month even though they are regular. So, can we please stop making a big deal out of this? Because women getting their periods and asking for sanitary pads is as normal and basic as it gets.
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