Aberdeen author Florence Igboayaka didn’t understand puberty and periods growing up – or why her brothers weren’t also growing breasts.
It’s a topic many parents struggle to bring up, and failing to tackle it properly can have a long-lasting impact.
While Florence’s dad “tried his best” to teach her about the birds and the bees, she started to get very self-conscious about her changing body.
Now, she’s founded a non-profit organisation to tackle period poverty, and pens books to tell parents and youngsters everything they need to know.
“It shouldn’t be something to be ashamed of,” she said.
“If they’re not taught properly, they will probably become timid like I was.”
‘My dad did his best – but I still had questions’
For Florence, puberty was a particularly tough time.
“My dad did the teaching. So, he tried, but he didn’t do a good job of it,” she explained.
“He didn’t go into the details, but he did the best that he could.
“I was the only girl and having older brothers with nobody to speak to led me to be quite timid.”
With no one to explain what was happening to her, Florence started to dislike herself and question why she was so different.
But, not wanting others to feel the way she did, her passion catapulted her to author a series of graphic novels called The Period Comic.
‘Awkward but fun’ comic saving the day
She said: “I asked myself, how do I present this topic in a way that girls can relate to?
“It will need to be awkward, but fun and interesting. I wanted something positive, something practical, and not conventional.”
Her books have been well-received, and she’s even been invited to chat to kids at schools in the area about her work.
But it was a shock for her to find some of the videos used in the classroom were vastly outdated – with some decades old.
Florence found the first Covid lockdown, when many parents had to homeschool their kids, was when the cries for help were really heard.
“Puberty does not respect lockdown, it’s going to happen anyway,” she said.
So she decided to take action and made her book free on Amazon.
By the end of 2020, readers had made their way through a collective 16,000 pages.
“For me, that was the validation I needed that this really was a book that was required.”
‘What happens when it’s just the dad?’
From there, her initiative to tackle the knowledge gap really took off.
Florence started a new organisation the Period Place in Aberdeen – a platform that supports education, tackles stigma and provides hygiene products.
It also offers free online workshops led by clinicians, specifically catered toward single fathers, but open to all.
She said: “Everyone thinks the mum can take care of it, but what about when it’s just the dad? What happens? It’s helping them know what to do.
“What kind of tampons or other products do you buy? If she’s having cramps, what do you do?
“It’s the little things like that, that we take for granted.
“It’s once a month and it’s virtual. There’s no shaming, no bullying. What we do is teach parents how to start the conversation and when to have it.”
Additionally, Florence is marking Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28 with an online summit through the Period Place to raise awareness and promote education.
She added: “It is quite common for a girl experiencing her first period to lose her confidence, miss school days or avoid social activities in this transition phase.
“All this can affect her mental health.
“It is imperative that girls are given proper education about this crucial part of their lives, especially when parents often feel too uncomfortable to tackle that themselves.”
Conversation