Underwear brand Modibodi and illustrator Justyna Green have collaborated on the relaunched First Period Kit, which includes a comic that speaks to teenage girls' first experience of getting their period.
The kit includes a comic and sticker kit designed by Green and several Modibodi products, including a waterproof bag for changing, two pairs of Black Hipster Bikinis and a handheld mirror intended for exploring the body.
Green's comic tells the story of two teenage friends – Rosie and Riya – and begins on their school bus when Riya gets her first period.
Green aimed to depict Riya's experience in an "honest and warm way", intending to normalise the physical changes teenage girls go through during puberty while depicting the various emotions they can experience during the time, from embarrassment to anger.
The comic aims to break the taboo around female anatomy that has "left too many girls disconnected from their bodies, or even worse – ashamed of them," said Green.
In the comic, Riya holds up the kit's mirror to inspect her vulva for the first time.
According to Green, this was a conscious choice in prompting teenagers to understand their body parts better, which the illustrator says is the first step toward wider change needed to destigmatise periods as "shameful and taboo".
"It's important to break the taboo around female anatomy so that people with vulvas, vaginas, clitorises, uteruses, labias majoras and minoras can confidently describe their body parts, understand them better and in turn communicate their needs better too," Green told Dezeen.
"And for everybody regardless of their sex, to be able to say 'vulva' without looking away or blushing."
Green believes that there is a gap for content that is both entertaining and humourous to tackle female health and wellbeing.
"It's paramount that girls know their bodies so that they can take care of them and communicate their needs," said Green. "I want the girls who read it to have a laugh, grab a mirror, take a look at their vulva, and get to know their bodies."
The comic's visuals are translated into a sticker pack and on the kit's packaging assets.
Modibodi's First Period Kit was first launched in 2021 in a bid to take the uncertainty out of the experience.
Other period-related projects published on Dezeen include a smart menstrual cup that tracks periods automatically, a sanitary pad washing device for refugees and a portable menstrual cup cleaner designed to save water.