Killing two birds with one stone

What happens to women who have recently given birth? Does life come to a standstill? Should a new mom’s life be only about her baby? These are questions that so many mothers face on a daily basis. To add to that, young girls are not able to talk about their problems, especially when it comes to menstruation.

Films like Padman may have done wonders to change people’s perception about female problems and menstrual hygiene. But, that is just one aspect covered.

What about the other aspects? Talking about women’s health is still considered to be a taboo in society even today. Women are not comfortable to talk about menstrual health even though the times had changed.

Actor Soha Ali Khan was present in the capital on Monday for the launch of Toto, a Japanese company that deals in sanitary ware, system toilets, toilet seats , plumbing accessories, etc. The actor who recently became a mother to a daughter discussed various aspects related to hygiene, motherhood and women being body shamed on a regular basis.

The actor spoke at length when it came to the fact that women in India even today are embarrassed to  talk about menstrual hygiene. She said, “I think we as a film industry are working towards that issue.” She further adds that there is a need to talk about it more.

“People who have media as a platform, take the stigma away from it... talk about hygiene because the lack of hygiene is actually the cause of many health issues and even death related issues”, she emphasising on the importance on talking about hygiene.

When asked about whether boys should also be educated about periods or should it only applied to girls, she goes on to say that she is not an expert when it comes to what, when and why it should be done. The actor believes, “When it comes to periods, when it comes to menstruation, these are things that affect women. Women are an integral part of the family and society. Therefore, boys, girls, men and women should talk about it more openly.”

Neha Dhupia was recently body shamed for her weight gain due to her pregnancy. However she gave a fitting response to her critics. Soha was quick to respond saying, “It is a shame that anybody gets bodyshamed even if you are a man or a woman.” The actor was very critical of the behaviour of journalists who published such a story.

The Rang De Basanti actor, without hesitation said that she did not keep fit during her pregnancy and proudly recommended it for everyone. However she does recommend swimming as an exercise. She advises new moms not to stress but relax. She also suggested that new moms should focus on nutrition and should try to make their children a part of their environment rather than becoming a setting in theirs.  “ A child will adjust. Kids are very robust and each kid is very different”, she says and concludes the conversation.