Ariel, August 6, 2022
Natalia Vodianova was born in Russia and is a national treasure-level supermodel. Her striking looks and superb figure won her the adoration of the French fashion scene as she confidently strode into the limelight.
Her brilliance doesn't stop there; while her modelling career soared, she was also a shrewd investor and a philanthropist with a pure heart.
In 2021, Natalia was officially invited to become a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund, contributing to eliminating discrimination, taboos, and stigma associated with menstruation.
Her origins undoubtedly influenced this choice.
'Cinderella's Story'
Today, Natalia stands radiant before the public, but her childhood was marked by inerasable shades of grey.
Born into poverty in Gorky, with a disabled sister at home, intermittent meals were a common occurrence for Natalia.
As a young girl, she was sensible and helpful, often assisting at her mother's fruit stall, but her frailty made her a target for bullying at school.
'They spat on me, called me dirty, they didn't want to touch me because they thought they would be poisoned by doing so.'
Entering adolescence, she felt like an isolated island adrift in a sea of confusion, and every small change in her body brought panic.
Unsure of whom to turn to, Natalia was even more afraid of casting a deeper shadow over her already burdened family, so she kept these bodily changes as a 'silent secret.'
She didn't understand why her breasts were growing or why she was bleeding. Overwhelmed by fear and nearing despair, Natalia finally sought help from her grandmother.
Only then did she learn that these were normal physiological changes every girl experiences. But her grandmother could offer no more detail, as the topic of physiology was taboo at the time. Her grandmother had also fumbled through with half-guesses and hearsay.
Despite feeling helpless, Natalia had no time to delve deeper into these changes, as her immediate concerns were to keep warm and fed.
A miracle occurred on an ordinary day when a talent scout discovered Natalia, the fruit-selling girl, and flew her to Paris to embark on a different life.
She began to frequently appear on magazine covers and walked nearly 40 shows by the age of 20.
'Cinderella' and the Countless Confused Young Girls
Even though she now lived a princess-like life, Natalia never forgot the pain of her childhood.
'Where I grew up, gynecology was a shameful thing—anything related to menstruation or any type of sexual relation was kept secret, something you truly didn't talk about.'
She resolved to help millions of girls understand menstruation and free themselves from societal taboos.
Thus, she invested in a menstrual tracking app, Flo, which helps women prepare for pregnancy, pregnancy itself, and menopause. She encouraged girls to face their bodily changes with a rational attitude, unlike her own past dominated by fear and helplessness.
To break societal bonds about menstruation, she produced the 'Let's Talk About it, Period' video series, inviting friends like Emily Ratajkowski and Doutzen Kroes to openly discuss their early menstrual experiences.
Through this, she aimed to educate more people on the importance of sex education and to let women facing issues know they are not alone, using videos as a medium to connect isolated islands.
Additionally, she partnered with the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency to promote reproductive and menstrual health worldwide. She distributed 1.4 million 'dignity kits' to women in 58 countries, helping them overcome 'menstrual shame' and live with dignity.
'Menstrual hygiene products are as important as toilet paper and soap. Menstruation should be as simple as eating and sleeping, and we must commit fully to breaking the critique and shame in our lives surrounding this natural event.'
The number of women worldwide still overwhelmed by 'menstrual shame' is beyond our imagination, with 500 million of them unable to access sanitary products, maintaining their physiological health.
These women mired in difficulty need more people to lend a hand. As a model in the spotlight, Natalia plays an excellent leadership role by bringing the topic of menstruation into public discussion. She even publicly shared photos with sanitary pads on her social media.
Yet, the criticism she faces is not few. It's evident that many are still bound by 'menstrual shame,' and the societal taboos surrounding menstruation and sanitary pads have not yet been completely broken.
Eradicating 'menstrual shame' is still a long road, and hopefully, more people will join this path to explore a more open and bright future for women."
