Table of Contents
James Van Der Beek is putting the spotlight on period poverty this week and the important roles dads play when it comes to talking to their daughters about menstruation.
The Dawson's Creek star who's also a dad to four daughters and one son has teamed up with Walmart and sanitary product brand Always for the #EndPeriodPoverty campaign. Their aim is to donate 1.5 million pads to girls in need across America by the end of January.
"So... Dads. Remember when we first learned about periods in school, and everybody kind of squirmed and tried to pretend it wasn’t happening?" the actor writes in an Insta post.
"Turns out that approach can have a detrimental effect on our daughters. So let’s step up and chip away at the stigma around this. Studies show that many young girls’ confidence plummets around the time of their first period, but that engaging in your daughter’s life, and treating her period like the normal, healthy thing that it is can help. A lot."
Right now, 1 in 5 girls in the United States skip school because they don't have access to the products they need.
"Never really thought about that?" Van Der Beek asks. "Neither did I. But now that we know, let’s do something about it!"
The actor is encouraging his fans to like and share a video about how dads can engage with their daughters about menstruation - and the best bit is that for each like, comment or share, Always and Walmart will donate a pad to a girl in need, up to one million pads.
Check out the video below:
