CODE RED
Code Red
Writer, Director, Producer, Editor
After a menstrual mishap on her way to class, a professor is exposed to her students and must decide whether to flee the scene or teach a lesson about shame.
Why make this film?
Menstruation is a shared experience among girls and women and remains a widely stigmatized issue. Gender and cultural norms shape the discourse of menstruation around the world, resulting in behavioral expectations to hide it. Evidence of this is in the language we use to discuss it: “time of the month,” “Aunt flow,” “shark week.”
Further evidence from a 2023 study states that 78% of young women say there is a negative association that periods are gross and unsanitary, and 63% agree that society teaches people to be ashamed of their periods. The same study suggests a gap in education, and more than 4 in 5 (76%) of students believe they are taught more about the biology of frogs than the human female body (see link).
Shaming women for menstruating can lead to period poverty and insufficient healthcare.
There are actions we can take to reduce the negative impacts of this stigma: normalize conversations about periods, talk to teens about how they purchase menstrual products, continue research to better understand the problem, build a coalition of advocates within the medical community, and serve as advocates for key issues.
Code Red contributes to the conversation by providing an entertaining and exciting film designed to spark discussion and further action. One of the unique parts of this film is that the story is told through a comedic lens. Comedy is an effective tool for unmasking taboo topics with the ability to attract a large audience and spark social change.
