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When media personality and entrepreneur Dineo Ranaka got her first period, she was not afraid. In fact, she had already been taught about menstruation at school.
Aware that this education isn’t accessible to every girl and young woman, she is proud to partner with Lil-Lets, a leading period products brand, to share knowledge and create support structures for people who menstruate.
“Lil-Lets Talk is going to see us sharing and having these conversations,” she explains.
Until 1 April, these weekly talks with various experts will take place on Ranaka’s Metro FM show, The Bridge, every Thursday at 9:45am.
The experts include Dr Mpume Zenda, Candice Langford, Slindile Mbatha and Gen Putter. There are also Lil-Lets Talk segments at 10:40am every Wednesday in March on The Morning Show with Leigh-Ann Williams on Good Hope FM.
In addition to the radio slots, Lil-Lets Talk with Ranaka will be a video series directed by the award-winning Aliki Saragas-Georgiou.
The first video, which premieres on Lil-Lets’ social media, sees Ranaka get real with her relatives.
Read: The Ranakas: Can reality TV be the family business?
“You’ll hear first-hand experiences about menstruation and all that comes with it from my gran, my mum, my niece and me. My gran is 78 years old, my mum is 61 years old, I am 37 and Naledi is 13.”
Having recently started menstruating, Naledi’s lens on this new phase of her life is different from that of the women in her family.
“My niece got the old-school talk from my gran and my mother – that she could now get pregnant and all that,” Ranaka says. “But she got a different talk from her mother [actress Manaka Ranaka], me and our generation. We told her things like she would start getting moody and we taught her about PMS [premenstrual syndrome].
“I crave chocolate when I have my period and I get really gassy, so I told her about that too. Her sister, Manaka’s first-born [Katlego], also had a discussion with her and gave her a whole different talk.
“She spoke about the philosophy behind your [menstrual] cycle, how magical it is to start your period and how her body is so powerful and unique. There are so many women in our family that my niece was shielded from feeling shame about menstruating. She got the best of all worlds.”
Ranaka’s grandmother was not so lucky, and this is also explored on the show. “I learnt about my grandmother’s first period when I was interviewing her and it was sad,” the reality TV star shares. “I discovered so much about her and my mum [during this campaign]. That’s why, as a co-producer on the show, I wanted to break the discomfort that most black households have around menstruation.
“I can only speak of my black experience, but I wanted to play my part in what some black families think is a ‘burdensome’ conversation. I use that word cautiously because I think some people see it like that because it comes from fear.
“It’s like some people are afraid to engage their daughters in this [conversation] and think of them as independent but vulnerable beings.
“But it’s something beautiful to experience and it needs to be discussed so we can break the shame and step away from making it all about pregnancy. Not every person who experiences a period is interested in having children. We can’t just assume things about them.”
When it comes to menstruation, conscious parenting can make the world of difference. Ranaka had the benefit of being taught about menstruation in school, but she also had the enveloping love of her parents to help her not feel ostracised once her period started.
Read: Smashing the period taboo
She remembers her first period: “My mum was travelling for work and my dad was home with us. I got my first period in the middle of the night. When I woke my dad up to tell him, he took my sheets and put them in the bathtub, where he was going to wash them.
“He then gave me some advice – to roll up a lot of toilet paper and said: ‘Place it on your panties like so. I’m going to the store to get you some sanitary products.’
“When he came back, he said: ‘You know how to read, so follow the instructions [on the package].’ He was the first person I told [about my period] and the first person who got me sanitary products.”
Ranaka says: “It will encourage people to think of themselves first and understand what the menstrual cycle is [about].
“These talks will live online. I think it’s very clever that Lil-Lets is taking advantage of the digital wave and how we now live. You can watch while you’re in bed or at work or after bingeing your favourite content.”
Lil-Lets Talk is a unique community platform designed to provide meaningful support through all life’s periods. We’ve all had those moments when we’ve wondered if what we’re going through is normal, but have been too ashamed to ask.
So, if you’ve ever hidden a pad or tampon on the way to the toilet at work or school, freaked out about a discharge or wondered if sore breasts are a normal part of PMS, Lil-Lets Talk is the platform for you.
It taps into the power of shared experiences and the comfort that comes from being able to have open, honest and empowering conversations with others who’ve been through it.
By pooling the collective knowledge of South African menstruators, we’re building a supportive online community where you can ask (and answer) questions on topics ranging from your first period all the way to menopause – all with the goal of normalising these important conversations.
MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE
We believe in the power of candid conversations with open minds.
So, for every question asked and answered on Lil-Lets Talk we’re donating a pack of Lil-Lets Maxi Pads to menstruators in need. In addition to this, there are monthly prizes for Member of the Month and for the user who asks the top Question of the Month.
MEET THE MODERATORS
The Lil-Lets Talk community is run and moderated by a team of inspiring, period-proud women with diverse backgrounds in menstrual health activism and gender empowerment.
Some of the moderators we have are award-winning journalist and author of Milk Fever, Megan Ross, as well as up-and-coming content creator Bokang Lehlokoe, who is best known for her YouTube channel The B Word.
MORE EMPOWERMENT, LESS SHAME
From endometriosis and blood clots to PMS and pregnancy, Lil-Lets Talk will give you the information and support you need – minus the shame. There will be no euphemisms or jargon, and no artificial intelligence bots.
Just real people, calling it as it is and working together to cancel the culture of silence around periods.
Simply go to at www.lil-letstalk.co.za, sign up to become a member, engage in the conversation and, most importantly, ask the questions you’ve always been too shy to ask. Lil-Lets Talk!
. Terms and conditions apply
.Watch Ranaka and experts in the Lil-Lets Talk webseries at www.lil-letstalk.co.za
For more about this campaign, visit: https://media24.shorthandstories.com/all-about-your-cycle/index.html
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