With Red: Taiwan's Period Museum

Combating the period stigma in the middle of Taipei🩸

Idiom of the week: 稀松平常 (xī sōng píng cháng)

Meaning: ordinary, commonplace

「小红厝」希望传达月经为稀松平常的事情。"The Red House" hopes to convey that menstruation is an ordinary thing.

Can a woman go to a temple when menstruating?

The Red House, Taiwan’s first period museum, says: yes! Dedicated to combating the period stigma, this unique place teaches the public about this very natural thing that is still covered by tabu and shame.

Let’s read more about this unique initiative!

The Red House in Taipei, Taiwan. Photo: wantshowlaundry

在非营利组织「小红帽」（With Red）一群热情青年的推动下，历经三年筹备与半年装修后，全球第一座月经博物馆「小红厝」终于在台湾台北市的一座菜市场里诞生，将致力对抗月经贫穷、消除月经污名。

• 非营利组织 (fēi yíng lì zǔ zhī): non-profit organization

• 小红帽 (xiǎo hóng mào): With Red (name of the organization, lit. “little red hood”)

• 历经 (lì jīng): go through, experience

• 筹备 (chóu bèi): prepare

• 诞生 (dàn shēng): be born, emerge

• 致力 (zhì lì): to be dedicated to or to strive for

• 月经贫穷 (yuè jīng pín qióng): period poverty

• 污名 (wū míng): stigma

Driven by a group of passionate young people from the non-profit organization "With Red," and after three years of preparation and six months of renovation, the world’s first Menstruation Museum, "The Red House" was finally established in a marketplace in Taipei, Taiwan. The museum is dedicated to combating period poverty and eliminating menstrual stigma.

小红厝由旧屋改造，外观红、白两色交杂，行经市场时颇为抢眼，选址在此是希望传达月经为稀松平常的事情，一如逛市场一样日常，阖家皆宜且免费参观。

• 旧屋 (jiù wū): old house

• 改造 (gǎi zào): renovate, transform

• 外观 (wài guān): exterior appearance

• 交杂 (jiāo zá): mixed, intermingled

• 行经 (xíng jīng): pass by, walk through

• 颇为 (pō wéi): quite, rather

• 抢眼 (qiǎng yǎn): eye-catching

• 选址 (xuǎn zhǐ): choose a location

• 稀松平常 (xī sōng píng cháng): ordinary, commonplace

• 阖家皆宜 (hé jiā jiē yí): suitable for the whole family

The Red House is in a renovated old building, with a red and white colors intermingled in the exterior, an eye-catching view when passing through the market. It’s location conveys that menstruation is as ordinary as going to the market – an everyday thing, suitable for everyone, and free to visit.

根据小红帽的YouTube 介绍，小红厝「以身体为题，以月经为名」，设有来自全球艺术家的特展、月经常设展，偶尔还会举办教育工作坊、沙龙讲座，以及与庙宇联名的幸运小物。

此外，馆内也会提供子宫与生理构造的讲解，让参观民众追本溯源，认识自己的第一个家。

• 设有 (shè yǒu): have, provide

• 特展 (tè zhǎn): special exhibition

• 常设展 (cháng shè zhǎn): permanent exhibition

• 工作坊 (gōng zuò fāng): workshop

• 沙龙 (shā lóng): salon (discussion event)

• 讲座 (jiǎng zuò): lecture

• 庙宇 (miào yǔ): temple

• 联名 (lián míng): collaboration

• 子宫 (zǐ gōng): uterus

• 生理构造 (shēng lǐ gòu zào): physiological structure

• 讲解 (jiǎng jiě): explanation, interpretation

• 追本溯源 (zhuī běn sù yuán): trace back to the source

According to With Red's YouTube introduction, The Red House 'centers around the body and is named after menstruation,' featuring special exhibitions by artists from around the world and a permanent menstruation exhibition. Occasionally, it also holds educational workshops, salon lectures, and collaborates with temples on lucky items.

In addition, the museum also provides explanations of the uterus and physiological structures, allowing visitors to trace themselves back to the source and understand their first home.

Photo: wantshowlaundry

小红帽由台湾青年女子林薇创办，其为台湾首个对抗月经贫穷与月经不平等的非营利组织。其在台湾推动月经教育与月经友善环境，提倡月经平权，并与台北霞海城隍庙合作，一起扭转妇女经期不能参与祭祀等迷思。

• 创办 (chuàng bàn): to found, establish

• 提倡 (tí chàng): to advocate

• 平权 (píng quán): equality

• 台北霞海城隍庙 (tái běi xiá hǎi chéng huáng miào): Xia-Hai City God Temple in Taipei

• 扭转 (niǔ zhuǎn): to reverse, turn around

• 经期 (jīng qī): menstrual period

• 祭祀 (jì sì): rituals, worship

• 迷思 (mí sī): myth, misconception

With Red was founded by a Taiwanese young woman Lin Wei and is the first non-profit organization in Taiwan dedicated to combating period poverty and menstrual inequality. It promotes menstrual education and a period-friendly environment in Taiwan, advocates for menstrual equality, and collaborates with Taipei's Xia-Hai City God Temple to challenge myths such as women being unable to participate in rituals during their menstrual periods.

小红帽创办人林薇：「这是小红帽在草创时就一直深埋在我们心底的梦想，我的床前都还贴着一张便利贴，上面写着『打造月经博物馆！』此时此刻，真的是梦想成真的感觉！」

小红厝有许多保有身体形态的作品，从一楼的大动脉贯穿至二楼的子宫，在细节处能感受到与身体的共感。红晕散开的墙面纪录着关于月经议题的故事，更设立月经教育区块，让孩子们从小有意识地了解身体的构造，并学习尊重与爱护身体。

• 创办人 (chuàng bàn rén): founder

• 草创 (cǎo chuàng): early stage, startup

• 深埋 (shēn mái): deeply embedded

• 便利贴 (biàn lì tiē): Post-it note

• 打造 (dǎ zào): to create, build

• 此时此刻 (cǐ shí cǐ kè): at this moment

• 保有 (bǎo yǒu): to retain, hold

• 大动脉 (dà dòng mài): aorta

• 贯穿 (guàn chuān): to run through

• 细节 (xì jié): details

• 共感 (gòng gǎn): empathy, connection

• 红晕 (hóng yùn): blush, reddish hue

• 散开 (sàn kāi): to spread, diffuse

• 教育区块 (jiào yù qū kuài): educational area

• 有意识地 (yǒu yì shí de): consciously

• 构造 (gòu zào): structure

With Red founder Lin Wei said: 'This has been a dream deeply embedded in our hearts since the early days of With Red. I even have a Post-it note by my bed that says, "Create a Menstruation Museum!" At this moment, it truly feels like a dream come true!'

"The Red House contains many body-shaped artworks, with a large artery running from the first floor to the uterus on the second floor, allowing a sense of connection with the body in the details. The blush-colored walls record stories about menstrual issues and also establish areas for menstrual education, enabling children to consciously understand the structure of their bodies from a young age and learn to respect and care for them."

How do you like the idea of a period museum?

Antoine & Dorota