Parineeti Chopra surely has a lot of spunk though she may not readily admit it. While many actresses turn coy when it comes to endorsing sanitary napkins, Parineeti had no problems in saying yes to Whisper when they approached her to be their brand ambassador. Exuding confidence at the launch of Whisper's TouchThePickle campaign, Parineeti freely spoke about menstruation, the need to dispel the myths associated with it and break away from taboo associated with periods. We caught up with the actress post the launch for a quick tete-a-tete.
So would it be right to say you and Ranveer Singh (the actor endorses a popular condom brand) are two of the bravest actors of our industry?
(Laughs) Yes, you can call me brave and bold. But seriously speaking, I don't think both me and Ranveer have done anything great. Using a sanitary napkin or a condom is a good thing. We have endorsed something which everyone should be doing.
Was there ever a plan to get associated with a sanitary napkin product?
There was never a plan as such. Actors don't choose their brands. We choose out of what we are offered. So full credit to Whisper for having approached me and I would have been a fool to say no. I am sure many actresses have said no to this product but I would never say no because I don't think having periods is wrong. So if it is not wrong, why can't one endorse a sanitary napkin? The only things I would never associate myself with are alcohol and cigarette because they are unhealthy.
Did you face any taboos yourself during your first period?
Not at all. My mom had educated me enough to make me understand what was happening. Or else if you are ignorant you tend to panic and think what's wrong and why are you bleeding. I was just 11 when it happened and I coolly went to my mom and said, my periods have started'. The big thing at that time was to tell my dad who felt that his daughter had all grown up.
Is it true that your dad didn't know about periods till he was married?
Yes. My father at 30 didn't know what periods were. He was from a very orthodox family and perhaps his mom must have thought that it is perhaps not appropriate to tell male members of the family what periods are. So either she was shy or plain uneducated about it. My younger brothers, on the other hand, know everything about menstruation and there is no problem.
Would you also blame the women of the great Indian family for having turned periods into a taboo topic?
Not really. Women in Indian family don't taboo themselves because they understand what's happening to their bodies every month. This taboo thing is something that has come from our ancestors. Almost 50 years ago, there were no sanitary napkins and one had to use cloth and cotton. Therefore, it was a big deal then which made elders confine the girl to a different room. But now times have changed, it comes and goes; one never even gets to know
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