Why over 1,000 people have shared this Facebook post on period-shaming

Most women have had to deal with that moment when you get your period at an inopportune time and you have no tampons on you, or when you bleed through your pad and stain your pants. It’s awkward and uncomfortable, and can most certainly be a source of embarrassment. But Anushka Dasgupta, a student at Jadavpur University (located in the Indian state of West Bengal) is calling on us all to never, ever be ashamed — even when a leak happens.

Earlier this week, Anushka took to Facebook to recount her evening, along with a picture of her blood-stained pants and a pad. But it wasn’t the leak that affected her. It was the response of those around her — people asked her to cover up or ogled her. But the most powerful part of her post is her declaration: “I AM NOT ASHAMED,” she wrote in caps several times.