Colombian Superstar Manuel Turizo Breaks Period Taboos in Viral TikTok Video
Colombian superstar Manuel Turizo has put his successful “Gira 2000” at the service of a great cause. The 23-year-old artist shared a recent TikTok video to debunk five common myths about menstruation and open up the conversation about an often misrepresented topic.
Turizo is shown getting ready for a photo shoot in the video while sharing a beautiful and inspiring message.
Manuel Turizo and the normalization of menstruation
As it happens to millions of men, menstruation is full of heteropatriarchal myths for the Colombian singer. Despite having a close relationship with his mother, Marcela, and girlfriend, Joselina Sorza, Turizo is aware of these misconceptions. Among them:
- Period equals disability.
- All women have the same symptoms.
- Women with their period only want to sleep, eat and watch movies.
- If a woman is upset, it means she has her period.
- Women cannot swim or run when they have their period.
One by one, Turizo explains that they are all false. “Let’s normalize talking about periods,” he says.
And while many women might argue that Turizo’s message loses weight coming from a man, normalizing menstruation is an effort we can all contribute to, especially a young man.
More so, a Latino who is taking the world by storm with songs like “La Bachata,” “El Merengue,” and now “Copa Vacía” with none other than the current queen of empowerment, Shakira.
Fighting period poverty
Amidst his musical triumphs, Turizo has demonstrated his commitment to making a difference beyond the stage. Before posting his video on TikTok, he had opened the dialogue about menstruation and period poverty.
In collaboration with Kotex, a Kimberly-Clark brand, Turizo donated 100,000 menstrual pads to Food Banks in Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
He also solicited donations of menstrual pads during his sold-out shows in Latin America.
“I am delighted to be the first male artist to work together with the brand to normalize and talk about women’s menstruation, considering it as something natural,” Turizo said during a live session with his fans. He highlighted the need for menstrual pads among teenage girls and the most vulnerable women.
By confronting common myths about menstruation and encouraging conversation, Manuel Turizo is helping to challenge social taboos and contribute to a more informed and inclusive society. This is crucial not only to empower all women but to fight period poverty, defined by the United Nations as ” lack of access to menstrual products, hygiene facilities, waste management, and education.”
According to the Journal of Global Health, 500 million people lack access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities. Over 16 million menstruating people in the U.S. live in poverty; two-thirds of those millions are low-income people who could not afford menstrual products in the past year.
In fact, in the U.S., millions of people must choose between menstrual products and food.
A powerful voice
As Manuel Turizo continues to ride the wave of success in his music career, he proves that true artists extend their influence beyond the stage.
With his captivating melodies and compassionate heart, Turizo has undoubtedly become a beacon of hope for women’s empowerment and advancing menstrual health awareness.
