Malaysian Women Inspired to Reach Their Potential at #KotexRiseUp camp

#KotexRiseUp empowerment camp organized in conjunction with launch of newly improved Kotex Total Protection Overnight range

Global leading feminine hygiene brand, Kotex brought a group of all-female participants consisting of loyal Kotex consumers, winners of its social media contest, members of the media, and top influencers together for a two-day empowerment camp. Themed #KotexRiseUp, the camp sought to instil confidence and inspire participants to reach their potential, in line with its brand ‘Period or Not, She Can’ belief.

A series of activities were planned to help the participants overcome fears and anxiety, build resilience, and gain confidence. Led by coaches, participants experienced riding a 160-metre Flying Fox, jumping into a lake from a 5-metre platform and swimming 50 metres across the lake. These outdoor challenges, which may seem daunting for some, provided both mental and physical learning experiences that can be used also to unlock new possibilities in life.

The #KotexRiseUp camp was organized in conjunction with the feminine hygiene brand’s introduction of the newly improved Kotex Total Protection Overnight range of sanitary napkins.

In her welcome note to the media and camp participants, Michelle Chin, Brand Manager for Kotex Malaysia said, “Kotex has been championing women’s progress for more than a century now. Today, we are very glad to be continuing this impact through the #KotexRiseUp empowerment camp because at Kotex, we firmly believe that a girl’s or woman’s progress should not be put on hold for something physiological like period. Like gender stereotypes, period stigma is harmful, cripples confidence, and limits women’s ability to reach their full potential be it at work, at home or even in their pursuit of personal interests.”

“Therefore, this camp is designed to motivate participants to end period stigma and explore a life filled with possibilities, period or not, by understanding our strengths and weaknesses, pushing ourselves to overcome mental and physical barriers, and more importantly, developing the confidence to be true to ourselves.”

Chin added that Kotex’ drive to support women’s progress is an inspiration for its product innovation. “#KotexRiseUp camp was organized as part of the launch of our newly improved Kotex Total Protection Overnight range. It was our consumers’ insights and sharing that inspired the Rise Up Back Guard technology that is being introduced to our Kotex Total Protection Overnight variant. We learned that girls and women often feel anxious about menstrual leaks, especially at night and this can affect the quality of their sleep and the day ahead. With this innovation, we are guaranteeing our consumers up to 100% No Back Leaks for a night of worry-free sleep.”

Chin further explained that they had chosen a camp setting to drive home the message of worry-free sleep with its Kotex Protection Overnight range, even in a challenging environment. The protection it offers help women wake up refreshed to take on an action-packed day ahead.

Joining the crowd of 60 participants were Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, former artistic gymnast and Olympian as well as Dr Shazril Shaharuddin (fondly known as Dr Say), celebrity doctor and top male influencer for a coffee chat session where they shared inspiring stories, addressed thought provoking questions and provided insightful tips.

Touching on overcoming barriers in her early years of training and competing, Farah said that one of her greatest obstacles was self-doubt. “I often put high pressure on myself as I was representing Malaysia. I had to learn to put that away by accepting failures,” she said.

“Failures are the best thing to happen because you allow yourself to grow and gain strength. They drive your willpower. With this, I was able to set goals and most importantly, believe in myself – that is a key ingredient to anyone’s success!” said Farah.

She also emphasized the importance of a disciplined lifestyle to look after the body and mind. “As an athlete, quality sleep is so important to us because that is when our body recovers from injuries. Beyond the standard 8 – 10 hours’ sleep, I even schedule naps in between school and training.” When asked how menstruating has affected her sporting career and sleep, she shared that it took getting used to but it helps to monitor your cycle, know your body and use the right products to manage your period.

In the spirit of women lifting women, Farah added “I am also very fortunate that I grew up in a supportive environment where our fellow gymnasts and coaches. We would share pads if needed and look out for one another in case we had leakage. Therefore, it was not difficult for me at all, but sadly this is not the case for most women in Malaysia who still struggle with shame when talking about her period or asking for a pad. That is why speaking up in forums like this is really important to encourage other women rise up and end period stigma.”

Meanwhile, Dr Say chimed in to iterate that period is part of a woman’s reproductive health and that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Interestingly, he only learned more about periods much later in life in medical school and agreed that one way of addressing period stigma is by exposing boys to the topic at a younger age. “We can also teach them how to treat women with respect that way,” he said.

That said, Dr Say added that he dares not claim to be a feminist but he opposes male chauvinism. His advice to all women is to prioritize herself first and foremost and to not be afraid of doing what is right for herself.

When asked why women experience premenstrual syndrome, Dr Say explained that “PMS and period is caused by hormonal changes, and this affects every woman differently. Hence, it is important to know your body and push yourself according to your body’s ability. Exercising regularly, having a balanced diet, getting sufficient rest, and trying to reduce stress through breathing exercises helps in managing PMS and periods because it stabilizes your hormones.”

Adding also to Farah’s point on how athletes get sufficient sleep for recovery, Dr Say explained that sleep can strengthen the immune system and restore energy levels. Getting good sleep also helps in regulating mood and emotional stability. When we are well rested, we cope with stress effectively and maintain mental clarity. Insufficient or disrupted sleep contributes to depression or anxiety and can worsen existing mental illness. Therefore, the role of sleep is doubly as important when women are menstruating.

This sharing also helped shed light on Kotex’s Total Protection Overnight range and how the Rise Up Back Guard technology doesn’t just seek to solve a pressing leakage issue faced by menstruating women, but hopes to also simultaneously offer women worry-free sleep when she is on her period.