Advancing the menstrual health conversation with Sabiha Aziz
Sabiha celebrating her recent 1st Class degree award for her work with The Hood
As part of her final year research project for her Digital Media Degree at the University of Roehampton, Sabiha Aziz set out to help us understand whether digital technologies could play a role in enhancing menstrual and hormonal health education and awareness. We have been blown away by her findings and by the work she has produced. We could not be more delighted to learn that she has been awarded the top mark for her degree course, a 1st Class, by her university.
“We are incredibly proud of Sabiha and of the contributions she has made to the health space as part of her final year research. Her work has shown that digital technologies such as AR can create innovative and immersive experiences that advance our education and our conversations around female health.” - Maria Purcell, Co-Founder at The Hood
With experience in UX, Photography and visual design, Sabiha is a proud mother of two and when not studying, works as a learning and development consultant in the NHS and also as the gender equality officer at the University’s Students’ Union.
Tell us more about your final year project.
I wanted to focus on understanding how girls aged 8-14, were interacting with their health. Topics like periods have a real stigma which kids start absorbing at a very young age because that is the norm. To shift this narrative, work in this field is vital. The ideas we form are not so radical, they are a result of years of institutional inequality. The messages and ideas we teach young people need to be reformed. Period blood is just blood! It's normal and you can still do whatever you want when you're in your flow. I really wanted to understand how to normalise menstruation, the role of gender in female health and how the conversation could be more inclusive and accessible. These are all really broad ideas! The project looked at conducting research with customers to understand social behaviours around period health in the online space, and then creating Instagram filters enabling young people to talk about their health whilst also protecting their privacy.
Instagram Mooncup filter designed by Sabiha Aziz for The Hood
What did you learn or discover that surprised you?
The data showed me that over 95% of the people talking to young girls about their periods were female. Superficially, this seems simple and logical, but is interesting nonetheless. There are many individuals involved who are not female but it is still vital to include them in these conversations. We know that not all women bleed and not all of those who bleed are women, therefore the importance of being inclusive is even more important if we want to speak to everyone in the room.
What are you most proud of?
I took on a project that I initially knew nothing about! It was terrifying to begin with but the journey was exhilarating. It’s no secret that I love putting myself out there and sometimes just saying ‘I do not know’. Through this exposure, I have had so much support and guidance and more love than I could have ever expected. I could not have experienced better mentorship than I had and it gave me the confidence to build something genuine, which helped real people in the real world; not in some corporate board room where a bunch of guys in suits make executive decisions. I’m all about keeping my feet on the ground and doing this for the little girl I remember who could have used the right health education rather than taking 30 years to figure out bleeding is bloody normal!
Thinking about the future is this space, what are you most excited about?
The work in female health is yet to be finished, but companies like The Hood are pioneers in the field; actively shaping the future of female health and engaging young people in a positive and confident conversation.
The future is bright and AR (Augmented Reality) has blown the doors wide open. From a UX perspective, it's a designers prerogative to locate a user’s pain points that they may not even recognise themselves and address them. My project used digital technology, specifically AR, to speak to audiences and allow them to shape how they define female health. It is only the beginning so there is plenty more elbow grease to be applied!
“The work Sabiha has done is groundbreaking and demonstrates how different the conversation around women’s health can be when it is led by and shaped by women. Digital technologies such as AR can help raise awareness of the female hormonal cycle and spark a conversation about the role it plays in our day-to-day experiences.” - Amone Gbedemah, Co-Founder at The Hood
You can try out the Instagram filters created as part of Sabiha’s final year research project for yourself. Access them here. Tag Sabiha (@gigilphoto) and us @_wearethehood on Instagram.
