The important reason people are posing with pads on Twitter

The #PadManChallenge is trending on Twitter today.

Many Indian celebrities are sharing pictures of themselves posing with pads to break the taboo that surrounds menstruation. The #PadManChallenge was launched just last week, with many notable names in India taking part to help raise awareness of the issue. The initiative was launched in the lead up to the release of the new Bollywood film, Pad Man, which tells the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham and how he developed a revolutionary way of producing cost-effective pads. The film has received huge praise and support from many of the country’s A-listers with the hashtag, #PadManChallenge, beginning to trend on Twitter in recent days. From actors to businessmen and women, the trend is being embraced by many and has since become an online challenge. Tagging others in their posts, the hashtag is sure to spread far and wide and for a very important reason.

Thank you for tagging me @murugaofficial Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad! Here I am Challenging @aamir_khan @AzmiShabana @hvgoenka pic.twitter.com/QXYBwVfYV0

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) February 2, 2018

Thank you @mrsfunnybones Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge. Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad. Here I am Challenging @SrBachchan , @iamsrk & @BeingSalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/lY7DEevDmD

— Aamir Khan (@aamir_khan) February 2, 2018

Thank you for tagging me @mrsfunnybones Yes, that’s a Pad in my hand & there's nothing to be ashamed. It's natural! Period. #PadManChallenge Copy, Paste this & Challenge your friends to take a photo with a Pad! Here I am Challenging @hcmariwala @punitgoenka @RonnieScrewvala pic.twitter.com/dnd9N1R3wk

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) February 2, 2018

Me and @AnushkaSharma just holding a pad no big deal. Best of luck @akshaykumar @sonamakapoor @radhika_apte for #PaDman. Nominating @karanjohar #katrina @iTIGERSHROFF . It was discussed and these are both our nominations!!! pic.twitter.com/A8pTM67zrT

— Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) February 5, 2018

Challenge accepted @radhika_apte... Here it is- A pad... Even princesses use it! ? Its natural! Period! #PadManChallenge... Here I’m challenging @RajkummarRao @DianaPenty and @FarOutAkhtar... pic.twitter.com/Gl8fVFieSX

— Aditi Rao Hydari (@aditiraohydari) February 3, 2018

Here you go @aditiraohydari! Got the @Pinkvilla crew, @shaanmuofficial & my team to join in too! That’s us, with a pad. No shame. No humiliation. Cos it’s natural, right??‍♀ Passing on the baton to @anushkasharma, @vaaniofficial, @thejohnabraham & @homiadajania #PadManChallenge pic.twitter.com/1DfHYN2SCE

— Diana Penty (@DianaPenty) February 4, 2018

Accepted the #PadManChallenge @akshaykumar @sonamakapoor I am not ashamed to hold a pad in my hand. Period! Now I am challenging my friends@NeilNMukesh @ElliAvrRam @SonuSood pic.twitter.com/TAZNsfZ8fB

— Mustafa (@themustafaB) February 4, 2018

PDA with a PAD. There’s nothing to be ashamed about, no big deal. Thank you for tagging me @DianaPenty . Nominating @iHrithik , @Shanoozeing & @nikhil_thampi Lots of love and luck to @akshaykumar , @sonamakapoor and @radhika_apte #PadmanChallenge pic.twitter.com/4f0kU3viUa

— vaani kapoor (@Vaaniofficial) February 5, 2018

Pad in hand! Nothing to be Ashamed of! PERIOD. Wishing #padman big success ! Can’t wait to see it this friday! @akshaykumar @mrsfunnybones @sonamakapoor @radhika_apte ! Passing the challenge to @shahidkapoor @RanveerOfficial @ektaravikapoor pic.twitter.com/ZZr2zgzOyl

— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) February 5, 2018

The film Pad Man is due for release on February 9.