Puberty can be an awkward time in a teenager’s life. Proper sex education is vital to helping kids understand the changes they’re going through, but in many countries, such a curriculum doesn’t exist in schools.
Stacey Wei, a self-taught Chinese-American artist, recognizes the importance of sex education during adolescence. She recalls the confusion and apprehension that she experienced when going through puberty. “I’m not sure I knew what was going on,” Wei says. “And my parents and teachers never really addressed it.” To help girls today avoid what she went through, she decided to create educational content that can offer guidance during this tumultuous period of bodily change.
对青少年来说，青春期可能是他们人生中一段尴尬的时期。适当的性教育有助于他们了解自己正在经历的变化，但在许多国家，学校都没有提供这类的课程。
韦思莹是一位自学成才的美籍华裔艺术家，对于青春期性教育的重要性，她深以为然。回忆起在青春期经所经历的困惑和忧虑，Stacey 说：“我不确定到底发生了什么事。而我的父母和老师也从来没有真正去解决过这个问题。”为了帮助当代女孩避免她的遭遇，她决定创作教育性的内容，来引导正经历动荡的青春期的女孩。
Working with translator Yunqian Wang, Wei published Big Auntie is Coming, a Chinese-language booklet that tackles the subject of female puberty and menstruation with a lighthearted touch. The title is based on a common Chinese euphemism for menstruation, and it begins with Wei sharing a few more of her favorite euphemisms from other countries, such as France’s, les anglais ont débarqué (meaning “The English have landed,” a reference to the British Army’s red uniforms of the past), and Portugal’s sinal vermelho (meaning “red traffic light”).
韦思莹与译者 Yunqian Wang 合作，出版了中文画册《大姨妈要来了》，以轻松诙谐的风格讲解女性青春期和月经的问题。书名取自中国对月经的委婉表达， 韦思莹分享了她所知道的一些其他国家关于月经的委婉说法，例如在法国是“les anglais ont débarqué”（意思是“英语人已登陆”，因为过去英国军队穿的是红色的制服），在葡萄牙则是“sinal vermelho”（意为“红色交通灯”）。
As readers make their way deeper into the pages, the book stays on course with its silliness, a way of appeasing to the pre-teen readership that the book is meant for. To this end, Wei also opted for easy-to-understand language, a playful style of illustration, and a roster of zany characters who help push the story along: the menstrual cycle first appears personified as a superwoman dressed in pink, a bra-wearing toy poodle offers words of encouragement about breast-size insecurities, and girls striking Rosie-the-riveter pose reassure readers that leakage is common.
The result is that Big Auntie is Coming almost reads like a children’s picture book, though the content is meant for a slightly older audience. This approach gives the book a whimsical charm that makes the educational material fun and entertaining. “The book is a way of introducing menstruation in a less awkward way,” Wei explains. “It can hopefully alleviate some of the stigmas of talking about it so that a more in-depth conversation can be had.”
往下翻阅，整本书从始至终保持着幽默风趣的风格，迎合其针对的青少年读者群。为此，韦思莹还特意选择了简单的文字，搭配俏皮的插图，设计了一系列滑稽角色来推动故事的情节发展：月经的首次出现被拟人化成穿着粉红胸罩的女超人，一只穿着内衣的贵宾犬鼓励女孩不要因为乳房发育感到不安，还有主角摆着铆钉工人萝西的经典姿势，告诉读者，侧漏是很常见的事情。
《大姨妈要来了》读起来就像一本儿童图画书，但内容适合更成熟的观众，这也使得整本书充满着一种异想天开的魅力，让学习过程充满乐趣和娱乐性。“这本书以一种不那么尴尬的方式来介绍月经。”韦思莹解释道，“希望能减少人们对于谈论这个问题时的羞耻感，以鼓励更多深入的对话。”
This book is only the beginning for Wei. Seeing the positive reception to Big Auntie Is Coming has motivated her to publish more educational content that covers a breadth of health-related topics, including hygiene, male puberty, and mental health.
Auntie is Coming is now available in the Neocha Shop.
对于韦思莹来说，这本书只是一个开始。看到《大姨妈要来了》大受欢迎，她希望能创作出版更多教育性的作品，涵盖一系列与健康相关的话题，包括卫生、男生青春期和心理健康等。
《大姨妈要来了》现于 Neocha 商店发售。
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Contributor: Daniella Danuvy
Chinese Translation: Olivia Li
