Jezebel: period pieces

Finding A "Green" Pad Is A Bloody Tough Job

Dodai — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST

Environmental news blog Grist has a review of eco-minded feminine products. According to the story, the average woman will menstruate for about 40 years (ugh) and use about 16,800 sanitary pads or tampons, which is 250 to 300 pounds of waste. In the U.S., 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are disposed of annually. So what's a girl who cares about the environment but doesn't want blood-soaked jeans to do? Grist has some pad options (the tampon review is due next week) and things are pretty bleak:

The good news? Seventh Generation chlorine-free "ultra thin" pads come in recyclable packaging and, according to Grist's Sarah van Schagen, have "tremendous" absorption power. But the Seventh Generation maxi pads? "Feel like a pillow in your drawers." The Natracare Curved regular pads don't come individually wrapped, which might be better for the planet, but wouldn't you have to carry the box or some kind of zip-lock bag in your purse? As for the Natracare Ultra Pads, they're "too short." Then there's GladRags organic cotton maxi pad and liner, which — bloody hell — you have to soak and rinse after using. But the funniest review is for the Lunapads organic cotton maxi pad and liner (pictured):

One reviewer dubbed her Lunapad the "Pussy Cushion" and noted that she developed a "camel foot" while wearing leggings and needed to adjust her chair and car mirrors due to the pad's added height.

See? Saving the planet can make you feel taller!

The Red Vadge Of Courage [Grist]

During That Time Of The Month, Do You Pretend It's Not?

Dodai — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Over on the blog Bitch Ph. D., M. LeBlanc has written a story titled "Coming Out Of The Menstruation Closet." At the heart of this period piece is the the way we feel the need to to hide the fact that we're shedding our uterine lining the way healthy females do. Since she was 11 years old, LeBlanc has been paranoid about that time of the month. "I still put the tampon in my pocket, or tuck it in my waistband if I don't have pockets for the walk from wherever I'm sitting to the bathroom, to make the change," she writes. "I still don't think I would ask a female friend for a tampon within earshot of any dude not my boyfriend. And I'm twenty-five, for god's sake." Surely she's not the only one.

Writes LeBlanc:

Fourteen years after I started bleeding every month, I feel like I've mostly gotten the hang of it. But the other day, I realized the extent to which having 'gotten the hang of it' is only true within the limited context of our culture of concealment. Getting the hang of it means learning how to conceal it as best as possible, so no one ever knows you've got it. Where menstruating is embarrassing, and though almost every woman of child-bearing age menstruates, you still don't want any man not your intimate to know that you are actually bleeding right now.

The crazy thing is, we all do it. Hide tampons, check jeans fearfully for stains, feel a twinge of embarrassment when buying pads from a guy at the drug store. LeBlanc is not alone. "Why do I feel this way?" she asks. "It's utterly stupid. Because somehow my making these men aware of the fact that I am menstruating is going to make them briefly contemplate my vagina and then their heads will explode? Or is that I shouldn't impose my gross bleeding on other people because this is a Private Matter?" Or is it because women are supposed to be dainty, clean, unsoiled, smooth and perfect like dolls? Sometimes I find myself reluctant to admit that Aunt Flo is in town because I suspect she'll get the blame for me being upset or angry — when I have valid reasons to be upset or angry. (Then again, Aunt Flo also makes me weirdly emotional and burst into tears sometimes. Bitch.) Still, even though menstruation is healthy and normal, are you more likely to tell a stranger you have a sinus infection than you are to admit you have your period? Why do we spend so much time hiding when we're on the rag?

Coming Out of the Menstruation Closet [Bitch Ph. D.]

Did you know that 33% of women will get a ...

Jessica — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Did you know that 33% of women will get a hysterectomy before they're 60? Doctors say that as many as two thirds of the 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year are unnecessary, according to MSNBC. There are also several alternatives to the whole-enchilada hysterectomy that can help relieve excessive menstrual pain. but the hysterectomy is clearly the right choice for some — one of the women MSNBC interviewed had a period so bad she "had to put two towels on my bed at night with a garbage bag underneath," to catch all the blood. Talk about surfing the crimson wave. [MSNBC]

Let It Bleed: A Look Back At Period-Related Advertising

Slut Machine — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:20:00 EST

Why is it that menstrual products like tampons, pads, and PMS meds are always marketed to us in the campiest way possible? It's almost as though everyone's so embarrassed about what periods really are that cheesy-ness, euphemisms, and blue liquid are used as distractions from the fact that vaginas actually, you know, bleed. (To paraphrase Alice Cooper.) Up top is an Australian ad from the '80s for Tampax with applicators, starring Naomi Watts, who bemoans all of life's hassles, particularly "that one you don't talk about." But you know how we do: We talk about it...and talk, and talk, and talk. Jeez, you'd think we couldn't get enough of our periods sometimes. Anyway, after the jump check out the gallery of vintage period commercials and print ads we compiled.

First up is a TV spot from the '80s for Always Plus Thin, that has one woman orgasmically exclaiming, "I love thin!"

This '80s Always commercial is advertising the latest innovation in menstruation: Wings.

This is actually a modern tampon ad that's probably one of the best things ever, if only because of the split the cheerleader does, with a full-on crotch shot right in front of the camera. It's for Playtex Sport. (BTW, what the fuck is a "sport" tampon?)

Here's some of that blue liquid for you, circa 1997.

Also from 1997, a Midol ad, in which we learn that "some men think strong opinions are a symptom of PMS."

About 11 years earlier, Midol's advertising was much more science-y.

Another one from the '80s, Premsyn PMS, "for the period before your period before your period."

Here's Courtney Cox in a Tampax in 1985.

From 1981, here's Tampax Plus, with "decorative packaging!"

From 1979, Playtex with deodorant.

This one might be the best of the oldies, since it features the triumvirate of feminine protection ads: Mother, Daughter, and Best Friend.

In this 1981 ad, Brenda Vaccaro managed to land herself a spokesperson deal.

And for shits and giggles, here's the SNL spoof on "Kotex Classic."

Check out this vintage Midol print ad:

From 1974, the copy reads, "Be the you he likes. Good to be around, any day of the month."

And lastly, wouldn't you kill for that futuristic Kotex outfit/box!?

Midol: So Your Boyfriend Won't Dump You [Feministing]
Kotex Gives You Wings [Vintage Ads]