Tampons in Argentina Cost $30 a Box, If You Can Get Them

Argentina is known for a few things: natural resources like iron ore and zinc, Madonna’s portrayal of Eva Perón, government corruption. And since the country is having problems with the latter—in particular, crippling inflation that’s caused the price of imports as a result because no one wants to do business with a place that can’t (or won’t) pay its bills—it’s also having a problem keeping tampons in stock. Which is both bizarre, as far as things being out of stock go, and no bueno for its female residents.

Via The Guardian:

Speaking to reporters, [Argentinian] Cabinet chief Jorge Capitanich said there were no special restrictions on importing tampons, which he called “sensitive products”, and blamed the shortage on a commercial “strategy” by importers.

Ah, yes—”sensitive products.” You know, the kind that women like to wear! But also depend on for three to seven days once a month depending on their period’s regularity, every month, for decades, in order to function as social beings and participate in life, etc.

Miguel Ponce, head of Argentina’s Chamber of Importers, pointed the finger at his employer for the shortage—and also, “People,” such as menstruating women, who are participating in “panic buying” when they see a few remaining $30 boxes of tampons sitting on empty shelves.

“People see the news, get alarmed, and then go out and stock up,” he told news site Infobae.

While it’s nice to see that tampon manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson answering Mother Nature’s call, ahem, and committing to doing what they can while the country sorts through its dirty laundry, I see it as an opportunity for companies that make reusable feminine hygiene products, like GladRags and Diva Cup, to step up to the plate with solutions that women can rely on, regardless of political bullshit or cravings for chocolate cake.