My two favorite boys have recently been all about making you privy to their private conversations. In this post I hope to share with you a conversation of actual, real importance. Last night I was having a chat with my favorite little internet nymph when she asked me:
Arikia: Did you like my blog post?
Isis: i havent read blogs today...I just got home
Arikia: oh yay! i wrote one that makes me wickedly happy
Isis: yay!
Arikia: i emailed it to you
I clicked over the the Millikan Daily and found this very important story. In her post, Arikia writes (PS: Go read Arikia's blog. She is one hilarious little muffin):
In Brooklyn, there are no Walmart Superstores. No Targets, no K-Marts, no Meijer. Even major pharmacies are rare in the more recently gentrified areas. Where I live, in Williamsburg, the nearest Duane Read (the equivalent of a Rite Aide or Walgreens) is about 15 blocks from my apartment and just opened last month.
So we Brooklyn-dwellers get our necessities via bodegas. For those unfamiliar with the concept, they're small, abundant corner stores fully-stocked with your typical New York necessities: Beer, snacks, toothbrushes, batteries, toilet paper - you name it. They have everything. EXCEPT TAMPONS.
Ok that's not completely true. Some of them do have tampons. However, it is a complete crap shoot as to which bodegas they will be stocked in at any given time. And they only have one kind: Generic Tampax with CARDBOARD APPLICATORS. I'm going to go ahead and be graphic here and say that shoving a piece of cardboard up your vag is the opposite of comfortable. I'm pretty sure this brand is the absolute cheapest kind of tampon that Tampax has ever made, yet they are RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. A pack of 20, which won't even get me halfway through my cycle, is about $7. Furthermore, why someone ever thought a cardboard applicator was a good idea in the first place is FAR beyond me. It had to have been a man's idea prompted by an attempt to cut costs. For the men out there who are reading this, baffled by the thought of what would be an appropriate vector of tampon insertion, I assure you that tampon technology has come a long way since the cardboard applicator: Plastic makes it possible -- possible to not cringe every time you put a tampon in.
This is, indeed an absolute travesty! It's a travesty that, after a glass of wine for the domestic and laboratory goddess, resulted in the following conversation:
Isis: email me an address and you'll have a box of 200 coming your way
Arikia: 200???????? Are you a Sam's Club member?
Isis: mmmm hm. Costco, and as long as you dont mind playtex, you're in bidness
Arikia: oh how i miss playtex
Isis: they are my fave and come in boxes of 88. I'll send you a couple.
Arikia: the gentle glides of my youth. 88??????????
Isis: I like the scented ones...I cant tell you why...theyre comforting to me
I am fiercely loyal to my shampoo, deoderant, and tampon brands
Arikia: i prefer unscented. i have weird skin allergies
Isis: hmmmmm...fair enough
Arikia:: plus, vaginas aren't supposed to smell like roses!
Isis: can you accept packages ar your building?
Arikia: they're supposed to smell like vaginas
Isis: mine always smells like roses. or cookies
Arikia: HAHAHA I am going to tweet that
Isis: damn
Arikia: hahaha i love you
Isis: I love you too!
After making Arikia this promise, I thought that perhaps I could save myself the hassle of the trip to Costco by buying them online and having them shipped. Except that, I'm now not so sure that would be a smart move...
Figure 1: $15.59 for a box of used tampons? I am clearly in the wrong business.
So, to Costco I will go this afternoon to save my dear, dear friend a life of cardboard.
Arikia's post is not all blood and games, though. She takes a profound turn for the feminist when she says:
Let me just state for the record - I have very little shame. Acquiring tampons is rarely awkward for me, personally. But I'm sure there are PLENTY of women who this situation is extremely awkward for. For example, there is a high concentration of Puerto Ricans in my neighborhood and it is a very tight-knit community [I think that what Arikia means here is that these women are not comfortable having to discuss their cycle outside of said community]. Just speculation here, but I think there are plenty of women who actually regularly pay $5 to commute back and forth to Manhattan so they can go to the Duane Read in Union Square and buy a nice multi-pack of plastic applicator tampons so they don't have to inform everyone they know that they're vaginally bleeding.
She links to one of my favorite blogs Vagina Dentata, and Naomi's post on the taboo nature of the menstrual cycle She writes:
All women have had to make make-shift sanitary towels out of bog-roll at one time or other. We've all had to get blood stains out of our favourite pants and or jeans. We all have the stories about when we found out about what periods were, when we started, the chats with our mothers, sisters or teachers. But those chats were always hushed and never involved men
These conversations are also never had in science. I've written before about the male bias in research data, but the taboo nature of our cycles has created many more practical issues in my scientific life. For example, there is a particular sterile surgical procedure that I have developed and that I am fairly uniquely qualified to perform. This procedure takes about seven hours. Seven hours on a heavy flow day....
Figure 2: Damn.
And, yet the subject remains taboo. A source of shame and embarrassment for many women. A source of disgust for many men. Still, there are steps that we, as women, can take to break the vicious cycle.
If you have a friend in Brooklyn, send her a box of tampons. And, if you're in surgery with me and you notice me squirm, offer to take the hemostat. Don't make a gal ask.
Medicine & Health
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
1. I read that after you tweeted the link and OH GOOD GRIEF!
2. I am loving the fact that I no longer suffer from The Curse. It almost makes the ablation and subsequent MRSA, hysterectomy and subsequent peritonitis AND MRSA worth it. Almost.
3. I had a weird menstruation-related dream last night and I blame you.
4. Ever see the episode of ER where Corday is heavily pregnant and in surgery and Romano tells her she can't scrub out to go pee and without breaking eye-contact with him she orders a scrub nurse to crawl between her legs and insert a Foley then he says oh fine go ahead and pee? Ten kinds of awesome.
5. I don't have any friends in Brooklyn. Perhaps we should start a charitable foundation to match women in Brooklyn with women in civilized parts of the world where you can buy tampons who are willing to ship them the goods, like that "dear any soldier" care-package project?
Posted by: MFA Mama | October 17, 2009 12:12 PM
In all seriousness, the lack of access to hygeine products is a problem in developing nations and frequently keeps young girls from attending school. The solutions to the problem are controversial.
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | October 17, 2009 12:20 PM
I too use Playtex (love the new sport ones) because they expand laterally rather than lengthwise.
Cardboard applicators? Yuck.
And don't get me started on those "environmentally friendly, washable, reusable vaginal cups." No way in hell. Don't care if I have to live on a landfill of tampon applicators.
Finally, I am old enough to have read the original Gloria Steinem column imagining a world in which men menstruated. If you haven't seen it, STOP and follow the link NOW.
http://www.haverford.edu/psych/ddavis/p109g/steinem.menstruate.html
Posted by: Pascale | October 17, 2009 12:32 PM
I frequently purchase feminine products for friends in need, and honestly? I'm more embarrassed when I buy HoHos. (yummy).
I do have one concern though... does Amazon really sell used tampons? (Check the photo in the blog.) Because, well... something just don't lend themselves to recycling.
Posted by: Jeff Wagg | October 17, 2009 12:51 PM
Pascale, that was my first reaction too, but I've switched to the Diva now and it has been literally life changing. I love it, and I aint never going back to tampons.
Posted by: Cath@VWXYNot? | October 17, 2009 12:52 PM
@ Pascale - I love the Diva Cup! It saves me so much stress, money, and trouble. What do you have against them?
Posted by: HennaHonu | October 17, 2009 1:23 PM
Another fan of the Keeper cup. It saves so much money and you don't have to empty it as often as you would have to change a tampon, or worry about restocking your backpack/purse/desk drawer with tampons.
I agree that the cardboard applicators are uncomfortable, but the plastic seemed like a waste. I used to use the o.b. (non-applicator) kind before I discovered the cup.
Posted by: Jessica | October 17, 2009 1:24 PM
Hilarious post! I always preferred cardboard applicators, because the though of shoving cardboard up inside of you is certainly no worse than ...what? Plastic? Metal? Glass? Believe it or not, before low flow toilets were required, you could just flush the cardboard applicators along with the wrappers. They are biodegradable! Besides, when I got used to them, cardboard was the only thing available.
I keep telling my daughters that menstruation is no big deal, but I DO NOT miss it.
Posted by: Miss Cellania | October 17, 2009 1:35 PM
Is this conversation actually happening on my blog? I LOVE YOU ALL!
I was with Pascale on the reusable cup issue, but after some awkward surgical moments, I may reconsider. I did try Instead back when that was out and I didn't like that they were disposible. It seemed much more wasteful.
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | October 17, 2009 1:37 PM
There was a disposable cup? Doesn't that negate the whole point?!
Posted by: Cath@VWXYNot? | October 17, 2009 1:44 PM
A janitorial supply store should be able to get you a 500 count box of the cardboard ones for around $80. I know this because I somehow wound up in charge of restocking the machine at work.
Posted by: Unistrut | October 17, 2009 1:47 PM
Used tampons on ebay! Too funny! But cheap!
Has anyone ever petitioned their chair/dean to have machines put into their women's rooms? We don't have any in our campus' science buildings, and it pisses me off. We also don't have trashcans in some of them. It's almost as if they want us to flush the stuff and clog the plumbing.
Those plastic applicators never go away, you know. They are one of the most common kind of litter found on river banks.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 17, 2009 2:25 PM
And here I was, going to comment about the Diva cup too, but it's already been done! That little bit of plastic (or whatever it is) changed my life, honestly. You know how when you go to sleep you're subconsciously trying not to wiggle around too much so you don't leak? That feeling is GONE. Sitting crosslegged on the floor is also no longer an issue. Diva cup = complete and total menstrual freedom.
Posted by: Evee | October 17, 2009 2:34 PM
I loves my Diva cup too!! It took a bit of practice to insert properly (do I dare compare it to putting in contacts--only in the sense that once you're used to putting in contacts you can do it in seconds as opposed to a tearful eye-streaming 20 minutes), but it doesn't take long to learn. Just loves it! :)
Posted by: mariana | October 17, 2009 2:46 PM
Just thought I'd point out that some of your loyal readers study the menstrual cycle, menstruation, and the effects of sexism on medicine and society for a living (that would be a shameless plug for me). So not only do I agree with you about the problem -- access to sanitary pads/tampons/cups -- I am actively working in my teaching and research to eliminate sexism and bias in the study of female reproductive physiology.
Posted by: KBHC | October 17, 2009 3:24 PM
I heart KBHC! Plug away!
No pun intended.
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | October 17, 2009 3:30 PM
For the sake of accuracy, I must point out that "x Used & New" is just Amazon's generic link to all merchant seller products, and all products offered through those particular links are, in fact, new.
You can also buy "Used & New" bandaids, which seems like a good idea to me.
Posted by: Joel | October 17, 2009 3:41 PM
I, a male without much personal experience to offer on the subject, would like to direct everyone's attention to a film I saw three nights ago at the Chicago International Film Festival.
http://www.mooninsideyou.com/
It was pretty good, I wanna say 3.5 out of a 5 star scale. A lot of hilarious moments, with fantastic cinematography and editing. The highlight was when the director/narrator ate some of her blood. Some awful moments included talking to a German "Taoist yoga instructor" who talks about energy in trapped in the breasts and, without batting an eye, switches to talking about endochrine secretions. That was pretty laugh-inducing for me. I had to keep quite though; the director was in the audience.
This film isn't getting distributed, and to buy a dvd off the site you need to send a check in euros. But you should check it out if you run into it at a festival.
Posted by: Barber | October 17, 2009 3:45 PM
TMI alert:
I actually prefer the cardboard applicators. It always seems to me that the ones with plastic applicators just don't go far enough in. Plus, I like being able to just flush the applicator.
/TMI
Posted by: Summer Storms | October 17, 2009 4:21 PM
Another Diva Cup devotee here. Once you've gotten used to it, you will never ever EVER go back to tampons again.
Posted by: Professor in Training | October 17, 2009 4:29 PM
This sounds like a wonderful business opportunity for someone. There is a clear need going unfulfilled.
Posted by: Harold | October 17, 2009 4:33 PM
I personally use a Diva Cup. I haven't bought tampons in 5 years. Imagine the money I save! http://www.divacup.com/
Posted by: Diana Glennie | October 17, 2009 4:51 PM
I, too, am a Diva cup devotee--using it has made my period a much better experience. And since you don't have to change (empty) a cup as often as a tampon, I don't have to plan my days according to when I'll be able to take a bathroom break.
Posted by: a student | October 17, 2009 4:59 PM
I'm now counting myself fortunate for not having to use 40/cycle! WTF?
o.b. FTW!
*Obligatory snark*
Scented ones are an abomination. Only one step up from douche. Besides, isn't it basically admitting you need help to smell like roses and cookies?
Posted by: becca | October 17, 2009 5:10 PM
For a chick who can repair her own mechanical items, I have to say the tampon applicator thing really threw me. They kept grabbing the string and pulling the whole business out.
So, OB. Then cups. Love either.
Though I have to say, the Mirena (hormone-containing) IUD has made it all irrelevant, and I dread the day when we decide to reproduce because in the interim I will have to *gasp* go back to having normal periods.
Posted by: red rabbit | October 17, 2009 5:14 PM
Wow, do I not miss that. But aside from not needing applicators, I liked o.b. because they were um of the best caliber. Less leaky than anything else was. I still have a problem with the brand's name though.
I never did get around to trying a cup of any sort, and I had (cue Steinem) too heavy a flow most days for the granolified re-usable pads.
I saw a big shoal of used plastic applicators when I was birding somewhere in the south part of San Francisco Bay a decade or two ago, and it gave me the willies. Looked like a grunion run, but mostly pink. Ew.
Posted by: Ron Sullivan | October 17, 2009 5:27 PM
I remember a day years ago in the Giant supermarket when a cashier wanted to know if tampons were tax-free (Maryland doesn't tax OTC meds). He held the box and yelled down to the manager "Are these taxed?" The manager said, "Yes." The cashier shook his head and said, "They wouldn't be if we used 'em, you know."
Posted by: The Ridger | October 17, 2009 6:34 PM
I tried the Diva cup. Holy cow, what a leaky, splattery nightmare that was! My hands looked like I'd murdered someone and I was terrified that someone else might come into the restroom before I could wash them. I'm sure I was doing something wrong but ugh, forget it. I'll stick to boring old cardboard-applied Tampax. I don't like the plastic ones because I hate the permanent waste, plus the points on the end freak me out; I have an utterly unfounded but very real fear that they're going to expand and stab me from the inside. Yeah, I know, I have issues.
Posted by: Diane | October 17, 2009 6:37 PM
FWIW, TGAP Mom prefers the cardboard applicators Tampax uses. As a mas who likes to hold pieces of paper in his lips - and suffers the occasional lip-tearing piece of paper - I find this baffling.
Posted by: TGAP Dad | October 17, 2009 8:30 PM
i'm a sucker for zombie splatter flicks, but that's too gross for even me.
Posted by: Nomen Nescio | October 17, 2009 8:44 PM
I used to have fairly heavy periods, so had to use the super plus tampons (which had about 2 cc. more filler than regular) and they still lasted only about 2 hours, so they always had to be backed up with fairly hefty panty-liner pads.
Still, tampons are better than pads (though panty-liners let everything shift a lot more than an elastic belt), although the tampon-makers can stuff the tampons with whatever they want.
Posted by: Monado | October 17, 2009 11:25 PM
Speaking of male bias, apart from the fact that the Physics building didn't have a women's washroom, the oddest thing about my university's science courses was that the 3rd-year Physiology textbook didn't cover lactation. Uh, guys? We're mammals!
Posted by: Monado, FCD | October 17, 2009 11:32 PM
I've with everyone singing the praises of using a cup. I wrote a blog post few weeks after I got mine and I still stand by what I wrote. Using a cup means I can go through the day without having to change it in a public toilet (I have huge anxiety issues when it comes to public toilets). I, also, don't get that icky dry vagina feeling that comes with using tampons.
I understand that some people have issues with trying a reusable cup, but if you don't you really ought to give it a shot.
Posted by: LostMarbles | October 18, 2009 12:02 AM
Please tell me I am not the only one using pads.
Posted by: Rainee | October 18, 2009 1:15 AM
I'm with you, Rainee.
Posted by: Change | October 18, 2009 3:45 AM
"But those chats were hushed and never involved men."
Ah... not so with me. My mother had given me a little book which spelled out the very basic method that produced babies, but it didn't even touch on menstruation.
When I got my first period, my Mom was 1000 miles away taking care of her mother during an illness. I well remember telling my Dad that I needed to go to the doctor because I might be dying. All sorts of expressions flittered across his face before he chuckled and told me I was only growing up, not dying.
He found some of my Mom's supplies and tried his best to demonstrate to me what to do with them. This was in the ancient days of belts and pads. After a few tries, I thought I had it right.
Then he called one of my aunts to come by with new supplies of my own and to show me some of the "finer" points of using them. Now that I'm older, I still think he handled quite well. He was very reassuring and matter-of-fact about it.
I had several aunts living close by and he could easily have just called one and avoided dealing with me at all. And in defense of my parents for not preparing me, I'm sure they thought they at least another year before needing too.
Posted by: Donna B. | October 18, 2009 4:17 AM
another vote for the diva cup (or another brand if you seek a slightly different shape/fit, as all are available online if you can't find one locally).
seriously, buy one. it lasts for years and years (medical grade silicone) with easy home super-cleaning by brief boiling in potable water. keep it in its little cotton bag in your purse/backpack/whatever. never spend money on tampons or pads again. know that what you are periodically putting inside your body will never leave behind fibers and has never been treated with bleaches or fragrances or any other chemical you might not want in contact with highly sensitive tissues leading to your blood stream. never again add more waste to the garbage/sewage system of your locality just from having your period. take it with you abroad, it's always discreet, never worry about finding tampons (and if the have been safely and sanitarily manufactured) when you are in far flung jungles and deserts........ so many benefits, so few down-sides!
really, it's an amazing, freeing little device. the only downside is you need to sometimes touch yourself and your menstrual fluids when taking it out-n-in, but what real feminist is scared of doing that? no reason to fear your own body, right?....
get a menstrual cup and give a big "fuck you" to tampon/pad companies and what is essentially unregulated price-gouging on a product women must buy...change the equation! you'll love it!
Posted by: luna1580 | October 18, 2009 4:55 AM
Seriously - plastic tampon applicators are permanent waste. See grrlscientist http://scienceblogs.com/mt/pings/122371 for the grisly details of what happens to plastic.
I've used everything but reusable sanitary napkins (I'm not quite that old!). I wish I had heard about the Diva cup long before I did. It gave me a couple of years of almost trouble-free periods.
Posted by: Rugosa | October 18, 2009 10:46 AM
Diva cup user...and proud of it. I am SO excited to see the many women in the comments section who use the Diva! It really is amazing!
Posted by: ElectroFizzz | October 18, 2009 10:59 AM
The solution to the seven-hour surgery problem is to wear a Depends in addition to whatever you usually wear. That way if leakage occurs, it won't get on your clothes. No one will know.
Posted by: Marilyn Mann | October 18, 2009 11:10 AM
WAIT WAIT WAIT! Electrofizz wears a Diva cup? And you never turned to me in seminar and said, "Hey Isis, you need a Diva cup. Now back to science."?
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | October 18, 2009 11:20 AM
Plastic tampons are one of my biggest pet peeves. The idea that we need to use something as indestructible as plastic, which will spend years in a landfill, for the 1 minute that you use is for is scary. Though, to be honest, I have walked by the Diva cup many many times in the grocery store, stopped and thought, "Just too weird"... I have been using unbleached (I guess you could call them "organic") tampons my whole period-life (my mom is a hippie and wouldn't hear of me using something that is bleached and going into my bloodstream), but I do find the idea of not having to have anything disposable interesting... AND, those unbleached tampons sure are expensive :(
Posted by: Lindsey | October 18, 2009 12:27 PM
...@Dr. Isis
....which is weird, because I'm a big proponent of the Diva. Just ask my hockey team. The little girls get all freaked out by it. And us, 'old ladies' are very comfortable explaining the whole process--down to the curve of our uterus and the best tricks for avoiding a painful vulva-catch. Yeah, I said it. I'm comfortable with womanhood! :-)
Posted by: ElectroFizzz | October 18, 2009 12:43 PM
p.s. I just re-read my post. No, the 'little girls' on my hockey team are not actually little. They're, like, 19 and 20 years old. Just to clarify.
Posted by: ElectroFizzz | October 18, 2009 12:51 PM
@ElectroFizzz - What's "vulva-catch"? I would be happy for some tricks - as much as I love my Diva I can't use it when I have bad cramps and I do occasionally get uncomfortable with it. I also think I may be too big for the pre-child Diva, despite not having had a child yet...
Posted by: HennaHonu | October 18, 2009 1:07 PM
Another Diva Cup user (as well as applicator-less tampons, on occasion). So far it's given me the fewest close calls of any product. It did take a number of tries before I felt really competent using it, but it was worth the effort. Just make sure to collapse one side before attempting to remove it - otherwise, Instant Home Hysterectomy.
Posted by: stickypaws | October 18, 2009 1:13 PM
FYI: There are two Targets in Brooklyn--one at Atlantic Mall (which just about every train in Brooklyn goes to) and another way out by Brooklyn College at the end of the 2 line. Also I know of at least two K-Marts in Manhattan--one inside Penn Station (yes, really inside, underground), and another at Astor Place, a five minute walk from Union Square. Also there's one Costco in Brooklyn and one in Queens, though you'd need a car for both. Walmart, however, is not liked by New York City and has actually been banned from building stores in Queens.
However, I'm making a bold assumption that they stock the desired products--not being a purchases myself :-/
Posted by: jonathan | October 18, 2009 5:12 PM
You commentors are generally hilarious, but some of you are MISSING THE POINT:
It isn't about which kind of menstrual product is the best or safest for the environment. It's about the fact that we don't have options in Brooklyn! I guess the discussion is serving the purpose of breaking the taboo nature of the subject, which is awesome. But seriously, how many Diva Cups do you think I will find at a bodega???????? Women shouldn't be forced to settle for some crappy products or nothing at all because men feel awkward talking about periods........ And they probably shouldn't be controlling their distribution either.
amirite?
Posted by: Arikia | October 18, 2009 5:20 PM
OK so I looked it up on the store finder page on the Diva Cup website actually. Damn they need a new graphic designer and marketing team. Anyway, there is ONE store in ALL of Brooklyn that sells the Diva Cup; four in Manhattan. Better than nothing, but pretty hurt for a city with approximately 4 million women.
Posted by: Arikia | October 18, 2009 5:44 PM
True. But you only need to visit once.
Posted by: Cath@VWXYNot? | October 18, 2009 6:25 PM
I have a friend who uses a mooncup, and loves it partly for the reasons that a lot of women can't quite bring themselves to use it... she really relishes having a more /real/ interaction with her body's processes, and her (actual quote, if memory serves) brimming goblet of blood.
And hey, the main reason anyone's "grossed-out" by menstrual fluids is because they're *taught* to be, right? So: if you don't like the idea of being indoctrinated like that with no choice in the matter -- well, do a little work to overcome it. It doesn't take long. My wife just gave birth to our first child in June, and both nappy-changing *and* nose-cleaning are on my roster of duties, so my burned-in idea of what things are stomach-turningly gross has undergone some dramatic changes. :)
Posted by: Rob W | October 18, 2009 6:33 PM
To try and say something useful on topic...
@Arikia: It does sound like a stupid situation. And complicated, because you're just dealing with all of these little bodegas, so it's tricky to get any kind of centralized leverage, short of major mainstream media coverage that would reach the shop owners (not impossible, but it seems like a long shot), or some local ordinance *requiring* them to stock a reasonable range of options (even longer shot).
Here's a thought: draft a flier designed to be left in bodegas around Brooklyn, summarizing the situation including why they won't get many complaints and requests even though so many people *want* them to stock tampons. Save it as a PDF so anyone can print one out and leave it in their local bodega (anonymously or not). Maybe even get stickers printed that they can put in their window if they carry multiple brands of tampons? Dunno how plausible that is...
Posted by: Rob W | October 18, 2009 7:10 PM
You're right, Arika, that's a ridiculous situation re: not being able to buy tampons locally. You could talk to the manager at your local one... probably a man, and they don't think of stuff like "women have distinct tastes in tampons."
Then again, I live in farm country, so beef and tomatoes, yes, but shoes and tampons I gotta travel for. For me, though, it's a choice.
Oh, and one thing about the cup: it's great. It works, it doesn't leak, and there's no reason to change them in a public washroom. But holy smoke, if it does slip, it's catastrophic.
Posted by: red rabbit | October 18, 2009 8:44 PM
@Arikia...
I TOTally get what you're saying. I don't want 'the man' dictating what I can and can't get for a reasonable jaunt down the road. But, I think the Diva club's main point (and, I might just be getting this wrong--so don't go ape shit on me, Diva/Mooncup members) is that there are actually really healthy, cheap, and awesome alternatives to being dependent on 'the man'. I'm all for free access to tampons...and whatever else we're looking for. But, I think we're just trying to give you an option you may not have thought of before. So 1) no more money being spent 2) no more trips to any stores 3) no more confusion about which Bodega to shop at. 4) no more worrying about changing the 'pon in the middle of an all-day meeting. It's all taken care of! :-). And...p.s.....I got my Diva off the interwebz. So...you don't even have to go to a store. I'm sure I've saved thousands by now! Just sayin;........;-)
Posted by: ElectroFizzz | October 18, 2009 10:40 PM
I never had a problem with cardboard applicators, and hooray for the Mirena and its inherent low-flow nature, because I haven't had to spend that ten bucks a month in years.
That said - if you want to break down the taboos, and you're worried about your shyer sisters, Arikia, I think you gotta talk to the bodega clerks about stocking some different options.
I remember that the Oakland (CA) Walmart kept the disposable diapers in locked cases. (Imagine that. A 24-pack of Pampers is, like, 18 by 24 inches. You'd have to go in wearing a trenchcoat to shoplift that - even your maternity clothes wouldn't cover it. Maybe people ripped open the packages and shoplifted one diaper at a time?) I don't remember what they did with tampons, but I wouldn't have been surprised if they'd kept them in cases with the razor blades and cigarettes, if they were commonly shoplifted.
About that seven-hour surgery, Dr. Isis - you take breaks to drink and pee, don't you? Urinary stasis is bad news! You don't want a UTI. You should be making someone hold that hemostat once or twice per surgery every time, not just seven of every 28 days.
Posted by: ginger | October 19, 2009 12:13 AM
Ok. You've all convinced me. I'll try the cup next month. If I like it as much as you all do, I may even offer to redesign their god awful hideous website or make them some new graphics at LEAST.
By the way, my roommate and I went to the grocery store today for bacon and fruit gushers and we snapped a shot of the tampon horde behind the counter in the express lane. I'll post it on my blog tomorrow, but it is pretty funny. The tampons were positioned between Elmer's glue and shoe polish. We also noticed a lone douche perched up next to 3 massive cans of tuna fish.
Posted by: Arikia | October 19, 2009 3:51 AM
Another nod for The Keeper cup (you can get it from Amazon)! I just got one this summer and though on my heaviest nights I still have to wear a pad it's waaaaay better than tampons. I went backpacking this summer in Montana and used it. Totally awesome and environmentally friendly :)
Posted by: Sarah | October 19, 2009 11:19 AM
Anymore my first thought on hearing about large volumes of plastic waste is: What else can we make with that?
I found tamponcrafts.com, but this seems to be rather limited. How strong are these bits of plastic? Could they be used structurally? What if we treat them with some kind of heat-curing first, could we then make bridges with used tampon applicators? Imagine that, bridges built from the waste of periods past!
Also, this is tres clever: fixing a Mac power cord with a tampon applicator.
Posted by: Toaster | October 19, 2009 1:16 PM
There are actually THREE Target stores in Brooklyn in addition to the Costco. It ain't a third world country out here, you know. It happens to be the 4th largest city in America (if it were not part of NYC). As a lifelong Brooklynite, the first rule of thumb is NEVER SHOP IN BODEGAS. Not unless you want to pay top dollar for a crummy selection of out of date products. Second, you can't go ten feet in my part of Brooklyn without tripping over a drug store; I have 5 of them within walking distance, and I am certain that they all carry the aforementioned products in abundance. Airika lives in the under-developed (until recently) hinterlands of Brooklyn that have suddenly become populated with a younger, hipper crowd of people, and businesses are trying to catch up by building more services out there. So right now, if I were Airka, I would plan to do my shopping in either Manhattan, or take a bus/train to Atlantic Mall or even to Queens (shudder) and do my shopping out of the neighborhood. You can also shop CVS and Walgreens online and get free shipping if you buy enough.
BTW, the cardboard applicators are more "environmentally friendly" which is why some people prefer them. As for the whole subject of tampon use, all I have to say about that is "toxic shock syndrome". Be careful whatever you use.
All you folks should come check out Brooklyn before you diss it. Once third of the nation can trace some lineage back to Brooklyn. It can't be all bad....
Posted by: Brooklynite | October 19, 2009 2:56 PM
Re: Diva cup. I started using one when I became very allergic to something in tampons. I was very motivated to use it and it still took apx 3 months to get the hang of it. It's the best product I've used, but there is a learning curve.
Re: lack of availability. Who wants to have to ask for or demand something that is a basic necessity. Especially when it's a taboo topic. Maybe you can use the power of the internets to pressure local businesses to increase their selection.
Posted by: Lisa | October 19, 2009 3:20 PM
I often think that Washington, DC has shopping that is significantly inferior to Brooklyn. I miss the bakery, the fruit stand, and the bagel place all being located between the train and my house. However, since DC seems have a CVS on every 3rd city block tampons are not a problem to find. I guess there are trade offs in life.
Posted by: katydid13 | October 19, 2009 4:57 PM
@Brooklynite - I don't think living in Brooklyn is bad. I love living in Brooklyn. But it is naive to say that a place can't have problems because lots of Americans have roots there. I almost got mugged tonight walking home so, trust me, bad things do happen lots of places you would least expect them to.
And FYI - it is an hour commute from my apartment to that mall you mentioned, and you have to go through Manhattan to get there.
Posted by: Arikia | October 20, 2009 4:10 AM
Well there are at least two guys who are not afraid to talk about plastic tampon applicators. There's Darren Naish, who hates them because he spends time helping to clean beaches. And there's me, obviously, as I'm posting this.
Posted by: Christophe Thill | October 20, 2009 4:58 AM
Link not working, apparently...
http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/10/hate_plastic_tampon_applicators.php
Posted by: Christophe Thill | October 20, 2009 5:01 AM
Rainee -
You are far from that. While I have never had a use myself, I used to be the one relegated to purchasing the pads - for a partner who wasn't particularly interested in explaining her preferences. This led to some rather interesting discussions in the relevant aisle of the store - especially after she had our first child.
The day I walked in the door with reusable pads - oi, if looks could kill. But I argued that I'm the one doing the bloody laundry anyways, so if it was literally bloody - what the hell. Not like I didn't have to wash bloody clothes rather frequently anyways, what with working as a handyman and having a young boy. Turned out she loved them. They were comfortable and absorbent - also turned out that they made hella great cleaning sponges...
Toaster -
A store in Portland, OR called SCRAP actually had a fifty gallon bin full of them and did a workshop describing all sorts of handy uses for them. One of my friends liked to use them in his artwork...
Posted by: DuWayne | October 20, 2009 2:44 PM
*look of fright*
Nah, not really. ;) The cups are interesting - I've never seen anything like them before. Are they an American thing?
Posted by: Ace | October 21, 2009 3:40 AM
Airika lives in the under-developed (until recently) hinterlands of Brooklyn that have suddenly become populated with a younger, hipper crowd of people, and businesses are trying to catch up by building more services out there.
It is very clear that to be one of those hipster types you need to work on making the basic elements of life as difficult as humanly possible. Exhibit A, the fixed gear bicycle.
Posted by: bikemonkey | October 21, 2009 4:21 PM