Working with other strong female leads and surrounding myself with other female leaders it is no surprise that periods and menstruation comes up. It is not taboo, it happens to most women worldwide every month, every year. I find it incredulous when adverts for sanitary products use blue liquid to 'symbolise' blood. We all know blood is red. Would that be too real for some people's eyes (men)? It's red, use red liquid. It's a part of life, why you pretending?
We discuss pre-menstrual pain, hunger, insomnia, acne, checking our emotions, period poverty in the UK and inevitably "What tampons do you use?". The answer used to be pretty straight forward #NameBrand. But recently theres been a influx in women feeling righteous by replying "I use a Moon/Luna/bowl cup. It's so much better for the environment that a tampon". Sigh. Who told you that, woman?
The history of the blessed Tampon takes us back to Egyptian times where it was made from papyrus (like paper) and natural absorbent material, cotton, lint, sponge, vegetable fibres and grass have been used over the ages. Note that these are all natural materials and you could put them in your garden compost, unused of course, but they degrade naturally and quickly.
So pray tell me how a plastic cup is better than a natural material? And furthermore who told you that your one singular act was going to change and reverse climate change? And more importantly did you research your new implement and discover whether it was more or less hygienic? Because unless you're at home all through your period and can sterilise it and your hands every-time you use it, bacteria multiplies and you can get TSS (science). And really, who has time for any of that? Finally, what happens to all the moon/luna/diva/bowl cups when it breaks or you get bored of it? What happens when we find a mound of plastic floating in the sea and the headline reads "Women (all women everywhere) to blame for Sea of plastic"? Not so good for the environment now, is it? Maybe worse, maybe the same.
I feel like Kanye has been going around saying 'periods are a choice'. I have to buy the tampons, I pay tax on them and now i'm villified for using them. Of all the things bad for the environment I could think of a lot of things that would have more affect on climate change than a tampon usage. But the people who can make these high level, greater impact policies are mainly men, and as women we obviously have to beat ourselves up over the few things we feel we control. We'll sorry ladies, i'm tapping out on this one.
We all make our own choices and affect change in our own way. I recycle diligently and compost all my vegetable peelings. My choices are based on my needs, ease and preference and you, bowl cup wearer on FOMO, probably. Each to their own.
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