Growing up as a vagina bearer during peak adolescence is quite frankly ugly and a little bit terrifying. Hormones are flying everywhere, unspeakable changes are happening, and worst of all– it happens during middle school or a junior high equivalent. This transition from elementary to almost high school can get a bit judgemental from both counterparts. Most people with vaginas that begin their menstrual cycle have learned to begin with pads and eventually wean off and begin to use other hygiene products such as tampons, or even menstrual cups.
Though, what about the ones who started with pads and continued using pads? I have witnessed other vagina bearers harass one another just for using pads and never making the switch. They would ask things like, “you still use pads??” in a negative connotation that suggests continuing to use pads at an older age is wrong. Occasionally they would chime in with a “pads just feel so disgusting to me, I hate sitting in a pool of my blood” or “I feel like I am wearing a diaper.” Honestly, to each their own but you are sitting in a pool of your own blood regardless of what you use. It is totally fine to dislike using pads or having another preference for feminine hygiene. What is not fine is putting other people down for their preferences.
There are people out there who have tried tampons and just thought they are uncomfortable. There are also those who just have not tried tampons because of how threatening they look. Which I mean, who blames them? At first, it seems like they are impossible to figure out how to use and they simply look uncomfortable. It is also an uncomfortable feeling knowing that the somewhat small and compact cotton will eventually swell up inside you– even the description sounds disgusting.
Additionally, I feel as if other feminine hygiene products are not spoken about enough. Even I get tired of using pads occasionally because it feels heavy at times. By the way, if you too are feeling tired of using just pads and tampons, check out these alternatives:
The point is, feminine hygiene is all about preference. What is the purpose in making someone else feel bad about their decision as to what hygiene product they want to use? At the end of the day, we all have to continue this cycle until we reach menopause. That is nearly 40 years of a 7-day period where we bleed. If we are going to menstruate, we might as well do it comfortably.