menstrual pads

Vulva Portrait Pendant / Gush! Menstrual Pads / Vegan Lip Balm

admin — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:17:00 +0000

Would you send a photo of your vagina to a stranger online? Sounds like a MySpace porn scam, right? In one particular situation, you’d be totally wrong. As I write, I have a replica of my own vulva around my neck. It is amazingly accurate and arguably one of the more tasteful pieces of jewelry I own—assuming you aren’t offended by my own very special vagina. I’m not.

My necklace—and matching charm—are based on a photo and description I sent to Vulva Love Lovely, an Etsy shop that celebrates all things vaginal. In order to have such a personal item produced, one has to engage in an inherently feminist exercise: describe your own vulva in detail, or take a photo. After consulting with vulva artisan Jessica Marie in an attempt to help her be as accurate as possible in her representation, I did both. In doing so, I learned a tremendous amount about myself. I also realized that most men would probably have no trouble describing their goodies, and neither should women. In return for my thoughtful and enlightening self-exploration, I received two vulva personal pendants handmade from polymer clay. The detail is extraordinary, and you can tell much thought and love was put into these completely unique pieces of work.

Jessica Marie has all sorts of products celebrating women's bodies and all their natural occurrences, and after getting hooked on the idea of wearing my own disembodied vagina around my neck, I checked out the rest of her stock. I have loved cloth menstrual pads since I splurged on one at Bluestockings once upon a sojourn to the historic bookstore. Despite really loving and using it for the past four-plus years, I never bought a second, mostly due to my inability to find a size/shape that suited my needs.

Gush! cloth pads have completely changed this. In a gorgeous deep crimson color with black stitching and pearl snaps, my Red Dress pads are not only the perfect size for my body; they are easy to care for and won’t show stains. In a set of four that includes three types of protection, I no longer need to search for backup pantyliners on light flow days. As of my next cycle, I intend to fully phase out disposable pads. Washing instructions are included for your health and convenience.

As a bit of a balm snob and a vegan, I’m hard to please when it comes to lip emollients. Jessica Marie, being a vegan herself, spent roughly a week toying with ingredients until reaching her perfect concoction of avocado and coconut oils, candelilla wax, and flavor. The result—in a fabulously erotic tin that reads “for your lips”—is a delicious fruity treat that will last for months.

Need more reasons to support a body-positive feminist craftster? The recession hurts us all, but buying cloth pads and giant tins of salve are investments that will help you ride out the economic collapse in comfort and style. Monthly sales and charity donations are listed on the Vulva Love Lovely blog and VLL’s Twitter. I happened to find Vulva Love Lovely because she’d previously advertised here on Elevate Difference, and I figure the if she supports us, we can support her. If I can trust a stranger with a photo of my vagina, you can too.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, August 21st 2009

Chart Your Cycle and Adventures in Menstruating #1-3

admin — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:49:00 +0000

By Chella Quint

I’m one of those women who has never been terribly fond of her period. I spent years trying to escape my own bodily functions and wrote my undergraduate thesis on suppressing menstruation by using birth control pills. More recently, I’ve discovered that my lifelong migraines are linked to my cycle. My period and I have come to an understanding, so while I don’t make up funny nicknames for it, I use cloth pads and organic tampons whenever possible. But I have never been overly fond of my menses and to say my feelings about menstruating are conflicted is quite an understatement. So, proactively and deliberately, I asked to write about Chella Quint’s _Adventures in Menstruating _and _Chart Your Cycle _zines to challenge my own views about my cycle. In addition to learning all sorts of useful information about our cycles and depictions of menstruation in mass media, I developed a new appreciation for zines. The unending conversations these have produced with my friends and partner have been hilarious and enlightening, and I’m sort of enamored with Quint and her work.

Chart Your Cycle was Quint’s first zine, produced in 2005 as part of the 24 Hour Zine Thing. It includes a ten-year chart to track your cycle's ups and down, anatomy diagrams, and resources for female-friendly cycle information and menstrual supplies. It includes a humorous review of a belted pad, as well as an interview with Quint’s mother, the first of an ongoing series of interviews with women of all ages and backgrounds about menstrual taboos and their feelings about their cycles.

Because she apparently had so much fun with the first one, Quint followed up CYC with the Adventures in Menstruating _series, of which three issues are available so far, and frankly, it would be nearly impossible to choose just one as a favorite. The lighthearted, pro-woman take on your period is refreshing and necessary, and I literally screamed with happy laughter while reading each of these. My suggestion: request a copy of all three (or four to include _Chart Your Cycle).

Issue One is packed. Vintage feminine hygiene advertisements are deconstructed, and we receive a crash course in both tampon insertion and imperialism in advertising. Zine #2 includes an interview with Quint’s grandmother about menstruation and pregnancy, and billboards about period products are analyzed a la the vintage ads of the first zine. Quint also does a section called “Product Testing” and reviews Freshelle hygienic wipes, which is both wildly entertaining and completely on point.

My favorite section may have been "Leakage Horror Stories," where Quint and friends detail stories from their youth of leaking in public. Unlike the stereotypical Seventeen-style anecdotes about cute boys and your errant tampon string, these horror stories have an empowering message behind the embarrassment: you’re not alone, and it really isn’t your fault. Did I mention the zines’ hilarious color covers that replicate vintage pulp novels, but have since been Photoshopped to portray leaking, menstrual women?

AiM #3 is the largest to date. It begins with an assessment of feminine hygiene versus war propaganda and the disgustingly similar framework around both. Along these lines, we learn how menstrual pads were born out of the wartime surgical bandage leftovers, prompting the question: how did a bleeding wound come to be equated with our nether regions? Quint goes on to review _Menopause the Musical _(and deconstructs the critical pans while she’s at it) and sanitary disposal units, including pictures! She also discusses inadvertently synching up your cycle with female coworkers and Tampon Crafts.

If you love your period, laughing about your period, or want to hate it less, I wholeheartedly recommend this zine series in its entirety. These handy little booklets have literally changed my entire outlook on menstruation, and they’re a surefire way to spark confessionals among close friends or, if you’re lucky, a stranger on the subway.

Written by: Brittany Shoot, June 5th 2008

Wash 'n' Wear Pads

admin — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 18:32:00 +0000

By Pleasure Puss

You’ve got your period. You start digging through your stash and - what? - no more pads! Do you make a last minute dash to the store to sift through new and expensive gimmicks? Perhaps you’ve thought, “There has got to be a better way!” There is.

I tried the small, medium and large cloth menstrual pads by Australian maker, Pleasure Puss. The design of the cloth pad is quite simple: absorbent cotton, adjustable snap and closure wings. Like most women, I thought “Is that for me? Will it be gross and leaky?” I was worried about the absorbency, and if I felt like I would be wearing a diaper and constantly checking for leaks. Not so. The cloth material means no bunchy or sticky plastic to get all twisted out of shape, and the absorbency was far above what I have experienced with any store-brand pad - no leaks or wet feeling. No fancy gels either; Pleasure Puss pads are all natural and come in cute colors and designs (mushroom tartan!).

You can clean them by hand or in the washing machine in cold water. The pads wash easily and thoroughly. You can put them in the dryer, but I sat them in the sun and they dried in about 2–3 hours.

On the Pleasure Puss website, I calculated that I would be saving roughly $5,000 from now until menopause on disposable menstrual items! Reusable cloth menstrual pads are not just financially wise, but it is heath-wise not to put the strange chemicals in the ‘super absorbent gel’ or ‘cotton-like lattice’ - blablabla - next to one’s delicate parts, or to hand those substances off to mother earth when the garbage gets hauled to some landfill.

Written by: Lillian B., August 10th 2007

Washable Menstrual Pads

admin — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 16:49:00 +0000

By LunaPads

A few years ago I started vibing on the eco-feminist tip by using re-usable, washable menstrual pads and the DivaCup, a tampon substitute that catches menstrual fluid in a small, silicone container that you insert into the vaginal canal. Both methods are an excellent way to be good to the environment, and your own body.

At first, I was skeptical. I'm not the earth goddess type that you might expect to be pimping these products. In fact, I had a lot of questions about the practicality of use. How does this thing work again? Will these really be as easy as using disposable pads? What do I do if I need to change my pad at work, school, a restaurant, or a party? I thought of every excuse in the book, but finally realized that this not-so-old dog just needed to learn a few tricks.

I figured out how to use these gizmos in a way that worked for me, and you know what the best part is? I've saved a ton of money! Ladies, you know how friggin’ expensive disposable pads and tampons are, and let me tell you, convenience just ain't worth that much cheddar. Sure, buying a monthly stock of LunaPads and a DivaCup is a bit of an upfront investment, but think of it like buying a house; it's totally worth it to not pay rent to some skeezy landlord who won't even return your calls when the radiator's on the fritz again. And with the holidays coming up, you can always tell your friends and fam to pop for a gift that keeps on giving.

Now after several years of use, I'm a walking advertisement for this company. In fact, they should be paying me for all of the positive publicity I throw their way, not to mention all of the pads I've bought to get my friends hooked too. I always did find myself on the giving end of peer pressure.

Final thought: you know how there are all of these commercials that pimp menstrual products with pearls and wings and all that stuff? Well, LunaPads have bells and whistles too; leopard print, hearts, polka dots, flowers, and other fabulous designs can match your menstrual moods, and they have plenty of different sizes to suit your flow. They even have panties! So, what are you waiting for? Support Canada’s economy and get yer LunaPad on!

Written by: Mandy Van Deven, December 10th 2006