Exclamation point. PERIOD!
By Cristina Byrne
Many superstitions circulate around the women's moon cycle, as well as myths making it harder for women to talk about it, which then leads to silence, shame, and misconception.
"By the mid-1800s in the U.S., the culture around menstruation had hardened into a straightforward narrative: Period blood was perceived as bad blood, both dirty and shameful," says Chris Bobel, an expert on menstruation at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
A personal experience dealing with superstitions and Women’s moon cycle, I had the opportunity to make the infamous Italian red sauce with a first-generation family from start to finish. In the middle of this tomato sauce making experience they mentioned that if a woman is on her period, she was not allowed to participate because it will ruin the sauce for the whole year.
Whoops!!
I leaned over to the son of the first generation Italian couple, who thankfully didn't understand much English and said, "Well, I guess the sauce will be ruined this year!"
He laughed and said, "Don't worry about it… It's over a 100-year-old superstition."
News Flash: The superstition is a bust! The sauce didn't get ruined!
Thankfully, we have come along way with the bizarre superstitions and myths around the women's cycle, as well as advanced in the products that are used, such as the revolutionary Modibodi.
Modibodi began with the curiosity of evolving women's hygiene products. The Australian founded brand started back in 2013 but took 2 years to fine-tune and develop the period-leak proof underwear.
Modibodi uses high quality, tech-savvy fabrics (like Bamboo, Merino Perform Wool, and Microfibre) and the latest in breathable, antimicrobial fibers with their patented Modifier Technology™ – a super slim (only 3mm) stain-resistant lining for modern periods and leaks, and Modifier Air Technology™ – a moisture-wicking, odor-fighting lining for getting sweaty.
Not only does this underwear helps us avoid the embarrassment of stains and prevent leaks that sometimes leave us making a public announcement at a rest stop bathroom asking, "Do any of my Lady Friends have a tampon?" Because you know the machine in the bathroom where you can usually get one, is never refilled.
According to Modibodi, "On an environmental level, the average woman will use upwards of 15,000 disposable period products in her lifetime, which can take several centuries to fully decompose in a landfill." With 51% of the U.S. population being a woman, that's a lot of waste!
Since it is 2020 and we all should be least aware and mindful of the environmental impact that all of us have, including the use of a pad or tampon that is a "brief moment of utility." Modibodi is fully committed to preserving the planet, with products that are entirely free of PFAS chemicals and even offer a completely vegan line of briefs and bikini underwear.
With so many options out there to help with our environmental impact in hygiene products. Still, many of us refer back to the products that we were taught to use growing up, even though there is the existence of alternatives that make more environmental and economic sense.
I understand that sometimes change can be challenging. Still, if we are mindful and open to considering trying out something new—we might be surprised by the comfort and convenience that come with a sustainably managed period product such as Modibodi. Which by the way has been voted the #1 Period Underwear & Incontinence Underwear Brand. With the mission "to give all bodies more confidence and comfort, as well as a more sustainable solution to disposable hygiene." Not only with periods and discharge but with light bladder leakage, and weak pelvic floors to perspiration and pong, and pesky breastmilk leaks! Modibodi got you covered! PERIOD.
But the conversation is much bigger and its also about how, in 33 states, women who are on food stamps can't purchase a feminine product because those items are considered a "luxury" when really its a necessity. While using SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) one can buy, food items including bread, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, poultry, and dairy products…but one can’t buy toilet paper, diapers, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, or feminine hygiene products. Some women have reported giving up their food stamps for money to buy tampons.
In low-income areas, girls' and women's choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited by the costs, availability, and social norms. “Adequate sanitation facilities and access to feminine hygiene products are one part of the solution.”
So let’s create a culture that welcomes discussion and makes adequate education for women and girls is of equal importance. Change will come when the conversation changes.
Join the Modibodi Movement with their sustainable, luxuriously comfy underwear (and water repellent swimwear) ditching and use fewer tampons and liners pads but also be part of a much bigger conversation.
Modibodi's underwear is designed in a modern bikini, brief, thong, boyleg, high-waist and boy shorts styles in a variety of trendy colorways, and range across four levels of absorbency to accommodate each wearer's needs and preferences. The brand also incorporates their signature technology into leggings, maternity singlets, one-piece swimsuits, and wet/dry zipper pouches. Check out Modibodi HERE .
