I know I don’t need to go into the amount of struggles that we uterians endure: inhaling chocolate like the Noo Noo from Teletubbies,crying over pictures of Tom Hiddleston, and becoming an erupting volcano every time you sneeze.
My period came right on time for the Home Plastic Audit and added nearly 30 pieces of plastic to my week’s total. Both tampons and pads produce two pieces of plastic per tampon and pad. Three women synced up at one time (it happens) in one household could produce up to 100 pieces of plastic within a week.
In light of these issues, some forward-thinking (and most likely exasperated) women have created the underwear of the future!
They’re called Thinx.These pieces of underwear (which come in four different styles and levels of absorbency) were created to replace pads, tampons, and any other disposable period apparatus. They’re meant to be worn throughout an entire day and washed. Sound gross? Thinx has already anticipated an understandable level of revulsion, and makes a fairly convincing sanitary argument: each pair has four layers that absorb, fight bacteria, and maintain dryness (so no, you won’t be swimming in your own blood for 12 or more hours). As of now, they come in two colors–beige and black, and sizes from XS to XXXL.
Giving up the changeable extra layer of plastic waste seems weird at first, but after you…thinx…about it, this really seems like an awesomely sustainable way to transform the experience of menstruation.
Do you appreciate the title now
Semper ubi sub ubi guys,
Alex
Indeed Alexandra, applicators are an extremely common piece of plastic debris that is found on beaches worldwide. These stand out in my mind, along with the colorful shotgun shells that I used to find on the beach at Race Point lighthouse. The hunters would leave them behind. I also appreciate that your personality shines through your writing, which is provocative but joyful.