THINX About It | Free Bleeding As Nature Intended
Long before the day of my first period, commercials taught me to shove a tampon into my bleeding vagina, keep smiling and push through the discomfort of my body begging for free flowing. WHO’S GOT THE TIME TO BE A WOMAN!? THE SHOW MUST GO ON.
There is so much shame wrapped up in one of the most natural processes a woman’s body goes through. Pharmaceutically, we’re offered pills to reduce that dreaded time to once a year. We whisper to one another in shadows “Do you have a tampon?”, mortified that someone may actually hear that we’re shedding our uterine lining. Why must we be so covert about one of the most natural biological processes there is? Even as I was sitting down to write this article, I had to surrender the voices of “Ew, gross, no one is going to want to read about your period” or “that is so not sexy”. When in actuality, a woman who has a healthy and regular moon cycle, who is connected and tuned into her body’s cycle, is a very sexy woman to me.
I’ve been wanting to cease using tampons for awhile now, for many reasons. First, there are the environmental implications of millions of women tearing through cotton tampons and plastic applicators that end up sitting in our landfills. Then, there is the whole Monsanto-grown cotton going in my vagina thing. Yeah, you heard that correctly. It recently came to light that 85% of female hygiene products are contaminated with the lovely Glysophate Herbicide found in Round Up (Natural News).
In my quest to find alternatives to tampons, I considered going the organic cotton pad route, but I never really loved the way they felt in my panties. I thought about the DivaCup, which a lot of my friends use and love. It is a fantastic alternative, but still you’re shoving something inside of you, that blocks the blood from being able to freely flow out and detoxify your body. And that’s really what it came down to for me. Our bodies are doing everything in their power to release this blood and we are constantly trying to stick a plug in and pretend it isn’t happening. Then came THINX, and I knew my quest was over.
I was thrilled when my THINX Period Panties showed up at my house and excitedly awaited the return of my moon so I could put them to the test. I was a bit unsure of how thick they would feel when I was wearing them or how they could possibly design sexy panties that are made to absorb blood. How could these little miracles actually do the job they were made to do. Now, this is a bit revealing about the sad state of my underwear collection, but my husband thought it was funny that the sexiest pair of underwear I now own are my period panties.
When my moon finally arrived, I felt like an excited kid at Christmas running to the bathroom every hour or so to check for leaks. NOTHING! Not even a little bit. In fact, they don’t feel much different from any other panties one might wear. Diaper fears be gone.
I’ve been using THINX for my past three cycles, and I think it is safe to say they’re changing my period in the best of ways. Since switching to THINX Period Panties, my cramps have lessened by a remarkable amount, and I bleed far less. I used to have at least one day of my cycle when it felt as though my vagina was being pulled down to middle earth. That’s the best way I know how to describe it. But, I have not experienced that amount of pain now that I am freely bleeding.
I am neither a doctor nor a scientist, but I am a woman who is in tune with her body. I think the lessened cramping and blood loss may be due to the fact that I no longer have a tampon shoved up against an inflamed organ, and blocking it from naturally trying to release the blood and detoxify my body. Just a thought.
Beyond helping women here in the U.S., THINX is thinking globally. Every year, millions of women lose out on valuable education or work during their “week of shame” due to a lack of access to affordable or effective menstruation products. So for every pair of panties purchased, THINX sends money to AFRIpad, an organization in Uganda that employs and teaches women how to sew reusable pads and gives access to sanitary menstruation products for women who otherwise could not afford them.
The older I get the more I wish I could set up a communal RED MOON TENT where women can come unplug, freely bleed together, take naps and baths, get massages and honor the cycle of our bodies that connect us to one another and the earth. Until that time, I will just have to rock my sexy THINX Panties and know this company is helping to make a small difference in my body and on the planet.
