I’ve been fascinated by the whole concept of reusable women’s things for a wee while now. I had a hippie flatmate called Dixie back in the day, whose mother had given her a set of reusable pads with the euphemistic moniker “Moontimes”. They were calico and you could bulk up the absorbency by bulking up the padding in the gusset. Anyhow, Dixie was adamantly opposed to the Moontimes claiming that she MIGHT be a hippie but she wasn’t THAT MUCH of a hippie. Fair call – her Moontime, her choice. The Moontimes languished in the back of her patchouli-scented wardrobe and were forgotten. But I would find my mind slipping back to them… especially when massively broke, a bit freaked out by the extra amount of waste I was creating each month, disgusted with Feminine Hygiene Products’ advertising campaigns, and frustrated about the amount of money that male-dominated companies were making off my menstrual cycle. And yet still I was hesitant – would other alternatives be as effective? Would people think I was really gross? Would I smell weird? Would they be heaps more work to use?
Last year the topic of “reusable women’s bits” came up again, and more regularly, beginning with a discussion about Moon Cups with some of the girls that I skate with and including an email from Bella about reusable knitted and crocheted tampons. Bella was pointing out how ridiculous the concept was, but it was this final email that cinched the deal.
My thought process went something like:
1. Ha! Knitted tampons! Bizarro! [laughs; forwards email]
2. Hey, although, they’d be fun to make as a joke for Christmas, as brooches and stuff!* I’m going to get the pattern.
3. Fascinating. Maybe I should try it out, you know, just to see what it’s like.
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Inquiring minds will ask: but Ginger, how did it go?
The answer to which is: keep reading and find out! I propose to trial a reusable "Feminine Hygiene Product" for each cycle for the first few months of this year. I'm good to go on the crocheted tampons and think I will also try the knitted for comparison. This will cover our first two months. I also propose to use the Mooncup, a sea sponge, and to make my own pads.
Ladies: consider me your hippie-type guinea-pig. Lets do this thing.
*FYI: I did this, and it was a bit too realistic. I can't imagine a situation where it would be an acceptable brooch to wear. Except maybe to my blog party?
DISCLAIMER: I personally hate the term "Feminine Hygiene Product" with the implication that the act of menstruation somehow makes women inherently unhygienic. But I couldn't think of a better collective noun. If you can, please feel free to suggest one!
