Lunapads Blog

Some of you may have noticed all the hullabaloo about the shortage of o.b. tampons in drugstores across North America. It seems that in addition to discontinuing their highest absorbency tampon, the applicator-less brand is undergoing a mysterious “manufacturing update”, meaning that the entire line of o.b. tampons is out of stock until an undetermined date in 2011. I guess o.b. forgot that people who have periods tend to have them once a month!

Before I became a devout DivaCup and cloth pad user, o.b. was my tampon of choice and I know I would have been seriously bummed if I couldn’t get a hold of any.  Ladies are so desperate that o.b.s are being sold on Ebay for upwards of $100 a box! Sheesh, and people complain that reusables are too expensive?!?

There has been a distinct lack of explanation from Johnson & Johnson, the makers of o.b. tampons. As usual, whenever a company fails to tell their story themselves, folks are left to do their own research to figure out what’s going on. A number of wild theories are being thrown around about the reason for the tampon shortage, including possible manufacturing contamination or FDA complaints regarding the safety of the products.

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What we call the “ewww” factor is a fact of life here at Lunapads (although most of the feedback we receive is overwhelmingly supportive, when it does come up it can kind of wreck your day.) Recently however there have been some interesting examples that have given me pause for thought about how we respond to it.

In the past, my reaction to icked-outedness has been to cite the billions of chemical-soaked pads and tampons festering in landfills, or to invite the ickee (as it were) to recall the discomfort of removing a tampon towards the end of one’s menses, as examples of ick as I see it. The new Stayfree “date” videos are also standout ick contenders, but I digress.

And yet I certainly didn’t start my journey of consciousness around menstruation where I am today. In fact, I’m sure that once upon a time, had you asked me what I thought of the idea of washable menstrual pads I might well have been totally icked. Apparently, what is and is not gross/disgusting etc to us today is not necessarily true for tomorrow.

What’s interesting to me about it is that the folks who are able to be, oh – a bit more patient or self-conscious around it seem to end up in some interesting places, whereas those who can’t get past it just stay grossed out. Some examples, forthwith!

I was recently asked about how men, generally speaking, react to our products and was happy to report that for the most part they are very supportive and pragmatic, along the lines of: “You’ll save money and have less to throw away – why not give it a try, hon?”

That said, one man’s discomfort with the idea of Lunapads and menstrual cups recently led to a very unusual and enlightened conclusion. In a guest post for industrial design blog Core77, consumer behaviour researcher Steve Portigal tells his story. Steve takes his initial reaction of deep discomfort upon seeing a Lunapads ad for the first time and creatively uses it as a jumping off point for a key realization: that change and progress are often accompanied by discomfort.

Further to my observation about men’s reactions, I pointed out that it’s often women who have the strongest negative reactions. In a recent case, I was reading a post about our new “ditch the disposables” video on one of my favorite blogs, The Girlie Girl Army, and was struck by the first comment: “That is disgusting…really.” Several dozen readers were quick to jump in with more positive sentiments, but it made me want to take some time to look at the whys and whats of these kinds of “uncomfortable” reactions to our products.

Given all the negative, shame-based messages that women receive around our bodies and menstruation, is it any wonder that some of us have issues with menstruation and menstrual products in the first place?

Prenatal coach Crystal Di Domizio paints a beautifully honest picture of her transformation in a recent blog post about her experience with switching to our products: “The ewww factor always came up for me even though menstruation doesn’t make me squeamish. What I thought was going to be a huge hassle (but worth the extra work) actually ended up being easier and more enjoyable.“

It’s not easy to be Green blogger Ailanna further makes the excellent point in her recent “Getting over the squeamishness” post that our collective freakout about bodily fluids is essentially the engine that drives our unsustainable disposable culture: “The problem with our squeamishness is that it’s kind of killing the planet. Not singlehandedly, but in our plastic-loving disposable attitude, our conviction that we are somehow above having to deal with the messes we make as biological beings – surely enough.”

While I have no wish to argue with icked-out prospective customers, it does make me wonder what can be said to help to get them to come down the tree, as it were. What I wish I could ask the grossed-out folk among us is about the origin of their discomfort: is it the notion of getting any closer to their menses than absolutely necessary, touching themselves intimately, the products or the hassle of cleaning them? Is there a gentle, creative way to support someone in whatever place they find themselves that doesn’t necessarily imply that they are wrong? What do you guys think?

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I’d better write this post before the pile of books on my desk topples over on me! We have had a wonderful “influx” of books and zines at Lunapads recently and I’d like to tell you about some of them, as well as give some away – read on…

I can’t remember how many months ago it was exactly that I received an email from University of Massachusetts Women’s Studies professor Chris Bobel asking for help with finding artwork for the cover of her then-upcoming tome,  New Blood: Third-Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation, but I was instantly inspired to offer to have a contest asking customers for images based on the theme of menstrual activism. Helena Gonzalez Saez emerged as the winner from among over a dozen fascinating and inspiring submissions (and check this: Helena donated her $100 gift certificate prize to Pads4Girls, how cool is that?), and we received the finished book just a few weeks ago.

“Ask better questions… demand better answers!” reads Chris’s handwritten inscription in our copy – it’s a good summary of the book as well. While I am still working my way through it, overall the book is leaving me feeling more informed, inspired and grateful than ever for the work of our menstrual activist predecessors and contemporaries. Of particular interest for me are questions she poses around how menstruation’s meaning is changing in the era of gender politics: for example, what happens to discourse around menstruation when gender as a fixed, binary concept is a quaint, distant notion?

While its academic heft may be a bit OTT for recreational enthusiasts, I found it to be a welcome counterpoint to the more cursory, pop cultural approach taken to menstrual matters in recent offerings such as Elissa Stein’s Flow. Chris also has some kind words to say about Lunapads (both product and company), and included a Lunapads print ad that appeared in BUST magazine in the book, for which we feel deeply honored.

Speaking of menstrual activism, my second pick is a fine example. Fans of feminist indie zines will love Jen Vaughn’s comix Menstruation Station and Don’t Hate, Menstruate. The author of the acclaimed Mermaid Hostel is a major Lunapads fan, and we are pleased to report that it’s entirely mutual.

So… the giveaway. I have 2 copies of New Blood, as well as 10 sets of both of Jen Vaughn’s zines to give away. Let us know which you’d prefer to receive, as well as a few words about what menstrual activism means to you. Are you an aspiring menstrual activist? Just curious? A seasoned veteran with stories to share? Tell us for your chance to win! Winners will be announced in the September newsletter.

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It’s not very often that a book dedicated to the subject of menstruation gets published. So when I heard about the impending release of FLOW; the cultural story of menstruation back in November, I was pretty excited to get my hands on a copy.

At first glance, FLOW is quite the aesthetically pleasing little book, filled with images of vintage pad and tampon adverts and other “feminine health products” dating as far back as the late 1800s. Due to its visually compelling nature, FLOW would make the ideal coffee table book. And hey, aside from rinsing your menstrual cup in a public washroom, what better way to get the conversation about menstruation flowing (couldn’t resist!) than to nonchalantly leave a book about its history lying about the house?

Few healthy bodily processes have had such an effed-up history as menstruation and this book covers a broad range of topics from the archaic “disease” Hysteria and the origins of the vibrator, to the medicalization of periods and the recent introduction of Menstrual Suppression drugs. I often hear women linking the origins of our collective shame surrounding menstruation to fem-care advertisers and the negative language used to hock their products. FLOW digs deeper into the sources of the menstrual taboo weaving a history that is biblical, medical, pre-historical, cultural, spiritual and political in scope. It’s pretty engaging if you aren’t already aware of the history of menstruation and even if you are, there are sure to be some surprising tidbits that leave you quietly scooping your jaw up off the floor.

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Greetings Period Fans!

You all remember the little art contest we held for Chris Bobel’s upcoming book “New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation” Buzz is building for the book, due out in spring of 2010 and we cant wait to get our little mittens on a copy. Check out this interview with the author on Our Bodies, Our Blog to see what the book covers.

And, as if one book dedicated to our favourite topic wasn’t enough to get us excited, we’ve just discovered the impending release of another period-centric book; “FLOW: A Cultural Story of Menstruation.” According to the books website;“Flow tells you where it’s at about menstruation: what it is, what we’ve been told and how we’ve been sold, and what we should definitely know. It’s the most natural of cycles with the most unnatural of histories. It’s a funny, fascinating, and occasionally scary story of big business, advertising, feminism, gender roles, medicine, religion, world culture, and above all, good manners . . . in which every single female, young or old, will recognize her story.”

Sounds pretty good right? The new book by Elissa Stein and Susan Kim will hit stores November 10th and is available for pre-order on Amazon.com now. Order now and it might just arrive in time for your next period, perfect reading for those Heavy Pad days. It definitely looks like a fun read with loads of menstrual trivia and facty-bits. For Instance:

Check back here in the coming weeks for our review of FLOW. We might just have a free copy for one of our lucky readers too.

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Wow – it’s been a busy few days out there in media cyberspace for us menstrually-inclined types.  For those of you who might have missed it, on October 2nd the UK’s Guardian published a really interesting piece by Kira Cochrane about the current state of menstrual activism.  The article (which included a provocative photo of a woman wearing her menses as lipstick) elicited 160 comments, many of which were negative.  The article was complemented by another post on the same site from Rowenna Davis, who wrote a wonderful account of her own coming to consciousness around her period and how using a menstrual cup helped shift things for the good.  Her post generated over 100 comments, including many (mostly men) who found the topic disgusting.

Salon.com’s Amanda Fortini responded to the Guardian articles on October 6th with a scathing post questioning the necessity of menstrual activism.  Her premise is essentially that societal discomfort with menstrual matters is largely a thing of the past (maybe she didn’t read the comments to the Guardian pieces?) and that feminists have rustier axes to grind, such as pay equity and violence.

While this type of argument can make pretty much any pursuit seem petty (“well, it’s not going to stop a nuclear war, is it?”- my example), it is my perception that menstrual activism occurs on a crucial spectrum that ranges from body self-acceptance, sexuality, fertility, birth, breastfeeding and menopause – basically everything to do with women’s health and self-esteem.  Given this, I think it does matter – a lot. (more…)

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We clearly have some very talented customers, evident by the fantastic artwork below. So without further ado, here are the submissions to ours and Chris Bobel’s New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation book cover contest! (details here)

The winning artist is Helena Gonzales Saez, whose five entries can be viewed below. Helena will receive a $100 gift certificate to use at Lunapads.com. Great work, everyone! Many thanks to all who participated.

What are your favourites?

Click thumbnail to view full size:
(hover over image for artist’s name)

1st Row Caroline Mellor, Helena Gonzales Saez, Helena Gonzales Saez, Amy Gerein • 2nd Row Catherine Young, Patricia van Asperen, Natasha Clayton, Alysha Wilson • 3rd Row Leni Goggins & Brandy Vincent, Helena Gonzales Saez, Natasha Clayton, Patricia van Asperen • 4th Row Michelle Smith, Helena Gonzales Saez, Helena Gonzales Saez

For more information about Chris and her book, check out A Discussion of Menstrual Activism with Chris Bobel at ourbodiesourblog.org.

Update: Helena has graciously offered to donate her $100 gift certificate to our Pad4Girls program. Thank you, Helena! Your generosity is truly inspirational.  Click on donate pads to make your own contribution to girls and women in developing countries!

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Hello! My name is Becka, and I am a New Zealander making my home here in Vancouver with my husband and two grey cats.  I’m trained as a teacher, but now work as a doula while running a little online store with said husband where we sell various crafty wares.

As a teacher and women’s health advocate, I am really interested in and passionate about body awareness and positivity in relation to health and feeling self-empowered.  However, growing up with little to no sex education I can say that this has definitely not always been the case!

For a long time, my body, and especially my period, was a source of shame mixed with bewilderment.  To be honest, it wasn’t until well into my twenties that I felt like I had any understanding of my body.  It just wasn’t something that was talked about. I was reminded of this when my Grandma came to visit us recently.

As I was showing my Lunapads to her and my aunt, she mentioned that periods were never to be spoken about when she was young.  This didn’t surprise me and I made some quip about how we’re often being made to feel ashamed of our bodies, etc.  What did surprise me was her response: that she didn’t feel that it was because of shame.. but, that it just ‘wasn’t done‘. I decided not to press the issue, despite my feelings that the very fact things ‘aren’t done‘ or taboo are usually because of some sense of shame, whether self imposed or dictated by society, you know?

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Any visual artists out there who also happen to be natural menstrual product fans, even activists? Thought I was in the right place.

There is a very exciting book coming out in the next few months by University of Massachusetts Boston writer/researcher/professor Chris Bobel called New Blood: Third Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation – how great does that sound? All she needs now is some cover art and it’s all set to go to press, which brings me to the contest: provide Chris with the winning image, and you’ll receive $100 worth of free products of your choice from Lunapads.  The deadline for submissions is Friday July 10, 2009.

Here’s a description of the book, to help get the creative juices flowing:

“The book is an interdisciplinary, multi-method up-close -and -personal look at a little known, but persistent presence in the feminist health, environmental and consumer rights movements. With humor and verve and since the late 1960s, risk-taking menstrual activists have questioned the safety and necessity of femcare innovations. Through a host of sometimes shocking, always provocative tactics, menstrual activists boldly ask why menstruation is hidden, private and shameful. They force us to ask who, exactly, benefits from this taken-for-granted framing of a natural human process that over half of the human population experiences for about half of their lifetimes.

But this is not only a book about a fascinating movement. It is also an honest and fresh look at feminism-in-flux that illuminates the palpable and often painful tensions between so-called second- and third-wave feminists. Because menstrual activists are a diverse lot in terms of both identity and tactics used, study of the movement offers insight into how feminism is changing and how it has endured over time. In New Blood, we encounter middle-aged suburbanites who commune in Red Tents, queer urban punks who “culture jam” Tampax, teen anarchists who practice DIY health care, African-American women who espouse “holistic womb health,” taboo-smashing consumer advocates and health educators—both men and women– who use zines, blogs and sketch comedy to get the word out about the environmental and health consequences of our personal habits, and mothers of pubescent girls who refuse to pass on the shame.

This is an exciting time in feminist history.

Menstrual activism helps us see what’s at stake in the spirited debates about what to do about gender and the ongoing struggles to engage a truly racially, ethnically and economically diverse movement of social change advocates around a common issue. While exploding gender categories is discussed in every feminist classroom and journal, the conversation lingers in the abstract. After more than 30 years of feminist debate, we aren’t clear what this ideological position look like when we actually DO feminist activism. How can we talk about body-based discrimination, for example, without talking about women AS women — even with all the differences within and among women? At the same time, how can we NOT afford to incorporate a questioning of fundamental categories like gender as we develop feminist agendas for the 21st century?”

Wow – what might these ideas mean to you, and what might a visual expression of that meaning look like? I for one can’t wait to find out…

Deets: Needs to be a high resolution (300 dpi at least) jpg or TIFF. The cover is 6 by 9 inches.  Please send submissions directly to Chris: Chris.Bobel@umb.edu (and copy me, Madeleine@lunapads.com.) Good luck!

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It’s time to have some serious fun with our menstrual activism, don’t you think? There have been recent stories of how some big name companies are having their customers make ads for them, and showing them during prime time TV – even the Superbowl. Ladies, what do you say? We just know that there are at least dozens, if not hundreds of super-creative, totally tech-savvy gals out there who could come up with something, funny, fabulous, political and gorgeous – just like you.

We think it’s about time to do away with the silly ads for menstrual products that encourage us to either hide our periods, be embarassed by them or that haunt us with that strange blue fluid. Time to let real women be heard. To that end, we’re launching a contest to get you, our beloved customers to make your own ad for Lunapads.com!

The entry process is simple. Create an ad for Lunapads.com and put it up at YouTube with “Lunapads” as a keyword. Deadline for entries will be March 31, 2007, (NOW EXTENDED TO APRIL 30) at which point the staff here at Lunapads will vote on their favorite. The winner will receive $250 worth of their choice of Lunapads.com products.

We’ll also highlight the top 10 videos that we receive and ask customers to vote for their favorites, the top 3 of which will each receive $100 worth of Lunapads.com products.

For resources on uploading your videos to YouTube click here.

Be creative, have fun, and drop us a line at info@lunapads.com when you’ve put your entry up so we’re sure not to miss it!

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