As a vagina-having person, I have been plagued by the necessary evil known as periods. Some people have a great relationship with that part of their life, while I have not. Ever since I first got it as a preteen, it is definitely not one of the highlights of my month. I am lucky to have one that comes on time (for the most part) and lasts for only a few days. But the pain that I have to suffer and the amount of care that has to go into my period is something I would rather live without.
However, there have been recent innovations when it comes to menstrual care in terms of new products, ways of thinking and even apps. I have a period tracker, which surprisingly made my periods a whole lot easier. I have also started using the Diva Cup, which is a total game-changer (Full disclosure: This was a gift from Her Campus in the beginning of the year survival guide sent to all the chapters).
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Menstrual cups have been increasing in popularity recently, in a movement to not only end the taboo of women’s menstrual cycles but also to create reusable items to cut down on the 250 to 300 pounds of disposable period products the average woman throws away in her lifetime. In this new wave of reusable menstrual products not only do we have menstrual cups to choose from, but there are also washable pads and the very popular period panties. Probably the most successful brand of this type of underwear is THINX.
I first heard of THINX at the beginning of this year, and was intrigued almost immediately. Founded by Miki Agrawal, these were made with the intent to battle mensi stigma and create a product that women could feel empowered by. In one of their first videos, THINX goes in depth to show how deep rooted the problem is in regards to shaming women for their periods. I come from a family made up of mostly females and I went to an all-girls high school, two environments where I was allowed to freely speak of my period and even wave a tampon around a time or several. It was normalized for me, which I didn’t realize was not the norm until that video.
To even further their mission, for every THINX panties bought, they will donate a full pack of reusable AFRIpads (reusable sanitary pads) to girls in need. In developing countries, millions of girls are falling behind in school and dropping out because each month they miss a week to two weeks of school they because they can’t afford regular pads.
I am all for women empowerment and honestly, I was sick of being held down by my pads and tampons; the cost, the amount that I had to use per month and just the uncomfortable feeling of it all propelled me to give THINX a try.
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The panties are on the more expensive side. I needed to get the one made for the heaviest flow which are the hiphuggers for $34. I chose to buy 2, so that I could switch off when one was drying from a hand washing the night before (which I highly recommend). But, the overall amount of money you are saving is definitely worth it (for the 70 percent of women who use tampons, they will spend $1,773.33 on those alone in their lifetime).
At the time that I bought them, they were running a little small so I had to call and get newer ones shipped in a better size. Despite this mishap, the customer service was amazing and they also let me keep the smaller ones, even suggesting I donate them to a woman’s shelter which I did with the smallest pair.
Due to my heavy flow, I have to use my cup with the panties, which they suggest on the packaging, saying that you know your own body. I do have leaks, but because I am wearing THINX all day, it holds everything! I can wear lighter colored pants with no fear of stains and because the absorbent area of THINX covers the whole butt, I found myself losing the paranoia every woman has when it comes to back leaks.
Having to hand wash the panties is probably one of the only qualms I have with them, just because it takes up a lot of time in the morning, but it’s something you have to do, and honestly I’d rather have to do this than have a pad that moves around all night. The other thing that I’m not a big fan of is the waistband. It is loose on me, even though the smaller size wouldn’t fit me either. I don’t know why this is, but it is bearable.
Mostly, I just love the fact that I haven’t had to throw period garbage away for months. It’s not an overstatement to say that my period used to rule my life. Like most people who have periods, I’d have to carry pads and tampons around with me and also run the risk of being out (because I am also very forgetful). I also don’t have to worry about getting more. Even though cups run around $30 and so do the panties, it truly is worth it months later when you haven’t had to buy a pack of tampons and won’t have to for the foreseeable future.
RELATED: How Girls Handled Their Periods Throughout History
Power panties: cliché? Maybe. But truthful? It’s the stone cold truth. Not only are these panties better for Mother Earth, they are comfortable, don’t move around and make me feel normal while on my period. There isn’t too much extra care involved with them except for hand washing after every use. I no longer feel like my period is weighing me down, a huge unseen burden that makes my life just a little harder every month. I can now feel as normal and comfortable (besides the pain) while on my period, and for that I am so grateful for THINX.