When Mother Nature calls with her monthly gift, women unfortunately don’t have the option to send it straight to voicemail.
Thankfully, there are aisles of products that are easily accessible for us women to purchase when that uncomfortable times come. But what about those moments when Mother Nature calls a little too early and you’re in the middle of class with no preparation? Run to the restroom? Go home? Skip class? The options become a little narrow when you know you have little time between now and full-on embarrassment.
During my time at LBCC, I’ve noticed the lack of female-hygienic products on campus and have heard my fair share of stories and loaned out my fair share of tampons from my own stash to my fellow female classmates. So how educated and accommodating is LBCC to their female students?
The PCC has no women’s restrooms with hygienic vending machines. Though a bit old school, those machines were put there as a last resort for desperate women needing a quick tampon. Having them in each restroom makes it so that if an emergency arises, women can get their care easily and without embarrassment and quickly make it back to class. Not having the machines leads to spending more time in the restroom figuring out what the next move is rather than in class. I can even point out a time where I was embarrassed in front of my peers for taking “too long” in the restroom because of a desperate flee and call to my friend in the next class over. That’s two women out of class using that time to exchange a tampon that the school could not supply.
However, there are alternative ways to grab a tampon on campus. The health service center has its own supply of feminine products for you to use free of charge. However, the Health Center is not central to campus and could be a walk for outskirting buildings. Also, how many tampons and pads could the health center give to a woman who can’t afford the heavy priced hygiene products? Not only are the regular 25 pack of tampons $7 to 12 and pads $6 to 8 (and that’s a monthly or bi-monthly purchase), but those feminine products are taxed heavily with the “pink tax.” The pink tax is placed on feminine-hygiene products because, ridiculously, they are considered a luxury item. I don’t know about you, but cramps, ruined panties and constant discomfort is not my definition of luxury and I’m not down to pay 13 percent more than men because of a womanly condition I’m completely out of my control.
Ladies, we are at a time where our femininity is being challenged. How can our needs be pushed aside and even made even more inconvenient with taxes and increasing prices. To charge us for our periods, to not stock women’s restroom with feminine products and to tax us heavily should be a crime against our womanhood. Thankfully, with oppression comes progression. Many up and coming tampon companies online such as This Is L. and Athena Club rids the pink tax and sends tampons to your door for less than $5. Ditching your popular brand for a women- empowerment brand challenges to pink tax and shows that our periods are our womanhood and women are strong.