By Grace Peel
Think of a school-fostered donation drive. What comes to mind? Canned food, underwear, toothbrushes, shampoo, winter coats? One very important thing that, chances are you’re forgetting, are feminine sanitary products. For as long as most Americans can remember, Enloe and countless other schools around the country have held donation drives with the goal of providing necessities to people who cannot afford to buy them for themselves. Many of these efforts tend to focus mainly on food and clothes, which are of course are necessary for daily survival, but the feminine products that are just as necessary are often forgotten. Even though biologically female people make up more than half of America’s population, their needs are often ignored, especially when they are related to the menstrual cycle. What many people do not know, simply because it is seldom discussed due to the taboo on female menstruation, is that a large portion of people are forced to live without access to pads and tampons. A box of tampons costs about 5-10 dollars on average, while sanitary napkins typically cost $5. If a person buys one box of each every month and gets their period once every month of the year, that adds up to a total of about $120 spent on these necessities every year. And that’s not even counting the cost of painkillers, which any person who has had a period knows is essential when dealing with the sometimes handicapping pain of menstruation. Shockingly, 45 out of 50 states in the country have a hefty tax on tampons and pads, making it even more difficult for impoverished Americans to buy them. When someone is on their period and does not have access to sanitary products, it’s very easy to imagine what might happen- this natural process essentially handicaps them. Many affected people are unable to attend school or work, making their economic situations even worse and contributing to the vicious cycle of poverty that many Americans are already involved with. Though this is a disappointing problem, it is astoundingly easy to fix. All Americans have to do is stop perpetuating the stigmas surrounding menstruation, and start making an active effort to consider and help impoverished people who are in need of things that are less obvious than food and clothes, like tampons and pads. Even if this problem is not addressed adequately or immediately by public institutions like schools, there is so much that ordinary people can do to make it better. Start carrying around a few spare tampons and/or pads in your car and your backpack so they are readily available to give out. If you know anyone at Enloe who may be in need of sanitary products, offer to buy them some supplies for their next period. Even if you don’t get periods, start carrying a few pads or tampons around just in case someone you know may need them. The collective awkwardness and ignorance of society when discussing menstruation can change, as well as the lack of access to feminine products, starting with just a simple increase in awareness among the people of America.
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January 2018
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