Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site umcp-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!umcp-cs!beth From: beth@umcp-cs.UUCP (Beth Katz) Newsgroups: net.women.only Subject: Re: feminine "protection" Message-ID: <1532@umcp-cs.UUCP> Date: Sun, 2-Dec-84 12:02:08 EST Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1532 Posted: Sun Dec 2 12:02:08 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 19:52:49 EST References: <10083@watmath.UUCP> Reply-To: beth@maryland.UUCP (Beth Katz) Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD Lines: 30 Summary: Sophie is not alone in wondering about this protection thing. I think it is a carry-over from when having one's period was considered evil since so many people (men in particular but women too) did not understand what was happening. Although my mother had explained it all in sufficient detail, I was scared when I had my first period. Now it is mostly a bother though the cramps are still bad the first morning (sorry, Sophie, the pill doesn't get rid of all such troubles; well, maybe some pills will). Perhaps these ads are created by people who still consider menstruation an evil or scary thing. It's natural. It shows you that your body is working (usually). They don't think that you will think about it and realize that the only thing being protected is your clothes. You are somewhat protected from embarrassment if these things leak. Maybe that is what they mean by protection. Another angle at the protection bit is that bigger pads will perhaps imitate larger tampons which you may not want to use because they might be related to Toxic Shock Syndrome. Therefore, if you have a heavy period and are considering using tampons, perhaps this 'bigger protection' is protecting you from TSS. (I'm mostly kidding here. I still use tampons; I just make sure I change them more often and don't use the super-absorbant kind.) This is pretty far-fetched reasoning. I think we should just not pay any attention to their ads. What works for one woman may not work for another. For example, I can't use any of those products containing any scent though my sisters think they are fine. You just have to experiment and find something that works for you. It must be difficult to put a new product into this market. Beth Katz {seismo,allegra,rlgvax}!umcp-cs!beth