Madeleine Shaw would never be caught taking a pill to stop her period. In fact, she loves and honors her period. And wishes more women would, too.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Madeleine [below right with business partner Suzanne Siemens] is the founder and partner of Lunapads International Products Ltd. Madeleine, now 38, had a lot of different career ambitions in her life, including being part of the foreign service, a fashion designer, and a social worker. But designing and making washable menstrual products ended up being her calling. And her feminist vehicle for change. Here’s Madeleine…
What’s the Luna Pads story—the short version?
The short version is I started creating the products, and making the products in 1993. It’s funny because the whole time I was doing my [women’s studies] degree at university, it never occurred to me to turn my feminist lens on a feminist-viewed product industry. I don’t know why. It was sort of in the mid-80s and women’s studies was still not really such a thing. And I guess we were sort of more of preoccupied with bigger issues, like rape [Laughs]. So questioning your tampon didn’t really feel intense, right?
But I started getting these bladder infections, and kept getting them. They were the bane of my existence. And then I read an article in a magazine, an environmental periodical called Garbage. The article was called, “The Truth About Tampons.� It talked about how they were made and the chemicals in them. And I was like, holy shit, this is my problem, and this is so wrong I can’t even believe it.
I had a feminist consciousness but I didn’t have an environmental consciousness just yet. Those two things go hand in hand so perfectly, I guess I wasn’t mature enough when I was 18 to figure that out. And it’s wonderful to see so many 18-year-old women who do get that now. It wasn’t until I was 25 when I could really put that together.
So, once I started I had actually found some washable pads that someone else had made. I loved the idea but I did not like the product. I had been sewing since I was a little, little girl—my really creative bliss is sewing—and I thought what a gift it would be if someone could make a product that was genuinely marketable. That women thought was cool and that celebrated them, and that actually really worked. And so that just became my goal because I was so excited by the feeling that it gave me—that I didn’t have to give my money to a huge male-owned corporation that didn’t really care about anything that mattered to me. So that’s the short version! [Laughs]
Wow! And so then you got the marketing plan and…
Yeah, I wrote my first business plan for Lunapads in 1994.
Did you then go to investors?
Not immediately. No. I got my dad to co-sign a guaranteed loan and I took out the loan. So I made a personal financial responsibility. But I was backed up by my family and they were basically like she’ll pay. It took me years to pay off that loan but that’s OK.
So did you notice that when you started using more natural pads that you got less bladder infections?
Totally. That’s what flipped me out. And I figured out also a couple of years before that, that I needed to stop taking birth control pills. And so between the two of them, I felt like at age 25, that I was actually fully experiencing my menstrual cycle for the first time in my adult life. I had basically started using tampons when I started my period. And I had basically started using birth control pills when I was a teen. And so all of a sudden, here I was at 25 saying, “Oh, my god, I’m actually fully having my period here and it’s so amazing.� And it made me cry because I felt like I had basically denied myself something really special and really precious in a way for so long—about 10 years. I had kind of shut it down and was like, yeah, it’s better not to experience stuff.
But that’s our culture. It wasn’t just me. I had internalized a lot of messages that basically say it’s much better to pretend you’re not having your period. To not experience it. To not see the blood. To not touch it. To not take responsibility for it. And to not be interested in it. Not anything it! But to shove something up yourself, or take some pills, or whatever, and make it go away. And so when I actually realized I had been missing out on something really important, and special, and good, it was a huge revelation to me.
Even though politically and mentally I had it down why feminism mattered. I really didn’t get it on an emotional level. That I was just kind of shutting myself down [all these years]—this kind of spiritual awareness around my body. That was sort of the development of my consciousness. That’s what using washable pads gave me! Because prior to that I could argue any kind of cerebral pay equity, or whatever you wanted to talk about. But I wasn’t really tuning into my womb, going with the flow. [Laughs] I was busy. I was a modern woman. I gotta put in a tampon and power on. Right?
So for people who are not aware of this menstrual product debate, are mainstream menstrual products dangerous? The short version is…
I think making the choice to use natural feminine hygiene products should really come from a place of love as opposed to fear. Just like anything else. I’m not interested in scaring people. I can sit here and tell you about toxins, and gels, and bleach, and all that stuff. And the thing is, I’m not a scientist. I’m not a doctor. And I’m also in the position that if I say the wrong thing and Procter & Gamble, or Kimberly-Clark, or somebody, wanted to send a bunch of lawyers out at me, I wouldn’t be in a position financially to support something like that.
And so, let’s just go with solid waste. 14 billion pads, tampons, and applicators go in a landfill every year!
I also get calls from customers every day. I’m not going to start calling on studies and surveys. I just know to be true that tampons can mess with women’s health. And at the end of the day, it’s an immense solid waste problem that these products take hundreds of years to biodegrade. Hundreds! It’s insane and we’re throwing them away and we think that’s OK.
To me, when I look for ways to attract new customers and get women excited about making this choice, it’s really not about that. I’m not going to sit here and say you gotta save trees. Make someone feel that she’s got to compromise something in order to not feel guilty about something else or whatever. I’m just not about that. It’s about making a positive choice. It’s about making a choice that respects you and could really open up something beautiful and wonderful. If you talk to women…like a random survey of 20 women on the street. And let’s say for sake of argument, who probably use disposable products. If you ask them, “Do you love your tampon? Do you love your pads?� or “Do you love your panty liners?� or whatever. Nobody is going to say “Yes!� They’re going to say, "What do you mean love them?" It’s not an emotion or a feeling that you would attach to these products. But if you ask Lunapads customers how they feel, they absolutely love Luna Pads, and will say yes.
And so, it’s like bringing pleasure, or a positive thought to something that never existed there before. That’s the message that I try to put forth towards women—to be really conscious. To be conscious about everything. Be conscious around what you read, what CDs [you buy], all those things. And we’re asking you to be conscious about this, too, if you can. But I’m not interested in saying you should, or you should really look at the statistics, or whatever. Women don’t need that. You already have enough of that stuff in your life.
I noticed on the website that many of the products, like the internal menstrual cup, were popular in the 1930s. Why do you think it was more popular then as opposed to now?
First off, it is extremely popular now. We sell tons, and tons, and tons, and tons of them. But I think it’s the power of capitalism that realizes you’re going to make more money by making disposable products than you are by selling reusable products. Really, we’re crazy! [Laughs] People are like, “You’re selling products that women typically buy once or twice and then they’re done.� And I’m like, “Yup.� Which means we have to go and keep finding new customers. And in our case, we don’t necessarily have a lot of money to do marketing. Or are interested in beating people over the head.
I guess I try to connect with women on a level that they’re not connected to very often in terms of marketing. And that is through respect. Like who comes out and basically says to women, “We say from the bottom of our hearts, we love you and we want the best for you.� That’s just not the message you get from companies ever. It’s usually we’re going to make you feel insecure about something and then offer you a solution for your insecurity, or the cure—whatever they want to call it. We get products like that all the time launched at us.
But you know what the thing is though, it’s actually working. Like the message that we bring to women—we’re here and we’re surviving. Doing this is a hard thing but we’re doing it. We’re not going away. We’re not at risk. So I think it’s part of the woman’s psyche to not feel overly bombarded and suspicious. They can still hear what we have to offer them and take it in and respond to it.
Would you say the internal menstrual cup is your most popular product?
No, definitely not. The Lunapads are definitely our most popular product. But the internal menstrual cup, or the Diva Cup, is extremely popular.
On a practical level, how do you address the kinds of concerns many women might have with reusable menstrual products?
First of all, all of our products are guaranteed. Let’s say you say you want to order a Diva Cup. And I take your order. And you try it and you’re not happy. We send it back and give you your money back. It’s that simple. It’s something that is very experiential and I can’t guarantee for you personally, or any woman personally, that the stuff is going to work for you.
It also depends a lot on expectations. Because some women are like how thick are the pads exactly. How often exactly am I going to have to change the internal cup? We’re saying that using these products is a whole other thing.
But personally, not having used a disposable for 13 or 14 years, it’s almost like we’re asking you to take a leap of faith. And if it doesn’t work out, we’ll catch you. And it’s fine. And yeah, sure, it’s always easier to throw something away than it is to have to bring a little nylon purse with you—which is free with your order—to store used pads with you until you get home. And then not to be able to forget them—you have to rinse them out and wash them—yes, that’s part of the work. That’s the consciousness. It’s part of the responsibility we’re asking you to take. But doing that is a good thing. I think for some people they want things to be really easy. They want to feel OK, I’m using these reusable products and I feel so good, and this is so good, but I actually don’t want to have to do the work. And it’s like, there’s a lot of value in actually doing the work.
It’s almost like there’s value in when you’re bleeding, sitting down with yourself for an extra minute or two minutes or five minutes—or however long it takes to take out the Diva Cup to rinse it out or take some wet paper towels in the stall and wipe it out. It’s like OK, I spent an extra 30 seconds being present with my body. I think the mindset is, but I need those 30 seconds to do something important. I have something more important to do during that time. And it’s like, where are we as a culture, and where are we as women, when we can’t take 30 seconds to listen to our bodies? You just got to power on? You just have to keep going? There’s no gentleness. And I guess our message is about gentleness.
And it’s about women take a lot of time being strong. We are strong. And we’re doing so much in the world, struggling and all this stuff. And I guess, what we’re trying to say is, there’s a place for gentleness and there’s a place for honoring yourself, and we’re asking you to do that. I’m asking you to take an extra minute and to figure out creatively—I can’t make this perfect for you because I don’t know what your life is like. But if you’re willing to try, then we’re willing to try. And it can affect your life in those little big ways. It seems little, but actually it’s huge. Just telling your body, I’m going to shove something in you because I don’t want to see the mess. I don’t have time for blah, blah. That’s big.
But it also depends on your lifestyle. If you’re an underwater archaeologist, then you probably shouldn’t try Lunapads. I don’t even know what the right thing is for someone who is an underwater archaeologist.
And if you don’t have a washer or dryer in your house, and you have to wash them by hand, that’s a little bit of a drag. But some customers like to wash their pads by hand because it makes them feel more connected to [their period]. So there you go. I’m not one of them.
So you wash yours in the washing machine?
Yeah I do. I rinse them out with my hands first. And then I throw them in the washer…I just got my period for the first time after 22 months—I just had a baby. And I didn’t want to waste the blood. I wanted to put it in the garden, or save it. But I didn’t have time. So there you go!
But I wash it with my sheets and towels. I like it.
Many people are weird about blood.
Let’s take a look at that. For me, why are people weird around the [menstrual] blood? They are weird around blood because our blood is a literal symbol of women’s power. It really is, because it’s basically saying, “Hey, you can have a baby.� Women’s power is the most feared thing by women and men alike in our whole society. And so menstruation, to me, is a reminder that you are an extremely powerful being. That you are connected to the cycles of the moon and the tides, and the great Mother Earth and nature. What’s more powerful than that? But then it’s like, uh, I can’t touch that. I can’t deal with that. It’s gross. It’s disgusting. No, man, this is really something amazing
Do you get more customers in the U.S. or in Canada?
Oh, the United States, for sure.
Certain areas or regions?
Nope. Just certain kinds of women come to us. And they are everywhere. [Laughs]
Do you have any mainstream outlets? Is Walmart calling you?
Um, no, they haven’t called this week, Celina. [Laughs] It’s interesting that we’re talking about them because Amazon.com has approached us about selling Lunapads.
Wow!
I know. But we actually had an issue about product liability insurance. And then we had a debate about whether we wanted to sell at Amazon.com or not. We really didn’t think of any reason why not. And I was like, well, would we sell to Walmart? And we said we wouldn’t sell to Walmart. But Walmart isn’t the same as Amazon.com.
But at the same time, that’s the whole thing about trying to run a socially responsible business, you have to make these types of decisions. Let’s say our sales were down and we didn’t have enough money for marketing, you know whatever, and Walmart did come and say, “Hey, we’ve decided we want to go green and get more women customers. And we want to sell your product. And we’re going to put in these big orders and we’re going to sell and do marketing.� Would we go for it? I don’t know. Because we have to think about what are we trying to do here. We’re trying to bring this gift of this consciousness to as many women as possible, right?
But anyways, Walmart hasn’t called. That was just an interesting question to think about. Normally I would say, Walmart, forget it. I’ve never even been to a Walmart in my life. And on the face of it, it’s not the kind of thing that I would want to purchase from. But these sorts of decisions can be really complex.
But most of our customers are in the United States. We also do a lot of business with some companies in Japan, and another one in South Korea—and those are also big markets for us.
What advice do you have for women who want to start a socially conscious business?
Go for it. I think it’s a great place to start from. It’s really, really, really, really hard. So pick something to do that generally matters to you. Something that you are absolutely passionate about, that’s going to make it easier when things start getting, and they will, very hard.
And so we get so many calls from people who want to interview us, or who want to come up and talk to us about their idea. And I always ask people what they love about it. Sometimes you don’t even have to ask, it’s just totally obvious. But for some people, it’s about making a ton of money, and I can’t even tell you why, but I want you to help me.
I always think when you don’t make your “millions of dollars� the first two years, or whatever, what’s going to get your ass out of bed? So I think with a socially responsible business, it’s a great motivator and the world needs it because we’re not going to become this beautiful socialist, utopian society. We have to deal with being a capitalist society and economy, and we have to work from within that to make it as humane and as responsible environmentally as we can. So, the more people doing it, the better.
What do you see as the future for Lunapads?
I think the company is going to grow quite a lot, actually. It’s already had over a decade invested in it—of blood, sweat, and tears [Laughs]. We’ve built a very, very solid foundation—like it’s not just some kind of woo-hooo start-up, here we go kind of thing—and rapid growth and all that stuff.
I’m a Capricorn. And I think it’s been a slow and steady kind of progress in the company. And I think we’re going to grow a lot. And I think that we’re going to have some really interesting opportunities to do some very creative work. Like I would like to sort of experiment and make a hybrid between for-profit and non-profit. I would like to be a not- for-profit organization that runs itself by selling products so that it’s completely socially desirable.
But some people are like are you a collective, or are you a nonprofit? And I’m like no, we are a for-profit incorporated company and that’s really important. Just because we have all of these nicey-nice goals and agenda and all this kind of stuff, we still need to be responsible business people. We need to be smart, and work harder in a way.
The money is a motivating factor for me personally because it feels like there’s no silver lining here. We either stand or fall. We’re selling our smarts, the quality of our decisions, our integrity, and our customer service. But ultimately, we work to make people feel good.
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Yay, I love my Lunapads and my DivaCup. I've never read so much about the creator of the company before. I always wondered how they managed when they sold a product that lasts for 7 years or more. I wish I could support them more monetarily, but the nature of thier products is that I can't.
Great interview!
Stuff like this feels like I'm being condescended.
I am absolutely for women not being weirded out by their bodily functions and the existance of their vagina. I really am! I try to get my friends to get over the societal 'eww' reaction to anything concerning sex, menstruation, etc.
But you best believe that if I didn't start smoking, I'd be on Seasonale, and as soon as I have all my kids, I'm getting my uterus removed.
I really just don't LIKE having my period. I'm not grossed out by it or anything, but it is a huge amount of physical discomfort for me that I just don't want to put up with.
So I just feel a little bit like if I don't like having my period, then I'm obviously repressed. I don't know. I think I read too much into this. =\
Very interesting interview. I always see ads for Lunapads in mags (Bitch, etc.), but never knew much about the women behind the business. I've thought about the pros and cons of using non-disposable products, but I don't think I could consider using them until I have my own house w/ washer and dryer. (I kind of hate doing laundry right now in the basement of a shared apartment complex.) It definitely sounds like a commitment and something that comes with a lot of responsibility, and I like the idea of becoming more in tune with one's body because of that. I definitely don't think this is something that all women would feel comfortable with, which is unfortunate.
Good work, Celina.
I'm with Lorelei: I feel condescended to when a woman talks about having periods as a way to get in touch with her body. I'm in touch with mine, thanks, through lifting heavy things and doing carpentry and being generally active.
Periods for me meant moderate discomfort and a lot of mess, plus crippling PMDD that a low-estrogenic-action pill took care of. I've not had a period in 7 years and don't feel I'm missing anything by it. Different strokes.
I don't understand the fuss about women who choose not to have their cycles unless they want them.
While cycles are natural, they are not always pleasant, convient nor wanted.
Like birth control or getting pregnant women should choose what fits in their lives.
Yeah, hurling my razor-edged hat into the ring again. I think its fantastic that this company is doing what its doing - on those occaions when I do have a bleed, I don't want my hygiene products making me sick! However, that moralising dig at the start of your article was appallingly childish. How dare you imply that those of us who don't menstruate are some kind pitiable self-haters. How dare you imply that we're not real women for wanting to control our bodies. Nonsense like this is making me seriously reluctant to continue using this site as a source of news.
I'm pretty much all for whatever makes your period work for you. I used to have awful cramps as a teen and was grateful for the relief of hormonal birth control pills and large doses of advil. Now that I'm 34 my cramps have mellowed. (yoga seems to help, too.) I'm a big fan of the keeper, which I think is the original version of the diva cup. Not because it "gets my in touch with my body" but b/c it's a hell of a lot cheaper than tampons, better for the environment, and it feels more comfortable than shoving dry cotton up my vagina.
I love my reusable menstrual pads, and they DO make me feel more in touch with my body, but I really hate the preachy idea that there's something wrong with not wanting a period, that it always spring from some patriarchal place of body-hate. Not to mention the premise that if my power, my womanhood is in my menstruation, then we're back to biological determinism, and we all know how well that worked out. Valuing something because it's "natural" usually gets women back into our "natural" place, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.
Yay Lunapads. Boo biological determinism.
I've considered both sides of this issue for many years. At one time, taking the pill and regulating my cycle and all that seemed very convenient, very helpful. But over the years, I've tried to understand that if we want to celebrate being women, we need to embrace the good and the bad, the "inconvenient" and that which is unpleasant. Yeah, having periods is a powerful experience, when we are feeling enlightened. But most of the time we are simply crampy and pissed off. However, if that's the price to pay for the experience of being a woman, I'll take it. It's incoventient and it's a pain in the ass, but it's all just part of the package. All of these options we have now about regulating and "managing" periods has kind of numbed us to that uniquely feminine experience.
I don't suppose there's any way the interviews could be formatted differently from the rest of the page somehow? Maybe linked to elsewhere? I really dislike reading lengthly articles in the current squeezed-together format.
Plus I agree that there's nothing wrong with not wanting a period. It's a uniquely female experience, as is getting pregnant and having a baby, and I know that no feminist on this site would disapprove of a woman who chose to avoid that experience, even going so far as to, for example, take a birth control bill to avoid it! Periods shouldn't be as loathed as they are by mainstream culture, women who don't want their periods shouldn't have to get them, and women who do think their periods are wonderful shouldn't feel like freaks. There, I just solved everything.
Okay, I just realized that "maybe linked to elsewhere" is totally incoherent. Strike that.
thank you so much for this interview! I am enjoying the debate it has provoked. I am a recent convert to both lunapads and the diva cup and I have to say that i love them! so far superior than your typical commercial menstrual products. as for the debate about periods and power...it's not really up for anyone to judge. if one woman feels empowered by her period and another doesn't, fair enough. Both of their experiences and perspectives should be respected. Does controlling ones cycle play into the patriarchy? Is it (birth control) about exercising control over a womans body in order to make her more sexually availabe? Or is it just about individual choice? how do we differentiate when it is about control or about choice? Let's keep this dialogue going....
When I first read this interview, I was a little out of it after having been awakened the previous night by menstrual pain at 4 am, and was also maybe just little annoyed to read about how great it was that "Madeleine Shaw would never be caught taking a pill to stop her period."
This whole thing reminds me of Gloria Steinem's "If Men Could Menstruate," where she speculates about the hypothetical female absence of a period; antifeminists would use it to prove that women weren't strong enough to handle certain jobs, while hippie feminists would embrace "a female bloodless imagery."
I got the Keeper from Lunapads a few years ago and it's the best thing since sliced bread! Not only do I not contribute to destruction of the environment but I became unashamed of my body and actually look forward to my periods. I hope that didn't gross anyone out!
I'm going to expound on the subjectivity of "inconvenience." There are women who get cramps, cravings, and a little weepy during their periods...the textbook cases that bring to mind some girl watching a sad movie and eating chocolate ice cream out of the container. Awwwww, how cute!
I really don't know how often I can repeat that I sometimes feel suicidal, down to plotting the act itself. Even when you logically know you're dealing with a temporary chemical imbalance, you still lack any sense of hope. When I was on antidepressants, I'd still experience these thoughts during PMS.
Cramps can be physically crippling to some of us. Yes, it's true that marijuana is awesome for the pain, mainly in that it begins to work almost instantly. It's great to use along with traditional pain meds, for the 20 minute it takes for those to kick in.
How about those of us who rush out the door in the morning, because we've spent the previous hour on the toilet, mopping up a gorefest of pretty much every bodily waste possible (sometimes you have to take a second shower). Cramping activity inspires normally semi-dormant bowels to give you a spastic case of IBS for a couple of days. You wonder if you'll make the train, and plot where you can possibly get out along your route, should you need a public toilet before getting to work (this may continue throughout the next 2 days). This is particularly unfortunate when on a deadline, or due to meet an important client. My rent isn't going to pay itself!
I really resent the implications I'm any less of a woman if I want to control my cycles. Ashamed? Grossed-out? Believe me, I can probably out-gross most of you here. I'm not sure how shame relates to physical discomfort; aren't we to assume that everyone here grew out of any "shame" associated with their periods by age 14 (just like other bodily functions)?
Women telling other women they are obligated to embrace the "power" of their periods is ridiculous. As in the other period-related debate, it's worth mentioning that only the past few generations have menstruated so copiously, since advances in nutrition have "super sized" our number of fertile years. Plus, they were having babies throughout most of that time.
If I believe that perhaps females were not meant to have as many periods as they do currently, why should I give a rat's ass about spiritual awareness pertaining to said condition? I don't feel "empowered" when I take a dump, and don't buy into the whole mystique involved with bleeding (though period sex can be mighty entertaining).
I was on the mini pill for 3 years, and have stopped for a few months before my next exam, just to explore other cycle-controlling options for fun. I had 1-2 very light periods during this time, and needless to say, my quality of life improved greatly. Amazingly, this pill even prevented most of the emotional symptoms, and to be permitted to function like a normal human being was an incredible experience. A year after my OB-GYN prescribed these to me, I told her she had changed my life for the better.
Now that I'm bleeding for a few months, I'm amazed that OB is still the only tampon that doesn't expand LENGTHWISE. What's up with that? I'm also very dismayed that black pantiliners have been discontinued, only to make room for even more thong liners. Yuckola.
And girls who have issues with non-applicator tampons still crack me up!
I don't think that there's anything wrong with loving your period or anything wrong with hating your period. There are people at one extreme who can't function for up to a week a month because of the pain (and other things) and there are people at the other who have light and non-intrusive periods. The problem to me becomes when there is only one right way to 'be a woman'. Women are diverse and have diverse experiences both from each other and throughout our lives. And instead of condemning we should be supporting each other for making what, for us, are healthy and empowered choices. And recognizing that someone making a different choice from us does not invalidate our decision, but that everyone has to do what is right for them.
Periods are particular to women and they can be both be celebrated and condemned. They can both empower us and limit us. There is no right or wrong experience as long as it is our choice and is done in circumstances that are of our making and having all the relevant information. We should be able to celebrate our bodies whether they menstruate or not. And to celebrate others for making informed and empowered choices for themselves.
Agreed completely with Minty. Well put.
I don't get crippling pain or PMS or any other major side effects. I get sleepy, slightly bloated, and have cramps that are almost always greatly reduced by pain killers. I don't think my choice to stop my period should be, among feminists, considered any less valid than Jane Minty's.
Should it?
Nerdlet, I'm from the Jane Minty side of the period aisle, but I'm with you. The idea that somehow stopping periods gets you out of touch with your basic femininity is to me offensive--as though the "hey, you can make babies!" part of our selves is the most important part.
For what it's worth, I used a Keeper from the time I started menstruating (at 14) until I started the Pill at 27...so I've been there, done that for pretty much all of it.
i love my keeper. i've been using it for about 3 years now. that being said, i can never dictate whether it's bad for another woman not to want to have her period. i rather see mine every month. it let's me know everything is right in the world.
same thing goes with my birth control. it's my right to use it and no one can dictate whether i use it or not.
great interview.
It's not a spiritual thing with me. It's just that all those pads and tampons are meant to hide something (wrapping them in paper or flushing them before anyone sees anything is secretive behavior) so these products make you less ashamed. The Keeper makes my period "cool" for me, nothing more.
I am a feminist and I hate my period. I recognize the power of my body and I hate the ignorance, fear, and disgust that the opposite sex attributes to menstruation BUT PMS and cramps are nothing to look forward to. It's hard to think of any product being able to make me dread my period any less. I don't feel guilty in that and I don't feel that the article was condescending. I appreciate the views and I love the idea of lessening the environmental impact if not the capital impact of my period. I do plan on getting some reusable pads but only because of the practicality of it. My period is anything but spiritual.
This caught my eye as I've been thinking and writing about (and suffering from!) PMS a lot lately. I made the switch from tampons to pads about a year ago because I did become uncomfortable with the whole - tampon leaving bleachy chemically fibres inside me thing. After reading this really interesting piece I'm seriously considering lunapads - not so much because I feel that I want to be more in touch with my period but because of the environmental reasons to do so (the idea of landfill grosses me out more than a bit of menstrual blood). If I do feel more at ease with my cycle for being more hands on with it then I figure there's no harm in that at all. I won't know until I try anyway! Great article - cheers.
I'm concerned about the impression that some of you have that we at Lunapads believe that women should or should not treat or view their cycles in a particular way. All Lunapads is about is offering alternatives that some women may find support them better than disposable pads and tampons. For some women, opting for these choices has brought them the added benefit of a deeper appreciation for their bodies - others, not so much. To get clear: we support informed, personal choice above all, whether it's to use our products or not, or whether to have a period at all.
I don't see how putting blood -- which is not "clean" unless the source is clean -- into the liquid waste stream is an advantage over putting it into the solid waste stream, especially for places with incenerators. Personnally, I'd rather have the blood of someone with say hep-C burned or buried rather than leeching into ground water from a septic system or adding to the organic overload most municipal wastewater systems have now. We really need more civil engineers in the feminist bogosphere to call people on this sort of holier than thou of being more environmentally and health sauve when they aren't being any such thing.
Helen,
Hep-C, HIV etc are delicate virus that cannot survive outside of a living host very long. They are not transmitted through the water system.
It's not the disposing of the menstrual blood that is hard on the environment, it's disposing all of the pads and tampons. Which is why re-usable menstual products do make a difference.
(Didn’t read the thread or the interview just noticed the interviewees name in comments.)
I'd rather have the blood of someone with say hep-C burned or buried rather than leeching into ground water from a septic system or adding to the organic overload most municipal wastewater systems have now.
C'mon now I don’t think those diseases live very long out side the human body and are they present in uterus lining or just blood??? I am assuming they are washed in the laundry, with detergent? I hope! The heat and chemicals wouldn't support disease or bacteria. And how is pee and poo any better than uterus lining?
As far as not having your period meaning you are under the control of the man or whatever, I am just to blown away to even comment!
Just my two cents I gotta leave this thread now it’s grossing me out! (JOKE!)
Dammit!... er i mean what smarty pants said!
Madeleine--
It's not you people arguing with, it's with the editorial comment before the interview that some people believe chastises them for not liking their periods. About a week or two ago, one of the regular contributors questioned why any woman would want to give up her period (in discussion on long-term birth control); this provoked a big conversation both here and elsewhere in the feminist blogosphere where some women explained how painful their periods were, others complained about inconvenience, and still others worried that this was yet another way of The Patriarchy shaming women about their periods. The editorial comment "Madeleine Shaw would never be caught taking a pill to stop her period. In fact, she loves and honors her period. And wishes more women would, too." seems, in this context, "SEE? Why can't you be like Madeleine Shaw? She LIKES her period, you patriarchy-brainwashed ninnies!"
Madeleine wroteI'm concerned about the impression that some of you have that we at Lunapads believe that women should or should not treat or view their cycles in a particular way.
Feministing wrote
Madeleine Shaw would never be caught taking a pill to stop her period. In fact, she loves and honors her period. And wishes more women would, too.
Wow so they put words in your mouth Madeleine.
Thats not very cool.
I've had my Keeper for five years and love it for its convenience and comfort, but I do NOT love my period. Yes, I am very aware every month that I am a woman. I am not ashamed of it. But I am cetainly pissed off when I wake up with cramps that leave me curled up in bed unable to sleep until large doses of ibuprofen (that might give me an ulcer someday, will that make me feel even more like a woman because I'll be bleeding in two places? or should I stop taking it and spend two days in bed unable to move?) kick in. And I don't have PMDD, but as someone with a history of major depression, I experienced how monthly hormonal swings imposed on top of it contributed to danger of it.
As Jane Minty already said, people need to understand that for some women, menstruating isn't merely "inconvenient," it's disabling.
I've been using INSTEAD for a couple of years now, and I like it. I used to use tampons but I didn't like how it made my bladder feel. INSTEAD makes my bladder feel really bad at night, so I use pads at night. Having pads that I can clean over and over would be a nice touch. Thanks for the great article.
Just because we're talking about discomfort....Having your uterus removed is not going to prevent you from having discomfort relating to your reproductive organs. Do a little research on this one, or talk with a woman who's had a hysterectomy. It's no cake walk.
I love my divacup. It's the best thing I could have done for myself.
Thanks for everything.
Rock On!