Centuries of Period Shame Kept Us from Getting THINX Sooner
Tampons haven’t really changed in almost 50 years. Why?
When period panties first began appearing in Facebook ads and blog posts in 2014 and 2015, many potential consumers eyed them with both skepticism and tentative excitement. The marketing was slick, sure, but it’s what the panties represented that was truly tempting.
Because, though alternatives to wasteful, inconvenient, leak-prone tampons and pads had circled the periphery in the past, panties like those made by Dear Kate and THINX were indicative of a legitimately exciting new notion: that the menstrual-product industry might actually be a place for innovation.
The new period panty, designed to absorb menstrual blood and reduce reliance on pads and tampons, was embraced more wholeheartedly than previous period-disrupting products. The concept felt more novel than the Lunette or the DivaCup, for example, which gave new life to an old-timey mechanism for catching one’s monthly flow. And while LunaPads reduced waste by using more sustainable materials, they failed to generate the buzz enjoyed by the period panty.
