VOICES: New York Subways Think Periods are Gross

Thinx’s controversial ad showing a peeled grapefruit and woman sitting uncomfortably.

Peeled grapefruit, a raw egg, and women sitting in uncomfortable positions are all considered too suggestive to be displayed on NYC subways.

Last week Mic.com broke the story on Thinx underwear ads criticized by the MTA and Outfront Media for several reasons: women showing too much skin, the grapefruit and egg being inappropriate, and the word “period” possibly endangering the innocence of young boys minds. “[C]hildren would see the word ‘period’ in the ad and ask their parents what it meant,” said an Outfront Media representative to Mic.com. But it seems their real concern is with young boys, as young girls will be encountering their own periods in a few years anyways. The fact that Outfront Media has given the green light on extremely damaging ads in the past, blatantly showing off women’s bodies and using grapefruits to represent breasts, is not only hypocritical, but also lame.

Yes, the exact same fruit.

If you’re thinking that underwear used without a pad or tampon sounds unsanitary and uncomfortable you’re wrong, according to one Buzzfeed staff member, Sarah Burton. She tried out Thinx underwear during her period and found them awesome, although she warned of ill fitting sizes. In her everyday woman explanation, the entire experiment reassured my own doubts of going sans pad or tampon and
made me laugh with silly, exaggerated GIFs, like Buzzfeed usually does.

Periods are experienced by half of the population for upwards of 30 years throughout their lives, however they’re rarely discussed in pop culture because people are uncomfortable talking about menstruation. But this monthly event takes young women, without access to feminine hygiene products, away from school. These young women are getting one-fourth less education than their male peers by no fault of their own, other than being female of course. Thinx is committed to solving this problem specifically in Uganda. Thinx sends funds for every purchased pair of underwear to their partner organization AFRIpads, who employs local women to make affordable, reusable cloth pads for young women.

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