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Pads and tampons. Some argue these are environmentally unfriendly and produce too much waste, but you have to think, not everyone is privileged enough to own a

by sevilo 7y ago

Pads and tampons. Some argue these are environmentally unfriendly and produce too much waste, but you have to think, not everyone is privileged enough to own a washing machine in their own home, particularly those in 2nd and 3rd world countries. I genuinely believed pads and tampons allowed women to be more productive in the work force and eventually lead to more equality, just hearing my mom and grandma's story of having to hand wash your own bloody (literally) period bands gives me nightmares, that was in the 70s, not that long ago.

lubujackson 7y ago
You could also say the bra. Less of a hygienic product for sure, bras spelled the end of corsets and really helped usher in many changes that led to a big increase in personal freedoms for women (both physically and socially).
- kingca 7y ago
  Hey, I would love to learn more about this. How did bras usher in a bunch of physical and social changes in freedoms for women? I'm not too read-up on any of these topics but I'm incredibly interested.
kamakazizuru 7y ago
I agree with pads & tampons being a great invention. Can we however please finally stop referring to "2nd and 3rd world" countries. Get on a plane - things are more similar than different in most parts of the world, stop perpetuating dated notions.
- blompa 7y ago
  As an alternative to "2nd/3rd" or "developing" countries, I really like the "Four Levels of Global Income" model[0] that Hans Rosling put forth in his book Factfulness[1] (a must-read IMO). It gives a much clearer perspective on how people live (and as you mentioned, how similarly people live across the world amongst the same income levels) [0]: https://www.gapminder.org/topics/four-income-levels/ https://www.gapminder.org/topics/four-income-levels/ [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814 https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Bett...
- fudged71 7y ago
  On your last point: Having recently returned from rural africa where girls miss significant amount of school for lack of pads & tampons (still), I can't exactly agree with this sentiment. Edit: if you care to read more or donate, check these out http://www.zanaafrica.org http://www.zanaafrica.org https://www.huruinternational.org https://www.huruinternational.org
- Grustaf 7y ago
  When did you last visit a country where the gdp per capita is a few hundred dollars? Trust me, it’s pretty different.
  - kamakazizuru 7y ago
    2nd / 3rd world notions have nothing to do with GDP. There are plenty of countries (a lot of the middle east for example) that would have back when 2nd and 3rd world were relevant notions been considered 3rd world, these currently have some of the highest GDP (PPP Adjusted) per Capita ;)
    - Grustaf 7y ago
      Sure, but I responded to the comment about “getting on a plane” and discovering that all countries are so very similar.
    - Falling3 7y ago
      Yes, but the parent didn't imply that the two necessarily correlate. All you showed was that developing countries can have a high GDP. Are there any countries considered first world that have a low GDP?
- air7 7y ago
  These terms don't mean 2nd and 3rd tier countries. At least they didn't used to. > The three-world model arose during the Cold War to define countries aligned with NATO (the First World), the Eastern Bloc (the Second World, although this term was less used), or neither (the Third World). Strictly speaking, "Third World" was a political, rather than an economic, grouping. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World
  - kamakazizuru 7y ago
    I actually didn't state anything about economic grouping. My point is the notion is dated - and you've illustrated that quite well with your comment. The eastern & non-aligned blocs dont exist any more & the first world has split into its own bloc-ish things, yet everyone is a lot more willing to play ball with each other than at any given time in history before.
- sevilo 7y ago
  Get on a plane? Please, I'm from a plane. Being able to live in these highly developed western countries is a massive privilege. And trust me, a lot of things you take for granted these days, say birth control pills or IUD for women, are still frowned upon and not the easiest to access in China unless you're married, despite its development in the last 20 years. And even relatives who are making good earnings still wash their dishes by hand and dry their clothes with air, restaurants and food handling have little health inspection standards unless you're at a 5 star hotel. And I'm not talking about the rural parts of China, I'm talking about some of the most developed cities.
  - GuiA 7y ago
    It’s common for women in Japan to get their friends traveling abroad (to eg Taiwan or Vietnam) to bring them back eg birth control or the morning after pill. It’s expensive and typically not covered by insurance (problem 1), and extremely hard to get a prescription for because the doctor will likely be male and lecture you on how you should get married and have babies (problem 2).
gridspy 7y ago
Equally important is contraception and elective abortion. Being able to control the timing of raising a family allows a much higher degree of freedom and also ensures a safer and more healthy environment to raise a child. I think the most important prerequisite to being a parent is the desire to be a parent.
- maerF0x0 7y ago
  I dont think "you can pretty much build it yourself" applies here.
  - SuoDuanDao 7y ago
    eh, I'd say it depends on the quality you're going for. Some sheep intestines and string seemed to do it for a lot of people back in the day...
    - filoleg 7y ago
      While you make a good point, I wouldn't call condoms made using sheep intestines and a string to be a modern invention, as that dates to at least 1500s.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- JustSomeNobody 7y ago
  > ... safer and more healthy ... Not for that dead child. > I think the most important prerequisite to being a parent is the desire to be a parent. I don’t disagree with this. Thankfully adoption exists.
  - kuzimoto 7y ago
    I'm assuming you were downvoted for your first point. Not sure why as it is true. There are two sides to the equation. As for the second point, it's always better to plan for children, but people can step up to the challenge to become great parents.
blompa 7y ago
Menstrual cups are a step up from this! They produce much less waste, are much less messy (almost never leak), and don't need to be changed as often (once every 6 - 12 hours and without the TSS risks that tampons have). It's better to use running water to wash them out, but simply wiping them with tissue paper can work too (albeit a little messily), if water is scarce. A downside that I've read about however is that just like with tampons, some cultures consider inserting anything into the vagina as losing your virginity so using them may be considered taboo.
- sevilo 7y ago
  True. On your last point, I think that actually makes pads a more significant invention over tampons and menstrual cups, because it allowed women in very conservative cultures where losing your virginity before marriage is considered taboo, to still able to go about their normal daily actives during periods. Interesting me and friends from elementary school in China were never taught to use tampons, tampons and menstrual cups didn't become a thing until very recently.
- 2rsf 7y ago
  > without the TSS risks that tampons have consumer reports disagrees with you [1] https://www.consumerreports.org/women-s-health/menstrual-cups-linked-to-toxic-shock-syndrome/ https://www.consumerreports.org/women-s-health/menstrual-cup...
  - blompa 7y ago
    Thank you for linking that report, very interesting. I also read through the article[0] that the report linked. I think a significant factor in the difference in risk is how much contact tampons are making with the vaginal canal vs menstrual cups; the article mentions that the risk is higher if the cup is allowed to overflow (and the toxins from within the cup make contact with the vaginal canal). So I suppose that even though the cup can be left inside for longer than a tampon can, that (as advised) it should definitely not be left inside for longer than necessary. [0] https://aem.asm.org/content/84/12/e00351-18.full https://aem.asm.org/content/84/12/e00351-18.full
andreygrehov 7y ago
I live in New York and the majority of my friends do not have washing machine in their home. In fact, it’s a luxury to have one. In contrast, I’m originally from Ukraine where not having a washing machine is weird to say the least. There are many things that would make me call US a 2nd world country, so I’m having a hard time understanding which countries are 1st world countries.
- karaterobot 7y ago
  After WWII, there were two superpowers splitting the world between them: the first world was the NATO West, and the second world was the Soviet East. Countries who were unaligned, or not considered sufficiently important, made up the so-called third world. If these terms ever meant anything, they don't anymore, and they certainly have nothing (directly) to do with washing machines!
- noelsusman 7y ago
  This is only a thing in extremely dense, expensive American cities. Most Americans have washing machines in their home.
  - poulsbohemian 7y ago
    What is surprising is how many houses don't have a dish washer, in both urban and rural areas.
    - mwfunk 7y ago
      A quick Googling suggested that 25% of them don't have dishwashers. I don't know if that number is accurate, but 25% would be a lot more than I would have expected too.
- ARandomerDude 7y ago
  Wow. I've lived in the US all my life and I've never heard of a majority of anyone's social group not having a washing machine. Have others experienced this? If so, in what city?

by sevilo 7y ago

lubujackson 7y ago

You could also say the bra. Less of a hygienic product for sure, bras spelled the end of corsets and really helped usher in many changes that led to a big increase in personal freedoms for women (both physically and socially).

kingca 7y ago
Hey, I would love to learn more about this. How did bras usher in a bunch of physical and social changes in freedoms for women? I'm not too read-up on any of these topics but I'm incredibly interested.

kamakazizuru 7y ago

I agree with pads & tampons being a great invention. Can we however please finally stop referring to "2nd and 3rd world" countries. Get on a plane - things are more similar than different in most parts of the world, stop perpetuating dated notions.

blompa 7y ago
As an alternative to "2nd/3rd" or "developing" countries, I really like the "Four Levels of Global Income" model[0] that Hans Rosling put forth in his book Factfulness[1] (a must-read IMO). It gives a much clearer perspective on how people live (and as you mentioned, how similarly people live across the world amongst the same income levels) [0]: https://www.gapminder.org/topics/four-income-levels/ https://www.gapminder.org/topics/four-income-levels/ [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814 https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Bett...
fudged71 7y ago
On your last point: Having recently returned from rural africa where girls miss significant amount of school for lack of pads & tampons (still), I can't exactly agree with this sentiment. Edit: if you care to read more or donate, check these out http://www.zanaafrica.org http://www.zanaafrica.org https://www.huruinternational.org https://www.huruinternational.org
Grustaf 7y ago
When did you last visit a country where the gdp per capita is a few hundred dollars? Trust me, it’s pretty different.
- kamakazizuru 7y ago
  2nd / 3rd world notions have nothing to do with GDP. There are plenty of countries (a lot of the middle east for example) that would have back when 2nd and 3rd world were relevant notions been considered 3rd world, these currently have some of the highest GDP (PPP Adjusted) per Capita ;)
  - Grustaf 7y ago
    Sure, but I responded to the comment about “getting on a plane” and discovering that all countries are so very similar.
  - Falling3 7y ago
    Yes, but the parent didn't imply that the two necessarily correlate. All you showed was that developing countries can have a high GDP. Are there any countries considered first world that have a low GDP?
air7 7y ago
These terms don't mean 2nd and 3rd tier countries. At least they didn't used to. > The three-world model arose during the Cold War to define countries aligned with NATO (the First World), the Eastern Bloc (the Second World, although this term was less used), or neither (the Third World). Strictly speaking, "Third World" was a political, rather than an economic, grouping. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World
- kamakazizuru 7y ago
  I actually didn't state anything about economic grouping. My point is the notion is dated - and you've illustrated that quite well with your comment. The eastern & non-aligned blocs dont exist any more & the first world has split into its own bloc-ish things, yet everyone is a lot more willing to play ball with each other than at any given time in history before.
sevilo 7y ago
Get on a plane? Please, I'm from a plane. Being able to live in these highly developed western countries is a massive privilege. And trust me, a lot of things you take for granted these days, say birth control pills or IUD for women, are still frowned upon and not the easiest to access in China unless you're married, despite its development in the last 20 years. And even relatives who are making good earnings still wash their dishes by hand and dry their clothes with air, restaurants and food handling have little health inspection standards unless you're at a 5 star hotel. And I'm not talking about the rural parts of China, I'm talking about some of the most developed cities.
- GuiA 7y ago
  It’s common for women in Japan to get their friends traveling abroad (to eg Taiwan or Vietnam) to bring them back eg birth control or the morning after pill. It’s expensive and typically not covered by insurance (problem 1), and extremely hard to get a prescription for because the doctor will likely be male and lecture you on how you should get married and have babies (problem 2).

gridspy 7y ago

Equally important is contraception and elective abortion. Being able to control the timing of raising a family allows a much higher degree of freedom and also ensures a safer and more healthy environment to raise a child. I think the most important prerequisite to being a parent is the desire to be a parent.

maerF0x0 7y ago
I dont think "you can pretty much build it yourself" applies here.
- SuoDuanDao 7y ago
  eh, I'd say it depends on the quality you're going for. Some sheep intestines and string seemed to do it for a lot of people back in the day...
  - filoleg 7y ago
    While you make a good point, I wouldn't call condoms made using sheep intestines and a string to be a modern invention, as that dates to at least 1500s.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
JustSomeNobody 7y ago
> ... safer and more healthy ... Not for that dead child. > I think the most important prerequisite to being a parent is the desire to be a parent. I don’t disagree with this. Thankfully adoption exists.
- kuzimoto 7y ago
  I'm assuming you were downvoted for your first point. Not sure why as it is true. There are two sides to the equation. As for the second point, it's always better to plan for children, but people can step up to the challenge to become great parents.

blompa 7y ago

Menstrual cups are a step up from this! They produce much less waste, are much less messy (almost never leak), and don't need to be changed as often (once every 6 - 12 hours and without the TSS risks that tampons have). It's better to use running water to wash them out, but simply wiping them with tissue paper can work too (albeit a little messily), if water is scarce. A downside that I've read about however is that just like with tampons, some cultures consider inserting anything into the vagina as losing your virginity so using them may be considered taboo.

sevilo 7y ago
True. On your last point, I think that actually makes pads a more significant invention over tampons and menstrual cups, because it allowed women in very conservative cultures where losing your virginity before marriage is considered taboo, to still able to go about their normal daily actives during periods. Interesting me and friends from elementary school in China were never taught to use tampons, tampons and menstrual cups didn't become a thing until very recently.
2rsf 7y ago
> without the TSS risks that tampons have consumer reports disagrees with you [1] https://www.consumerreports.org/women-s-health/menstrual-cups-linked-to-toxic-shock-syndrome/ https://www.consumerreports.org/women-s-health/menstrual-cup...
- blompa 7y ago
  Thank you for linking that report, very interesting. I also read through the article[0] that the report linked. I think a significant factor in the difference in risk is how much contact tampons are making with the vaginal canal vs menstrual cups; the article mentions that the risk is higher if the cup is allowed to overflow (and the toxins from within the cup make contact with the vaginal canal). So I suppose that even though the cup can be left inside for longer than a tampon can, that (as advised) it should definitely not be left inside for longer than necessary. [0] https://aem.asm.org/content/84/12/e00351-18.full https://aem.asm.org/content/84/12/e00351-18.full

andreygrehov 7y ago

I live in New York and the majority of my friends do not have washing machine in their home. In fact, it’s a luxury to have one. In contrast, I’m originally from Ukraine where not having a washing machine is weird to say the least. There are many things that would make me call US a 2nd world country, so I’m having a hard time understanding which countries are 1st world countries.

karaterobot 7y ago
After WWII, there were two superpowers splitting the world between them: the first world was the NATO West, and the second world was the Soviet East. Countries who were unaligned, or not considered sufficiently important, made up the so-called third world. If these terms ever meant anything, they don't anymore, and they certainly have nothing (directly) to do with washing machines!
noelsusman 7y ago
This is only a thing in extremely dense, expensive American cities. Most Americans have washing machines in their home.
- poulsbohemian 7y ago
  What is surprising is how many houses don't have a dish washer, in both urban and rural areas.
  - mwfunk 7y ago
    A quick Googling suggested that 25% of them don't have dishwashers. I don't know if that number is accurate, but 25% would be a lot more than I would have expected too.
ARandomerDude 7y ago
Wow. I've lived in the US all my life and I've never heard of a majority of anyone's social group not having a washing machine. Have others experienced this? If so, in what city?