Girls Talk – OF SANITARY NAPKINS AND DEEP ECOLOGY


[For the benefit of those who just landed here, Girls Talk is a weekly meme among my female blogging friends. We agree on a single topic and write or say something about it, sort of woman’s take on certain things in life. You know women when given venue have a lot to say about everything, right? Our theme for this week is the color purple.]

With all seriousness this GT thing really requires a lot out of me. I roamed around the house for about an hour looking for my entry today and of all the pretty purplish things I got hold of, I ended up with this purple-wrapped sanitary napkin, nonetheless, I can’t be absent with Girl's Talk this week. I need to post one. Yes, it's just a sanitary napkin but I was thinking of putting more substance to this, oh gee, it’s already a substance absorber, what am I talking about? I mean putting more weight to than just a Whisper post.

And what does this purple Deep Ecology book doing here? Well, it’s the only purple thing I can find around here with the so-called substance I was talking about and I’ll try to crack the relationship between the two.

Girls Talk – OF SANITARY NAPKINS AND DEEP ECOLOGY


Deep Ecology, living as if nature mattered is a book authored by Bill Devall and George Sessions; it tackles about the philosophical, psychological and sociological roots of today’s environmental movements. It examines the human-centered expectations behind the current approaches to dealing with nature; it further explores the possibilities of human’s expanded consciousness and our direct involvement with our surroundings and presents clever positions on the increasing domination of human on nature.

In other words, this book tells us more than just tearing its page to wrap our used sanitary pads and throw it in the garbage bin. It tells us about cultivating profound ecological consciousness that will somehow direct us to a harmonious balance of women existence, the community and the environment, it tells about developing an insight that anything is connected to everything else in this world and largely tells us about cultivating a deep sense of environmental conscience.

Why? Because women and it's menstrual period should grow environmental morals as they have a sizeable share to environmental degradation and moreso to protection.

Here’s the rub, did you know that it takes 500 to 800 years for disposable sanitary napkins to decompose? Hey, I can see your eyeballs popping out from here, you don’t believe it, don’t you. I can’t believe it either but that’s what scientists say and just how much of women’s ecological duty is of concern here? Ok, let’s do a little mathematical analysis just to show a point, I’m no good at this, but I’m cultivating conscience you know, so I should try.

I’ll try to calculate how many pads a woman (that’s me) can consume in her(my) entire reproductive years. Let’s say, I started using disposable sanitary napkin when I was thirteen, I’m now 38, therefore I’ve put up 25 years supporting this industry. I consume 15 pads/month multiply that with 12 months you have a product of 180 pads and, my God I’m afraid to tap my calculator to multiply this with the number of years I have been using sanitary pads.

If and when my menopausal period will hit me at 60, Oh Jesus, I refuse to see the result, I’m feigning my mathematical ability just failed but I’m definite my sense of guilt has just been activated, those bloody trash whatever they’re made of, said to pose another threat to women’s health, this would be another story, would outlive me by incalculable number of generations ahead. Incredible!

I’m a woman who celebrates my femininity, so even as while our society, our culture look at this as ritually unclean or however they made desolate stories out of this natural wonder, I find that there’s power in it, a power to mimic nature, in the same manner that only women can have the power to reverse this overwhelming influx of sanitary brands in the shelves these days.

There’s no other way but to go back to basic, go back to 'pasador'.

The ‘catcha’ can be a perfect vintage pad alternative. We may have laughed at our lola talking about cloth pads in the heyday, but the innate wisdom of it is far entrenched than the leisurely advertised sanitary pad culture of today. I think I should start coming up with my own line of classic catcha menstrual pad, how does that sound? 

I can smell a budding woman entrepreneur coming  up with environment-friendly pads right here! Siya nawa! Pasador, Inc. it is!

47 comments

  1. Replies
    1. thanks jan, glad to share something :) thanks for dropping by.

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  2. Your opening is so funny :D it made me imagine a woman rummaging through her house for purple objects, holding a pack of sanitary napkins in her hand, hee hee.

    Great job fusing the two objects into a single topic! :D I've read about those cloth pads before too, but i also kind of prefer to stick to disposables napkins. I'm concerned about the environment and all, but like you, I find that some things are hard to switch around. :) Nice post!

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  3. I'd still go for disposable napkins.it saves my time with all the kuskus lol.

    Girl's Talk

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  4. oh wow..i learned something today, Mommy Vernz. Thank you so much!

    my GT entry is here http://kcelebration.blogspot.com/2010/09/spot-purple.html

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  5. full of humor Teacher Vernz, I really love your post talaga!!!

    Thanks for the info (cheers tayo sa Modess!!!)

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  6. I remember when I started having period, a cousin was living with us and she made some cloth pads for me to use. In time I stopped using it because it's quite difficult to wash it. (ewww...)

    I love your post!

    My purple item for Girls Talk is up HERE.

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  7. Aw! i love your entry ate! very creative and very unique jud! hehehe... grabe ha naglibot2x pajud ka para lang mangita ug color nga violet.. hehehe!

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  8. haha.that napkin made me laugh for seconds. i mean such a "unique" concept, whoever created it. was it even available here?..and LOL. i can imagine your son asking you that question..nice post..=)

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  9. uh-oh! i think i got lost.. i really got lost with the 'mathematical thing' here.. but nice post just the same!

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  10. I guess, I don't have time to make kus kus my cloth sanitary pad, so I chose the disposable, unless, it would be forbidden. If they stop selling it, then I will stop buying it, but until then, I would go with the easiest way. Hehehe! I can't believe whisper package and that book are the only violet.purple/lavender items you have. Even I don't like purple, I at least had 1 item in my possession. My daughter's drawer though is full of purple.

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  11. Maayo ning mabuntis Vernz kay menus sanitary napkin hehehe. Great infor thanks for sharing

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  12. geee. learned new here. thanks for the information that I can share to my friends. am sure this info rarely known by others.
    thanks for leaving comments at my corner Ate Vernz..
    Happy GT :)

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  13. wow! all of a sudden parang gusto ko na lang gumamit ng pasador! Unfortunately, I don't know how to make one,sorry! LOL!

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  14. informative post, sis, learned something new today. thanks for the share.
    but i'm still with the disposables ;) sorry.

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  15. aww, nice points there miss Vernz, but switching to cloth menstrual pads is a major major problem for me. I will never consider using it, ^_~

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  16. mommy vernZ, bisan unsaon nako try ug dli use napkin, wala man koi lain alternatives ui :D pero i tried to make pasador before, turo ng nanay ko pag gabi lang naman :) kasi 7days ang regular mens ko :D a hell lot of napkin talaga nagagamit ko:(

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  17. ok na ito maam Vernz meron naman purple or violet and whisper hehehe..i like this alternative sanitary napkin ah...carry kaau nku mag-kuskus ana...plus breathable pa? nice!

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  18. I guess when at home cloth napkins are a possibility.

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  19. Ang galing hehehe, two thumbs up for ya tVernz!

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  20. Wahhh ano na lang gamitin natin to help with the environment wahhh

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  21. I still prefer using the disposable one.Mi amiga, have you heard about "Menstrual Cups"?

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  22. hahhaha...substance absorber man jud...lol! tampons na akong gamit usahay.

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  23. i dunno. i've been using disposables too since forever. augh. that kills me to know that!! arrrgghhh.

    and your word problem gave me headaches too. good thing you provided the answer in the next sentence. LOL.

    thank you for another very informative and fun post!

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  24. If our grand grandmothers and mothers done it and survived their (bloody) monthly visitor, why can't we, ouch a dilemma of modern living? Nice post Vernz as always. lol..

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  25. hahaha gi-imagine nako imo tuyok-tuyok sa balay pangita ug i-post haha..well, nice man result kay very informative man...pero bahala diha, gamit japon ko anang sanitary napkin nato karon oi...waaaaaaa...ayaw pangunsensya diha hahaha

    btw: hasta nakong katawa sa imo comment kay dhemz didto sa food blog nya...haha si-aw jud ka Vernz..

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  26. very environment friendly...but I think disposable napkins would still be more needed for on-the-go and working moms like me...yung no need for additional messy laundry...hehe. Pero kung iisipin talaga noh, using washable cloth napkins (and diapers too!) would save us from landfills full of trash. Siguro kung bawasan ng boss namin ang workloads namin so that we could have enough time for more household works (especially washing personal item like that na hindi pwede ipalaba sa iba), pwede na siguro un...just a thought. Teheee! :D

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  27. parang nsa THE class ako te vernz.. i havent use the pads for 4 months now swerte kc i have irreg mens LOL but with this post bigla ako naawa kay mother earth.. eh andaming babae gumagamit ng pags. magkkaron ba ng bundok na puro pads? waah so iw!

    sana naman may maibento na hindi plastic.. kaso ang hirap nga maglaba pag katapos.. di kkyanin ni mister pumasok sa banyo pagnagkataon :D lol

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  28. i can never see myslef using pasador or catcha whatever it is in my life. though if i dont have any choice i wont mind it if everyone is using it haha. also I dont have much of that blood on my period mostly i use this really good pantyliners that can go a long way with my period hehe

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  29. hahaha.. i would want to go back to those pasador days when I was in highschool.. it's yuck haha.. washing it, hanging and even ironing it for the next use.. such a hassle..lol I just hope taht more ecofriendly napkins will be invented.

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    Replies
    1. I mean would NEVER*** want to go back to those pasador days

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  30. I used to use whisper when I was still there. I remember the pasador days as well JennyL hehehe..

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  31. hehehe..oh life of a woman, we need something to help that flows be as comfortable as possible, it reminds me before that i wish i was a boy that way i don't need to have this monthly visits which is very annoying, until i came to realized that being a woman is amazing...glad God didn't turn me into a boy...

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  32. This is it. Being a woman has a lot things to do especially our monthly period. I'm not really sure if I like pasador.hhehehe.Well, I didn't try yet.Well see.Good post though.

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  33. Isn't it so unfair that we woman curse by a monthly suffering :( well anyway that life right? :) As much as I love nature , I can't let my period without using pads I wish I can recycle it ha ha..

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  34. Oh Whisper!! That's the brand I used when I was in the Philippines!

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  35. I have to admit that when I had my first ever period when I was 10 or 11, my Mom prodded me to use pasador. But after so many years, we ended up using sanitary pads as it's more convenient. A lot of things have changed over time. AM I ready to go back to pasador? Hmmm. I will have to think hard about it. LOL!

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  36. i started with pasador since that was what my late mom introduced to me, however, on learning about sanitary pads, I soon junked the pasador coz not only I was lazy, I needed to change more often too and there is just no way I could put so many bloody stained pasador in my purse :( but no excuse, since even at home, I still use the sanitary pads.

    I shifted to biodegradable tampons that could even be easily flushed out of the toilet when I was here, but later, I went back to sanitary napkins for sanitary purposes as well, somehow, after I got UTI from using tampons, I stopped right away using tampons and now scared using it.

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  37. I'm blushing.. But I learned lots of new 'wing' info here.

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  38. Oh, I never know about before sis until I read your review about it. I don't usually use this brand but the letter M alone...even the night pads..

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  39. really interesting post...i never tried using pasador but heard it from before, like you i've been using disposable sanitary napkins since the day my red days started...:) sad to know the effect of it in our environment but really, i can't see myself using pasador as of now...hehehe! :)

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  40. Going back to my pasador days (same with bestfriend JennyL) it's so tasking - washing & ironing - and time consuming I should say. I admire your quest for environmental friendly tips and I hope that someone will invent something between the washable pasador and the disposable pads. That would balance the love for environment and the convenience of today's pads.

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  41. I never use pasador as my mother introduced 'Modess' to me. :) Here in Europe, most ladies are using tampons. Tried it for one cycle but it's so uncomfortable to use. So I switched back to what I'm used to.

    By the way, where can I join this GT? I would love to share my own thoughts too.

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  42. Haha sometimes I use a pasador when I don't have sanitary napkins in my cabinet.

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  43. Honestly, it's hard for me to use pasador, I usually have stains. But I'm just fortunate that I don't use any napkins at all, hehe! I no longer have monthly periods.

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  44. Yay! VEry informative, indeed!

    Since I first had my menstruation, my mom told me not to use sanitary napkin if I'm just staying at home. So, I used clean cloth instead.

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