top of page

"Pads, Not Patriarchy"

2017

Today, tampons are used by over a hundred million women across the world. In average, every woman uses at least 11,000 tampons in her lifetime, but the time it takes for a tampon to breakdown in a landfill is centuries longer than the lifespan of the woman who used it. In addition, the process of turning wood pulp into cotton-like fibers is both resource and chemical intensive. The cotton planting process produces run-off water that contains not only soil sediments but also pesticide, salts, and fertilizers. These chemicals will change the pH in water that directly destroys wildlife and later threatens the whole bio-cycle. What’s worse? The toxic ingredients which allow those fibers to absorb ten times their weight in liquid directly harm our bodies and later increase the risk of getting cancer. Not only that there is no regulation for menstrual products companies to state this on their packages, but 40 states in America currently tax pads and tampons as luxury items.

This is an issue related to more than half of the human on this planet, but no one talks about. When learning that disposable menstrual products are commercialized along with expectations from the society and the fact that manufactures in China only make pads, I came to realization that this is more than an issue of hygiene, but an issue of patriarchy. My packaging design is inspired by the moon cycle that resembles women’s menstrual cycle. The colors I use are not only to stay away from “pink” but in hope of opening a brand new conversation. Different phrases of moon is carved out on the outside, while the inside is an illustration of cotton, saying “You deserve the BEST” on its side. Through the package, I wish people no longer feel ashamed of talking about period nor taking out their pads or tampons in daily settings.

bottom of page