Period pants for Wimpund

PeriodPants · 2022-01-13T23:12:28+00:00

Wise vipers of Mumsnet, forgive the relatively trivial topic but I am in the market for a stack of period pants and would very much like to give my custom to a company that unashamedly promotes its products to Wumben/Wimpund/Woomud. I've had a look at some well known brands' websites using a quick ctrl+f for "wom" and, astonishingly, am coming up pretty empty. I had enough trouble finding a tampon brand to switch to so any advice on particular brands of pants would be much appreciated.

Mumfun · 15/01/2022 11:21

Luxury Moon supports women and womens rights

bordermidgebite · 15/01/2022 10:16

Ah- thank you - I think I am sensitive ( at my age you think I might be past that ) but also do feel so sorry for children caught up in this

Original poster

PeriodPants · 15/01/2022 10:12

bordermidgebite I absolutely don't blame them. I blame the sexist society in which they find themselves. Sorry if that wasn't clear. When I said I wasn't speaking disparagingly or dismissively, I meant it.

In an ideal world everyone would have the experience and strength to recognise and reject sexist nonsense outright but it's completely unrealistic and unfair to expect it of children and teenagers who have been steeped in it all their lives and are searching for some way out of or through it, and those children then become adults who have never learned to think critically about it unless they are taught and encouraged to do so by adults.

I'm very grateful for the role models I was lucky enough to have in my own life and for boards like this with intelligent, informed posters willing to engage in the same discussion points over and over again for the benefit of casual readers like I was.

OP posts:

bordermidgebite · 15/01/2022 09:52

I think you should be careful about the " not like other girls "

It is true that this is very sexist but my experience was that the people saying I was not a proper girl in the first case was not me but the girls in class who excluded and laughed at me because of my differences

So don't blame the girls who opt to be seen as none binary or trans - it's could be victim blaming

Original poster

PeriodPants · 15/01/2022 09:45

EdgeOfACoin Yes, I agree. I don't think it's conscious sexism for most people (sexism rarely is in the UK these days, I'd say). I think that most genuinely believe it is all about being kind and accepting people as they are. Some irony in there somewhere.

OP posts:

EdgeOfACoin · 15/01/2022 08:39

It seems to me to be a variation and extension of the claim and feeling of being "not like the other girls" or bring like "one of the boys" - a subconscious attempt to escape the beliefs internalised about women and girls

This is why I can't stand the ideology, PeriodPants. I can't see it as anything other than deeply sexist - that all women think and act in a particular way and that if you don't think/act in such a way then you are not a woman. And the fact that companies who are supposed to be creating products for all women mindlessly go along with this sexist ideology enrages me.

I've not been looking at this board much, lately. It tends to depress and infuriate me in equal measure.

I was thinking the other day what it would be like if we treat the word 'children' or 'babies' the way we treat the word 'woman'. E.g.:

"The World Health Organisation states that people should not be weaned until they are six months old".

"Children and people under the age of 12 must be placed in a car seat"

"Toddlers and people who are toddling will enjoy this exciting adventure playground"

"Parents and people under 5 years old may attend this Stay and Play session"

Etc.

Whatwouldscullydo · 15/01/2022 08:09

It seems to me to be a variation and extension of the claim and feeling of being "not like the other girls" or bring like "one of the boys" - a subconscious attempt to escape the beliefs internalised about women and girls

I dont setting up the self fulfilling prophecy if puberty being so horrific helps either. It sucks yes. But it's not optional. We don't need to pathologist puberty. There's not a man or woman alone without an embarrassing period/penis story. But the one saving grace used to be that we were all in it together. Now we pathologist puberty. After telling kids how awful its going to be. That they stop being a child when it hits even though a 9 yr old with periods and a bra is still a child. As is any child under the age if 18 regardless of stage if development.

The Massive big deal, the parental freak out and arbitrary age cut offs and acceptable ways to deal with it based in hang ups from adults placing adult connotations onto everything. No wonder they all.want to.pretend it's not happening. Treating it like a disease is not the answer.

Original poster

PeriodPants · 15/01/2022 07:04

EdgeOfACoin It seems to me to come from a place of either or both of a) some particular trauma experienced due to being female b) deeply ingrained sexism born of receiving the message subtly over the entire course of one's life about what women are like, and what they should be like.

It seems to me to be a variation and extension of the claim and feeling of being "not like the other girls" or bring like "one of the boys" - a subconscious attempt to escape the beliefs internalised about women and girls.

I don't say that disparagingly or dismissively since I used to be one of those "I'm not like the other girls/proud to be 'one of the boys'". It was an attempt to escape the bullshit heaped on the fact of being female and give myself a framework that I felt gave me permission (of myself and others) to be the full and rounded human being I was.

I would never have seen it as that then but I do now. Fortunately the only lasting effects on me from that are residual anger at the subtle sexism I (even as a very well educated and privileged, single-sex educated woman ostensibly encouraged to believe I could do anything) grew up with, compassion for my younger self and other women struggling under similar nonsense and a bit of embarrassment at the 'throw other women under the bus' way I chose to deal with it at the time.

I think I can say hand-on-heart that every single back story I've listened to from a transman involves overt or implicit reference to sexist expectations to which they felt they didn't conform, and an immediate social circle who think that is weird or problematic. I find it incredibly sad.

OP posts:

musicalfrog · 15/01/2022 06:11

Here's a question - if a transman is not on testosterone, why exactly distinguishes a transman from a woman? What makes a transman any different from any other woman?

Thought process? That's all it takes now right?

EdgeOfACoin · 15/01/2022 05:55

I was on the Babipur website the other day.
It's a website that specialises in ethical children's toys, clothes and reusable nappies, as well as period products.

It said 'one in ten people suffer from period poverty'.

One in ten people. It doesn't even make any sense. Do they mean one in ten women? Or one in five women? It's insane. Do any men suffer from period poverty?

I navigated away from Babipur and have no intention of buying anything through there.

Here's a question - if a transman is not on testosterone, why exactly distinguishes a transman from a woman? What makes a transman any different from any other woman?

timeisnotaline · 15/01/2022 04:58

@TheMissingMango

I received a press release from modibodi yesterday.

No mention of women or girls. Just very carefully worded to avoid the verboten, or called tampon-users.

‘Tampon users’

bleugh.

QueenJulian · 14/01/2022 16:04

Sister’s republic talk directly about women on their site. No sign of any woo from what I’ve seen.

Original poster

PeriodPants · 14/01/2022 15:58

hazelnutlatte Have you found the unicorn? That was a refreshing read!

OP posts:

hazelnutlatte · 14/01/2022 15:40

I'd recommend iceni silver period pants- look at the 'about us' page - no mention of anything trans related and the products are clearly aimed at 'women and girls.'
Also they are great and ideal for sports.

KittenKong · 14/01/2022 15:39

Correct it and return it…

TheMissingMango · 14/01/2022 15:28

I received a press release from modibodi yesterday.

No mention of women or girls. Just very carefully worded to avoid the verboten, or called tampon-users.

Alekto · 14/01/2022 15:07

[quote foxgoosefinch]@BlueberryCheezecake so we all have to be called “menstruators”, because a very small number of women want to pretend they aren’t women (even though they presumably know quite well they are women). Is that right?[/quote]

Yes. All women who don't claim a trans gender identity are excluded. 'Tis only progressive and right. Women should shut up, think of others, and #bekind.

Alekto · 14/01/2022 15:03

@Whatwouldscullydo

Sadly I think its a lost cause now. The only option left seems to be to purchase through a stockist such as luxury moon mentioned above , that uses the word woman rather than directly through the individual websites.

We finally reach a point where women and girls have any option they could need, one tailored to them rather than dished out in a brown paper bag hoping no one notices , akd the first thing we do is go straight back to words that can't he mentioned.

Same old same old

Yep. Exactly.

bedington · 14/01/2022 14:54

I heard Ruby Raut ( FOUNDER OF WUKA) on the radio a few years ago..she was very inspirational and I have supported wuka ever since

foxgoosefinch · 14/01/2022 14:48

@BlueberryCheezecake so we all have to be called “menstruators”, because a very small number of women want to pretend they aren’t women (even though they presumably know quite well they are women). Is that right?

Original poster

PeriodPants · 14/01/2022 14:44

Whatwouldscullydo Christ, that's a depressingly good point.

OP posts:

BlueberryCheezecake · 14/01/2022 14:12

@Georgeskitchen

I was under the impression that trans men are on testosterone which stops periods. Correct me if I'm wrong

Not all of them, and not all the time. For starters, there's a 3+ year waiting list for most gender clinics so many trans men are stuck for years waiting for their first prescription, unless they can afford to go private. Some others may choose not to take T or may take it for a while then come off it (for health reasons, because of side effects, or simply because they're happy with the changes they've had so far and don't want to remain on a prescription for their entire life). It's down to the individual, what suits them and what they prefer. Added to that, even if they are on T, you can still sometimes get break through bleeding. It's really not a case of someone comes out as trans, immediately goes on testosterone and that's it for life.

Whatwouldscullydo · 14/01/2022 13:45

Sadly I think its a lost cause now. The only option left seems to be to purchase through a stockist such as luxury moon mentioned above , that uses the word woman rather than directly through the individual websites.

We finally reach a point where women and girls have any option they could need, one tailored to them rather than dished out in a brown paper bag hoping no one notices , akd the first thing we do is go straight back to words that can't he mentioned.

Same old same old

hedgehogger1 · 14/01/2022 13:43

@PurgatoryOfPotholes

There was a thread about modibodi saying "people who menstruate"/"menstruator" on their social media marketing, but it got deleted.

I kind of like that they've realised enough to delete it though.

NitroNine · 14/01/2022 13:41

The Mail managed to get an article from a thread last summer & the CEO’s response was that they refer to “people who menstruate” as well as women & girls…

I think, but I’m not sure, that “people who menstruate” crept in & up a couple of years ago; & has now crept back again.