Period pants for Wimpund

[PeriodPants]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Luxury Moon supports women and womens rights