Period positivity & Modibodi #AD

Do you remember when you first started your period? I was 9! I distinctly remember being terrified at first, I’m pretty sure I thought I had broken myself somehow and I was about to collapse. This was the dramatic end, goodbye cruel world.

Then I went to my mum and the rest is the same as a lot of pretty a-typical stories – mum sorted me out with pads, I hated them with a passion, they felt like a log between your legs. They came unstuck and flopped to the side, risking a slip and the ultimate death-by-embarrassment. By year 8 I was using tampons, which in hind sight probably wasn’t all that safe for a young girl, especially with all the associations of toxic shock syndrome, the increased risk of bacteria and the risk of abrasions when periods are light. Yet that was, and has remained, my choice of sanitary protection, despite all the flaws.

Until recently.

As women we have it pretty rough don’t we? Periods, babies pressing on the bladder and causing incontinence during pregnancy, post birth bleeding (seriously, WHY do none of the books warn you about the post both bleeding, amiright?! It’s insane) and then the change you will find to your periods after children – the change to your period as you get older, the change due to various contraceptions. When I had Toby, I decided that I didn’t want to have any hormones pumped into my body and I had already found out that I was pretty crappy at natural family planning, I was more of a “naturally aiming not to get knocked up but if it happens I’m going to be ok with it” planner. So off I tootled to my doctor, only to have the copper coil which made my periods so heavy I remember leaking through a super size tampon within an hour. SUPER SIZE PEOPLE.

Modibodi is a company that I feel embodies everything I love – the determination to encourage diverse and sensible advertising for one. I have a HUGE issue with the way that advertising agencies advertise sanitary products to women. No, your sanitary towel doesn’t make me feel like I can jump out of a plane, m’kay? Buh bye. Modibodi use a range of body types in their advertising, breaking industry standards, and they are determined to show all body types, from mine to yours because we all have the same issues with periods, we all have the same struggles and they want us to know that their pants are suitable for everyone.

Modibodi are, in a nutshell, period and leak proof pants. They have a range of underwear from bikini style with lace to simple and contouring – whatever style you would normally like during your period, whatever colour, they have it. They have a range of absorbency levels, for women like me who have a now after baby number three and with a merina coil got a very light flow, to women
like me 4 years ago with the heaviest flow you can imagine. The best part? These aren’t designed to wear with a tampon, with a sanitary towel – these are stand alone. From the moment you start your period, your Modibodi pants will see you through, simply wash them and on a cold, delicate wash and you are good to go.

Did you know that tampons and sanitary towels are hella bad for the environment? Well if you didn’t, where have you been? Mooncups and reusable sanitary towels have seen a huge rise in popularity, not only do you avoid the “luxury item tax” that comes with sanitary towels (F You Westminster) but they are environmentally friendly – and so are Modibodi pants.

So how does it work?

The period (and pee – those oopsie moments you might be having? Modibodi got you covered) pants work on a three layer system, the first layer wicks moisture and leaves you dry and smell free, the second layer absorbs the fluid – up to two heavy flow tampons worth) and the third layer is an additional layer of waterproof protection guaranteeing you never leak through your pants. I have used these pants during my period and – whilst I will confess, the memory I have of leaking through my tampon and staining a white dress not long before I fell pregnant with Edith prevented me from wearing white to test out my new modi bodi pants, I did use them exactly as prescribed with jeans and a dress and not ONCE did I leak through. Not at all. They really do work.
Starting my period so young, I have some horror stories to tell you about dropping tampons in class as I tried to stuff it up my sleeve and pretend I wasn’t going to the bathroom to change my tampon, to leaking through on the train on the way home from school. With these pants, Edith will have the additional security and one day, when she’s ready, she won’t have to worry about things like tampons, sanitary towels or leaking.

As if Modibodi hadn’t impressed me enough their pants, their breastfeeding tank tops are made using the same ideas as their pants, and whilst I am not longer breastfeeding – so I can’t tell you how good they are or not, if they are half as good as the pants, then you can’t go wrong. I remember SO many occasions when I used breast pads that were super soft, but ahead no water proof backing and leaked through, so many occasions where I would forget to put them in or not leak for a month or so and think “meh, it will be fine” only for it not to be fine and for me to be casually walking around Asda with two blobs of book leak on my top. Always in a god damn grey top. Grey is not your friend when you are a breast feeder in the leaky stage – it’s black, white or nothing.
Until the end of October, 5% of every sale from the Modibodi breastfeeding vest will go to PANDAS charity – a charity that supports women through post natal depression. If you’re pregnant or your are breastfeeding, then there is never a better time to grab one of these vests.

H 🙂