Thinking Out Loud: Why Are Feminine Products a Luxury?

On my way to the till at my local grocery store, here in London, I happened to pass by the pads and tampons and couldn't help, but notice their prices and come to the realisation that it is not just that they have not been properly spread round the globe, but that they are actually a luxury!
£3 for a pack of pads?!

I had never really paid attention to the prices of the feminine products I purchased, but on that day, I compared the prices I saw to those of the groceries I had in my trolley.

I could have bought three 1litre bottles of juice (not from concentrate) for the price of one pack of pads. I could have bought 4 cans of coconut milk for the price of one pack of pads, I could have bought three bags of rice, 4 bags of pasta, et cetera, for the price of one pack of pads. Wow!

Buying a bottle of non-concentrate juice is a luxury let alone three litres of it. I am just as comfortable without a bottle of juice as I am with a bottle of juice, but I will never be as comfortable without the feminine products I require as I am with them.

Why make some women have to save money in order to be able to afford to take care of their families and to afford feminine products. Why not make the feminine products more affordable?

Why make women be subject to embarrassment due to getting preventable blood stains on their clothes instead of making the tools to prevent these stains more accessible to them?

Why make women have to opt for unhygienic things or things that would lead to others making a mockery of them in order to prevent stains instead of making better things more accessible?

Why make women and girls spend weeks that they could be getting an education at home waiting for their periods to end in order to return to school?

A period, the menstrual cycle or whatever you choose to call it is a natural process, it WILL happen. The only way to stop it is to tamper with your hormones in order to reduce your fertility or to go crazy and have multiple children till you reach menopause. What is better for women? What is better for our economy? What is better for our community?

Feminine products are not a luxury, they are a necessity for the health and well-being of every woman for most of their lives.

The Importance of a Period App

Picture got from Biology Olympiads

I finished a very intense workout and now, I am in my room listening to some of Yiruma's compositions and typing this.

When you saw the title of this, you must've been like, "not again!" "another period post??" "really, Sammy?!" Well, after this one, I doubt I'll put any other one up in the near future.

I am writing this post because I feel that it is something that will benefit all females who have periods and, well, I have been trying out a period calendar/app for some time now and it has proven to be a pretty good thing to have.

Okay! So, why is a period app important?

Period apps are important for various, but the most important reason, in my opinion, is that they help you prepare yourself properly for your period. I am guessing that once or twice, each of the ladies reading this has started her period and realised that she doesn't have enough sanitary pads/tampons for the entire duration of her period. Some ladies don't even have pads/tampons on them and can't find any nearby when they start their periods. By having a good period app, you are reminded a week/days before your period that you are going to have a period soon and that makes you think about if you have enough of the things you will need for that period (no pun intended.....seriously....).
By the way, always ensure you have at least two pads/tampons in your bag. They will come in handy either for you, in case of an emergency or for someone else.