This summer, the blogosphere was ablaze with comments
praising a commercial for Hello Flo, a tampon and pad delivery service. When I
watched the ad, I was amazed at how it actually talked about bleeding and
cramps, AKA what periods really are. Most period ads I've seen go something
like this: a happy, carefree woman wearing a white outfit dances in a field and
mysterious blue liquid is poured into pads to show their astounding absorptive
powers. The Hello Flo ad sends the message that periods are a normal, human
thing rather than something embarrassing and disgusting that shouldn't be
discussed without heavy use of euphemisms. Yet does the product itself send
this same message? And is a service like this really that useful or worth paying
for?
The Hello Flo website emphasizes the discreteness of the delivery service. The founder of the company, Naama
Bloom, said that one of reasons she thought of Hello Flo was that she “didn't want to trek through [her] office with a
practically see-through plastic bag with tampons” and that it would be great to not have to feel so embarrassed about holding tampons while waiting in line at the drugstore. This treatment of periods as
something to be ashamed of definitely conflicts with the way the ad portrayed
them.
You could argue that the main
point of Hello Flo is convenience rather than secrecy. But going to the
drugstore and buying enough tampons and pads to last you several months isn't
really that inconvenient. And it’s easy to use one of the many period-calendar
phone apps or period diaries if you have trouble knowing when your period is coming. The convenience
of getting supplies delivered to your door timed to your cycle also
comes with a high price: the cheapest monthly plan is $14 and is for girls with
short, light periods. A box of 48 pads at CVS costs $6.99 and will last a few
months, and a box of 54 tampons costs $7.99. In my opinion, while the ad for Hello Flo is great, the small increase
in convenience that a service like Hello Flo offers doesn't outweigh the
increase in the amount you’ll spend per month on period supplies, and the implication
that tampons and pads are something to be embarrassed about irritates me.
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ReplyDeleteI thought this was an interesting way on avoid other seeing you buying tampons. I found it frustrating that Naama Bloom created Hello Flo to conceal women buying tampons for themselves with this delivery service. Personally, I find that as a women I should be able to buy tampons and pads without the feeling of being ashamed because EVERYONE gets their period. I mean seriously, why should I conceal the fact that I get periods? It's like telling the world that women don't fart and poop like any other human. I find that buying tampons and pads yourself will not only be cheaper, but it will help with the demonstrating that all women are the same and have periods: its the cycle of life.
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