Are tampons vegan?

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Growing up, my mother never really explained much about how to deal with my period. She sat me down when I was about 10, told me she needed to tell me something, and proceeded to explain to me that I would bleed from my vagina someday. I was completely confused, I didn't understand why my life needed to go in that direction. I was perfectly happy not bleeding and feeling monthly pain. She didn't explain to me how much I would bleed, or what I would need to do when or if it actually happened. All she told me was that in order to have babies, I would need to bleed someday, and that my brother would not have to go through the same irritation because he was a boy. As soon as I heard her tell me this, I anticipated the day that my life would change forever. Would I completely bleed out every month, or would it just be a small amount of blood. How would I know what day it was going to happen, when it would occur, what would I be wearing, and would I be able to hide it from others, or would the entire school know .. who knew? We didn't have the internet back then and uncomfortable conversations were not a strong suit of my mothers, especially when it came to sex or the female body.

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It wasn't until 6 years later that I would find out officially for myself. I always heard other girls complaining about their periods and they would tell me that I shouldn't wish for mine, but I wanted to be a woman damn it! Everyone else around me were getting theirs, and seemingly breasts would follow, so I was really hoping to get a set of nice boobs along with my period. That of course didn't happen until waaaaaaayyyy later, but at 16 I at least received my "visit from aunt flow". (Gotta love the euphemisms us girls came up with to disguise what we were talking about)

My mother only gave me the option of pads. All the other girls were using tampons, but I was still a virgin so my mother thought it inappropriate to use tampons, so she didn't bother giving me the option, and she definitely didn't explain how to use them. A friend of mine finally said I should try one of hers, that it would change my life. I had no idea how to use it and after attempting to do so, without removing the applicator, I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was about. There was no absorbency, they hurt, and I still had to use a pad because I didn't trust the tampon. It wasn't too long until I found out I was using them wrong.

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When I finally decided to start purchasing tampons, I was afraid someone would see me buying them. There seemed to be a stigma to purchasing feminine items, and so a paranoia manifested for me due to this fact. When I was a teenager everything embarrassed me. I was incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin, so purchasing tampons was humiliating to put it mildly. I would make sure to grab a basket so no one would see me holding the tampons. I would go grab other unnecessary items that I didn't need so that it looked like I wasn't shopping exclusively for tampons. Then I would make the jaunt over to the feminine products aisle. I would look around several times to make sure no one was watching me or no one I knew was around. I would quickly grab what I needed and proceed to checkout. At checkout I would make sure that a woman was checking my items. I would also try to find a checkout stand that didn't have any men in line. Once I chose the perfect line to join I would unload my things on the conveyer belt, only to have a boy join the line behind me. I would be completely mortified and want to cry at the idea of a man I didn't know, knowing I was purchasing tampons. I would try to get out of the store as fast as possible after check out, but before exiting the line I would make sure that the plastic bag that was see through didn't have the tampons facing forward....

All of this hassle because I was embarrassed about a perfectly natural occurrence that I had absolutely no control over. Something we can barely talk about today, especially around men. Right now I'm wondering if this is an article I should even write. I am sure there will be people out there that cringe at the word tampon alone. And better yet, if they happen to accidentally start to read my article, the phrase 'bleed from my vagina' will most likely turn them away. If they are mature adults, it won't bother them, hopefully.

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Sorry (not sorry) to anyone who is offended by my little story, but I wanted to write a little more than, I'm vegan and I also have to worry about whether or not my tampons are vegan. Better yet, if there are any men still reading, did you know most condoms aren't vegan either?

I never really asked myself when I became vegan if some of the common everyday items I used were, in fact, vegan. It took me a while to start asking more questions about household items I was purchasing. Assuming anything is vegan is a mistake. A great post to read is the vegan girls guide to cruelty free tampons to find out which are safe for vegans, and which ones to throw-out. Seventh generation is my go to vegan brand. Anything Kotex, Tampax, Always, Bodyform, Playtex are brands you want to stay away from because they test on animals. If you want more information about how to find out what brands are cruelty free you can check out my other blog about how to shop cruelty free https://steemit.com/vegan/@jenniferferris/how-to-eliminate-animal-testing-and-cruelty-as-a-consumer .

(1) https://adadcalledspen.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/warning-this-post-contains-offensive-content-which-may-upset-some-readers/
(2) http://whisper.sh/whisper/050f9c7101b63480568474cbb299dbd702c70d/Cant-tell-if-I-am-wet-peed-my-pants-a-little-or-started-my-period-
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(4)https://www.ou.org/life/parenting/awkward-no-more-dr-debows-4-tips-talking-kids-about-birds-bees-adina-soclof/