Feminist Philosophy

[NynJa]

Tampons cost like 3-5 bucks, whats the big deal here exactly? I cant even buy a big mac for that cost.

[RKenshin]

That said, so are tampons and pads. They are not a mere convenience. Do you know how much blood comes out during a menstrual cycle? If we are unable to purchase or use pads or tampons, we would literally not have a single article of clothing without copious amounts of blood on them, and blood stains are an absolute bitch to get out. Not to mention, there is the issue of hygiene, because bleeding through clothes in public places such as work or school means that the next person who sits where you have sat will have to sit in your bodily fluids. Not only is that incredibly gross, but it's unhygienic. And yes, there is enough blood to seep through clothing during menstruation without anything to catch it. Honestly, the people who oppose this literally do not understand enough about the female anatomy and how menstruation works. Pads and tampons are a necessity....There is also the issue of odor, which pads and tampons help to neutralize. It's generally not severe and it might be seen as a weak argument, but it's still there.
.... A period may start or end light, but most women during the menstrual phase of their lives will bleed heavily for an average of 5 days every month. Seriously, if guys understood the sheer amount of blood that comes out of us every month, you would not say that tampons and pads are just a convenience.

You could argue that it's because of internalized misogyny that many women think that they "need" to halt their periods.

It's 'terrible, lots of blood, inconvenient, gross, unhygienic, blood everywhere, ruins clothes, bad odors, 5 day struggle, uncomfortable, every month, did I mention blood, tampons a necessity'... but it's misogynistic if you want to stop it from happening?

I can understand it being out of a man's place and even sexist to tell a women what they should/shouldn't do; I'm certainly not condoning that. Nor is it an option for every women, either. But it sounds ridiculous to me to simultaneously list 20 reasons why it's absolutely terrible, but also essentially say that trying to do anything to prevent it is somehow sexist or based on sexist principles (as opposed to, ya know... not wanting to deal with those 20 reasons it's terrible).

[Aksannyi]

Tampons cost like 3-5 bucks, whats the big deal here exactly? I cant even buy a big mac for that cost.

There are some people who can't afford even that, but that's not really the point. The point is the classification of the products as non-essential when women understand that they are, in fact, essential.

Certain food is taxed, just like certain clothing is taxed (actually, most clothing is taxed at least partially in most states). It's all about specifics. I'm not going to waste your time and tell you women don't get the short end of this stick, but you can just as easily take bundles of insert tax free cloth here and use it to keep your blood flow from inconveniencing the chair you sit on. It's a terrible thing to put you through or to even try, but the point stands they are taxed because they are reselling a product, and that incurs a tax.

I didn't know that certain food items are taxed, but I did know that some clothing items are. I think the problem stems from classifying them as non-essential means that they don't fall under things that can be subsidized by the government, even though there is a clear and obvious need for them, even for women who cannot afford them. Tampons and pads should not be a luxury item only for the people who can afford them. Essentially, by classifying them as non-essential, that's kind of what that does.

Furthermore, you mention using non-taxable fabrics to be used in place of tampons or pads. Do you know how ludicrous that sounds? Feminine hygiene products are made of materials specifically meant to absorb moisture. Your average non-taxed cotton t-shirt is not. I haven't exactly tried using a normal article of clothing as a pad in the last 22 years, but knowing about their absorbent properties in comparison to a pad or a tampon, you really can't even begin to compare them. I guess if you had absolutely nothing else to use, maybe? But if you have a heavy flow, you're going to go through that kind of thing rapid-fire, and rather than containing the blood in one concentrated area (the pad/tampon), it will spread and expand as the absorbency of the material used reaches its capacity.

It's not even remotely a fair comparison. It goes back to the same hygiene issues I brought up previously.

[Salodin]

Don't get me wrong, it's terrible to use anything except a tampon/pad according to all my exs, but lets not pretend you can't wad up some toilet paper and replace it as often as needed in an emergency. Again, using something is necessary, using maxipads is not; ergo, there's a tax. I could make an argument that a normal tax shouldn't be allowed on tampons, but a value added tax should be, and quite honestly I can't think of a reason why that shouldn't be the case. At least in the states though we don't go that route, and the point still stands though that a tax can be justified on tampons, regardless of how inconvenient it is to go with out them.

[RKenshin]

Then please explain why food and clothing is not taxed. Those things also cost money to make. Why are those items deemed essential while tampons and pads are not?

Because food is absolutely necessary for survival, while tampons are not?

As terrible as life may be without tampons, and believe me I in no way doubt or trivialize it... food is just a little more essential.

As far as clothing, I would rank tampons on the same scale at least as clothing, but at the same time I don't think I've ever got clothing tax-free?

[Salodin]

Only a handful of states exempt clothing from sales tax, with the number inflating if you want to add in states that don't have a sales tax period (which as I google this topic some articles do). I'd rank clothing as pretty essential to survival myself, and I can get away with being naked in Florida weather 95%+ of the time.

[Aksannyi]

I'd put tampons and pads on par with toilet paper. You don't necessarily need it to survive, but for hygiene reasons, it's considered necessary. You certainly can wipe your ass with your bare hands (which is fucking disgusting) or just jump in the shower immediately after taking a shit, but that's impractical and not generally accepted.

Obviously, this would vary in developing nations where these commodities aren't readily available, but for the sake of this argument, I'd say in North America, pads and tampons are necessary in a similar way that toilet paper is..

[GoggleHead]

Where do you people live that you don't pay sales tax on food and clothes? If you're buying something from a retail store you're paying sales tax on it. This is not a gender issue at all.

[Melena]

Where do you people live that you don't pay sales tax on food and clothes? If you're buying something from a retail store you're paying sales tax on it. This is not a gender issue at all.

At least in california, for Grocery stores with the exceptions of soda and I think candy, food is not taxed. Other stuff like toilet paper, shampoo, meds, etc are taxed.

[Koul]

Everything is taxed in AZ. Except for water refills

[Clash Perez]

Prepared food is taxed in AZ, groceries intended to be taken home and prepared are not.

I'm pretty sure this is fairly ubiquitous in the US.

As far as menstrual flow control goes, there are a lot of reusable items out there as options other than disposables. There's been something of a resurgence among mothers who have chosen to use cloth diapers for their children, having seen the lack of necessity for throwing away so much non-biodegradable stuff.

My wife was considering it for herself, but ultimately decided against it.

[Melena]

Taken from taxfoundation.org so no clue how reliable it is

States that tax groceries (rate if not fully taxed): Alabama, Arkansas (3%), Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois (1%), Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri (1.225%), Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee (5.5%), Utah (1.75%), Virginia (1.5% + 1% local option tax), and West Virginia (5%).

[Salodin]

Yeah so, given what we all now know, does any one believe tampons shouldn't be taxed? lol

[Penthesilea]

I firmly believe making them free is absolutely retarded. They cost money to make, just like other things. We pay for food, gas, electricity, and clothes, and all of those things are necessities.

That said, so are tampons and pads. They are not a mere convenience. Do you know how much blood comes out during a menstrual cycle? If we are unable to purchase or use pads or tampons, we would literally not have a single article of clothing without copious amounts of blood on them, and blood stains are an absolute bitch to get out. Not to mention, there is the issue of hygiene, because bleeding through clothes in public places such as work or school means that the next person who sits where you have sat will have to sit in your bodily fluids. Not only is that incredibly gross, but it's unhygienic. And yes, there is enough blood to seep through clothing during menstruation without anything to catch it. Honestly, the people who oppose this literally do not understand enough about the female anatomy and how menstruation works. Pads and tampons are a necessity. It isn't like a bra, which is something that you're socially expected to wear but have no actual need of (though the argument could be made that for women with large breasts, it's much more comfortable than having them hanging.) There is also the issue of odor, which pads and tampons help to neutralize. It's generally not severe and it might be seen as a weak argument, but it's still there.

Birth control such as condoms are not a necessity. (You could argue that some pills are, but those are necessary for other health reasons and generally not contraceptive purposes.) You (generally, obviously not counting rape) have absolute and complete control over when you put your dick in someone and ejaculate, which is the instance for which a condom would be useful. Women can't just stop the flow of their uterine walls on a whim. A period may start or end light, but most women during the menstrual phase of their lives will bleed heavily for an average of 5 days every month. Seriously, if guys understood the sheer amount of blood that comes out of us every month, you would not say that tampons and pads are just a convenience.

what about that period cup jawn? reusable and all the bitches rave about it (not drying out their vaginas)

[NynJa]

Dixie cups? Haha
Those are suuuper awks

[Aksannyi]

I don't know enough about the cup thing, honestly. I'm also not really sure how I feel about it.

[#686578]

There are some people who can't afford even that, but that's not really the point. The point is the classification of the products as non-essential when women understand that they are, in fact, essential.

Gonna refute this. No other hygiene products are considered essential. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. You can, and some people do, freebleed.

[Teryu]

For the love of god don't promote freebleeding.

[guartz]

I'm getting a really interesting picture of feminism from this thread.
At this point I'm super confused what feminism is about? Wasn't it suppose to be about equality and human rights?
Is there a male equivalent of this feminism movement? You know, some organization that will allow me to call out women who wear push-up bras as liars and therefore rapists?

[Ayn]

Is there a male equivalent of this feminism movement? You know, some organization that will allow me to call out women who wear push-up bras as liars and therefore rapists?

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nptcR9qAqsU/hqdefault.jpg