I glance frantically at the clock, waiting for my teacher to end her lecture on the Civil War. She doesn’t. Am I . . .? No. Noooooo! It’s not even my time! Wait, but what if I am? 

Unable to wait any longer, I rush to the bathroom where—boom! I see red. She’s here!-- Aunt Flo has come to visit. With no tampons in sight,  all I can do is reach for the toilet paper as I calculate flow rates, hydraulic pressure, and material with the exactitude of a hydraulic engineer. Too much TP, and I’ll be wandering the school with a noticeable bulge; too little, and I’ll be wandering the school with a noticeable stain. I am caught on the horns of embarrassment and mortification. Truth be told, when I’m sitting in class in the middle of third period (no pun intended), this is what terrifies me most–and I’m certain I am not alone.

When Aunt Flo comes to town, sometimes she comes unannounced: a guest showing up at your doorway, dripping wet, who barrels right past you the moment you gingerly open the door. That’s why we girls could use a little help in our school bathrooms. A Tampax Pearl? A Maxi pad with wings? A Kotex pantiliner? Anything, please.  

For years, girls have been urging our schools and government to offer free period products in public restrooms. I mean, if we have free toilet paper, why not period products? After all, periods are a part of a women’s natural biology just as much as peeing is for all humankind. Finally, After a decade of debate, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a law in October 2021 requiring all public schools and colleges in California to stock their bathrooms with free period products starting in the 2022-2023 school year (Associated Press). However, my school has yet to supply its restrooms with pads and tampons even as I write this essay. I cannot help but wonder, what’s the holdup? Why do we have to wait so long? Is there anything I can do? Sorry to sound impatient, but Aunt Flo is already in the Uber…

Some people may assume that it is enough for schools to provide period products at the health office, but I beg to differ. Schools argue that feminine products are very costly to stock in every restroom. But the fact of the matter is that it is very inconvenient for girls to walk across campus to the nurse’s office--which often has a very limited stock of pads and tampons– then go all the way back to the bathroom to clean up. By then, we will have been gone from our classroom for 20 or even 30 minutes. All this takes up valuable educational time; female students often miss critical instruction for upcoming exams. Having period products in the bathrooms would not only be much more efficient but also less stressful for girls during their time of the month. 

Providing period products in schools not only protects students’ dignity, it provides a more comfortable educational environment, improving access, equity, and opportunity for all students. According to the Always® Confidence & Puberty Survey, almost one in five American girls leave school or miss school completely because they cannot access period products (“Nearly 1 in 5 American Girls”). Sure, it would be nice if girls were prepared with a tampon at all times, but in reality, this is not the case. What if we forget to bring them to school, or loan our last one out, or end up in the bathroom without our purse or backpack? We girls have to anxiously search for someone else with a pad or tampon, texting every one of our girlfriends and hoping they see the text immediately. The prospect of this anxious search is what makes Aunt Flo’s visit stressful at school. If period products were readily available in school bathrooms, it would be as simple as just going to the bathroom for some relief, as all people do on a daily basis. And what about girls who cannot afford period products? If they need to urinate, do we tell them, “Hey, go buy your own toilet paper?” Of course not– toilet paper is provided at schools for free. Considering how periods are a monthly occurrence, soon enough the student could be behind in the course, stressed about making up the work, and underperforming on tests than her peers. According to figures from U.S. News, about nine percent of students at the average school are “economically disadvantaged”. If we assume around half of them are female students, for my school, that is still 116 girls on campus likely to miss school because of the lack of menstrual products available on campus (High Schools in Poway Unified School). 

Finally, having feminine hygiene products in school bathrooms will decrease the stigma around menstruation. Female students attending schools that do not have well-supplied bathrooms are left to hide their products in their purses, self-conscious about being seen carrying a pad around campus. Unlike carrying around tissues or hand sanitizers, something all genders use and is acknowledged as normal, carrying period products invites approbation and sneers from their peers. Why? 

So, I beg the question, how might we reduce this stigma and make our schools a more inclusive and accepting place for girls? Providing period products in restrooms would be a step in the right direction. Certainly toilet paper, soap, and paper towels are “peripherals” one would expect to see in bathrooms. Everyone would agree that the hygienic functions they serve are universal. So, by extension, wouldn’t it be logical to have period products in women’s restrooms? Are period products not used for universal female hygienic functions? Schools are responsible for helping their female students feel safe and well-provided for. Instead, states and school districts that refuse to approve laws that mandate providing period products in school bathrooms adhere to the stigma around menstruation because it implies that girls should take care of their own feminine problems. Imagine when you go to the restroom, you discover that there is no toilet paper. Now imagine being told it’s your fault for not providing your own. This is effectively what girls are told when period products are absent from women’s restrooms. 

Publicly proposing this policy is likely to start conversations. Good. Starting these conversations will empower female students who are often silenced by shame regarding their bodies to walk around their schools with pride. It will also help male students and other genders who may be unaware of the scope/implications of menstruation to be more considerate of what girls go through. My dad, who is __ years old,  is still learning about periods from me, which shows how little men really understand the struggles that female students suffer around this issue. A lack of awareness leads to a lack of empathy, and instilling inclusive policies will send a message to young boys and girls to treat each other with respect. Some men might ask, “Why should I support this policy? It’s not my problem!” I couldn’t disagree more because menstruation should be all of our problems. Don’t you have daughters, mothers, sisters, girlfriends, wives, aunts, and grandmothers who you care about?  Do it for them. 

The cramps are bad enough, but the jokes, glares, and whispered obscenities are far worse and damaging to our mental health. So, Let’s stop the stigma and create a world where girls can be girls without judgment and send a message that period products are a necessity, not a luxury. 

Period. 

Works Cited

High Schools in Poway Unified School District Public School District. US News, usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california/districts/poway-unified-school-district-104360. 

Nearly 1 in 5 American Girls Have Missed School Due to Lack of Period Protection1: Always® Joins Forces with Gina Rodriguez & Feeding America® to Help #EndPeriodPoverty and Keep Girls in School. Business Wire, 7 Aug. 2018, www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180807005135/en/Nearly-1-in-5-American-Girls-Have-Missed-School-Due-to-Lack-of-Period-Protection1-Always®-Joins-Forces-with-Gina-Rodriguez-Feeding-America®-to-Help-EndPeriodPoverty-and-Keep-Girls-in-School.

Associated Press. “California Will Soon Require Free Tampons in Public Schools.” NPR, NPR, 9 Oct. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/10/09/1044720102/california-free-tampons-schools.