Thursday, May 26, 2011

The European Tampon Terror




Quite possibly one of the most horrifying but least spoken-of cultural barriers ever encountered. I am aware my male audience has no idea what I'm talking about, so here is a brief information session.

Here is your typical american tampon. Note presence of plastic applicator, minimizing contact between your fingers and your bloody bits.





On the other hand, here is a typical European tampon. Note lack of any kind of application device surrounding the tampon, which is ironically shaped like the jumbo Sperm Mothership.


Apparently when Europeans decided that showering, shaving, and deodorant weren't really that necessary, their tampon use habits also followed suit.


And so today, after an entire year abroad having been able to avoid the situation, the inevitable finally occurred. I had to borrow a tampon from my coworker, and it was indeed as French as she was. The bathroom sink didn't even have hot water, but at least I don't have TSS...Yet.








**TSS= spontaneous, serious complication that can develop from a single tampon use and require hospitalization. Chances of this happening are roughly the same, if not less, of chances of getting pregnant with a perfectly used condom.