My quest for plus size period pants
You might be wondering why I am writing about period knickers specifically for plus size folks, well because I’m plus size and finding things that make life just a bit easier that actually takes into account having a big stomach and thicker thighs still appears to be non-existent and I’m tired of it.
But, before I dive in, a little context first. I shared recently on my instagram and my email list that I was looking to try period pants and the responses that came back were amazing!
When I was growing up I was led to believe that periods were difficult, gross things that I just had to endure. When I got my first period age 10/11 my mum almost crashed the car and I could see from her face that the news of this new arrival wasn’t a welcome one and I internalised that.
Fast forward to age 40 and I started to get a little curious about not just my period but actually my entire cycle! and very quickly I realise I have been duped, this part of my human experience that I was taught to dread, fear and just hide away is actually pretty amazing and learning more meant I could connect with myself and honour my needs!
The concept of honouring my own needs is not something I was taught to do as a young girl growing up, I’m a pro at people pleasing and being a good girl which encourages the opposite of honouring your own needs.
So I’ve been exploring the idea that perhaps it doesn’t have to be something I endure but perhaps if I learnt more about how to work WITH my cycle things might not be so bad.
After 32 years of tampons and sanitary towels my body has had enough. I’ve developed a trust in my body, and I know when something isn’t for me and I no longer feel the need to justify it or seek approval from others first. (Plus I always feel that if there are ways I can help the planet then I want to do my bit.)
I started to explore alternatives with pretty surprising results!
But as a plus size woman I needed to find inclusive sizes. One of the suggestions from my wonderful instagram community was ASDA, they carry a brand called Love Luna which you can only buy online and only up to a size 22 (which of you are reading this from a place of size privilege you may not know is NOT size inclusive)
As a size 18 I can still find shops that carry my size but if I can I will continue to shop with stores that are more inclusive because I’m so fed up with us bigger girls being an after thought or completely erased!
So, next up, the old faithful M&S! They have a range of period pants and what I loved about them is they actually had my size in a physical store, I was able to go into the shop and physically feel them, something plus size women are denied far too often as we are forced to shop online in most cases.
And what made them even better? They actually go up to a size 28, hurrah! They also have a good range of light-heavy absorbency! I was so delighted with this result that M&S won me over!
I’ve been completely in love with them, it’s early days but my wins so far:
No Leaks, I’ve tested them at night and for a full day (different pair obviously!)
They come in a pack of 3, I went back to buy another pack because I found 6 is plenty to be able to wash and re-use for a 5 day period.
They dry really quick after washing and there are no liners to faff around with or replace.
They have different styles, I found the full brief better than other styles to stop them rolling down under my stomach (I find anything that rolls down irritating on my c-section scar so this is a bonus for me!)
So for now I’m happy but what we need to see is brands that not only have inclusive sizing but also show the product on marginalised bodies and that are plus size or bigger because being able to actually see your body represented matters and we don’t see this enough.
Tamsin || Anti-Diet Body Image Coach|| @tamsin_broster