I’ve been on the pill for three years now and therefore control my periods, which usually results in delaying them as much as I can before my body starts spotting without my permission. My periods aren’t particularly painful or heavy, I just find them, overall, a huge inconvenience.
With menstruating comes cramps, bloating, acne, and mood swings. But alongside these biological responses is the endless anxiety: did I bleed through my jeans? How oily is my t-zone? Can they see the outline of my pad through my leggings? Have I had a ‘strawberry jam disaster’ - as my Grandma calls them - on this chair?
I’d previously associated period pants with being drab, so I was surprised by the colour - the type of blue I’d buy ordinary Primark underwear in
Therefore I’m always looking for products to remove the paranoia from my time of the month. I picked the sky blue ‘Seamfree Bikini’ Modibodi pants in size 10/small. I’d previously associated period pants with being drab, so I was surprised by how unexpectedly confident the colour was. The blue was so upbeat and modern - the type of colour I’d buy ordinary Primark underwear in.
Another stereotype I had of period pants was that they were bulky, nappy-like devices, but the scuba material was seamfree so there was no pant lines; they’re lightweight, tight, and almost identical to a pair of Gilly Hicks pants I have. The only difference is the reinforced gusset, which spans roughly the same area of the pants that a night pad would. This part is black so you don’t see any blood.
After a few toilet breaks, I completely forgot I was on my period
My pair were for a moderate to heavy flow so I thought I’d give them a proper challenge and wear them on my first day, which is usually my heaviest. I rummaged through my wardrobe to find a pair of 2016 New Look trousers that I wouldn’t mind sacrificing to the street bin when I inevitably leaked, and my period began.
I went through my day as normal: I made lunch, did some reading, and spent too long scrolling through Instagram. I didn’t have to keep counting the hours, worried my tampon would give me TSS, or do the awkward run to R and K’s when I’d inevitably run out of pads, so after a few toilet breaks, I completely forgot I was on my period.
Furthermore, normally my first day is my only day with lower abdomen and back ache, but because I wasn’t seeing any blood, psychologically I felt like I wasn’t on my period, so I didn’t have any cramps. Not even a single twinge of pain. I started menstruating a decade ago and have never felt so nonchalant about the fact there’s blood coursing out my vagina.
I think my friends had visions of a squelchy, overflowing nappy that makes you wince everytime you sit, but it wasn’t like that at all
I started to tell people about my amazing day and everyone asked the same thing: ‘but can’t you feel the blood coming out?’ And oddly enough, you can’t. I think my friends had visions of a squelchy, overflowing nappy that makes you wince everytime you sit, but it wasn’t like that at all. I felt dry all day and even if you touched the pants, they felt dry too.
I thought this might be too good to be true, so I decided to also sleep with them on. My normal routine is tampons in the day and pads at night - but I get the super long, thick, winged ones that rustle like a crisp packet when I walk and always manage to leak, no matter where I position them. So finding something to replace the nightmare of night pads would really change my life.
I woke up to a clean bed sheet, again helping me to forget I was menstruating and also meaning no ‘strawberry jam disasters’ for me
But the pants continued to flourish and I woke up to a clean bed sheet, again helping me to forget I was menstruating. I had some chaotic stains on the non-reinforced parts of the pants but these didn’t even seep through the material, which meant no ‘strawberry jam disasters’ for me.
Overall my experience with the Modibodi pants was indescribably positive. The pants I trialled retail at £21.50 which is a little on the pricey side for a student budget, but if you hate periods then it could be a life-changing investment - plus you get 10% off your first online order.
Wearing these transformed my entire attitude towards periods
By wearing these, I completely forgot I was bleeding, which transformed my entire attitude to periods. Obviously, if you have severe cramps or a huge fear of blood, these products won’t eradicate those, but perhaps they can help reinvent your relationship with menstruation. I hope one day I’ll be able to afford to buy a pair for every day of my period, but until then I’m so grateful to have found a company who stripped the free-bleed pant of its bulky and granny-like connotations, and dragged it into the 21st century.