Misstique Drive Collects Feminine Hygiene Products

From January 30 to February 13, large bins were placed around campus as a part of Misstique’s pad and tampon drive. Misstique is a feminist magazine which empowers women by talking openly about female struggles. Abigail Drummond ’18, Editor-in-Chief of Misstique, formed the publication last year. Misstique hopes to inspire female students by encouraging this drive and giving back to women who don’t have basic rights. The cabinet of the publication partnered with the organization I Support the Girls to sponsor this initiative, which collected menstrual products to donate to women who can’t afford them.

“We realized that a lot of women around the world don’t have access to tampons and pads, and so we came up with the idea to do a drive,” said Krystal McCook ’20, Communications Officer of Misstique.

Photo courtesy of Lauren Canna
The products that the drive hoped to collect were pads, tampons, and other menstrual products. Gently-used bras were welcome, as comfortable extra-large sports bras can last a long time for women who can’t afford lingerie. Training bras for daughters of these women are also a necessity, since over 60% of homeless women have children.

“It’s important to contribute because it’s a basic right that women have, and something everyone should care about,” Anna Ely ’19, a Misstique member involved in the drive, stated.
The products collected in the drive will be given to women in need of these products. The luxury tax on tampons and other expensive hygiene products prove an obstacle for many women in their monthly menstrual cycle. A single box of 16 tampons, which may not even last a woman’s cycle, can cost up to nine dollars, and, according to a Huffington Post Study, the average woman spends around $18,000 on her period over her lifetime.

“The initiative comes from a desire to give back in the name of women’s rights. There are over 1,000 homeless women in the Bridgeport area itself, and it would be great if we could help at least a portion of these women,” Ely said.

The cabinet of Misstique came up with the idea when the masthead first convened in the beginning of the year. They realized that many women around the world don’t have access to personal hygiene products — a basic right — and got in touch with the Connecticut representative of I Support the Girls, the organization that will distribute the donations to the women in need around the area. McCook concluded, “No girl should be robbed of the basic hygiene products they need.”

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