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I was relieved when the New York Daily News reported a story recently on the strange disappearance of O.B. Tampons from store shelves. It wasn’t my imagination; they really had become scarce! A Johnson & Johnson spokesperson assured the paper that no recall had been issued and that the product should be restocked soon. Luckily, I found a stash at local upstate Walmart and am now set for several months. (If not I could have turned to eBay, where they are selling at highly inflated rates!) But the scarcity of a feminine product I have used since my teenage years had me taking a fresh look at what innovations, if any, have taken place in tampon design in recent years.
A quick scan of the shelves tells me that I am no longer the target demo for these manufacturers. Many tampon brands are clearly catering to the youth market, creating new ways to make their packaging look like fun accessories. Not only are the tampons themselves packaged in slick applicator tubes, they also come wrapped in individual little sleeves, ones that you can color coordinate to match your outfit for the day. (Kudos to Kotex for the funniest tampon ads, ever). For the uber eco-conscious, there’s the Diva Cup (a demo of which we do not need).
Call me old-fashioned, but I will try to stick O.B. Tampons as long as I can find them. They are small enough to fit into the slimmest jean pocket and don’t give you impact-guilt for the amount of trash they produce.
For an in-depth look at the business of tampons and the O.B. brand, check out this story at MSNBC.com.
Are you happy with the choices of feminine products on store shelves? Chime in below!
