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In a hip shop in the Schanzenviertel, where platform sneakers stand next to hybrid plants and coffee table books, underwear hangs that only reveals itself to be special at second glance.
The “menstrual panty” from the Kora Mikino label, for example, is made entirely of lace and looks like normal panties.
The special thing about it is that it makes tampons and sanitary towels superfluous thanks to special leak-proof material layers.
One shelf further between mini cacti and headbands you will find a soft, small funnel-shaped plastic part, the “OrganiCup”, a menstrual cup, a sustainable alternative to sanitary napkins and Co. Even in bookstores you can hardly ignore the topic, in shop windows there are “Period Power ”, the“ Tage Buch ”and“ Ebbe & Flut ”, who want to free the rule from its“ disgusting ”stigma.
And at the latest before the period article shelf at Budni you realize that the new products are no longer embarrassing, but have long been mainstream.
Now available as a matter of course in well-stocked drugstores: the menstrual cup
Source: picture alliance / dpa Themendie
What began a few years ago in the Insta world as "Period Revolution" and "Menstrual Anarchy" has found its way onto the store shelves of the masses.
There is a new matter of course in handling, but also an increased sensitivity to supposedly outdated concepts.
This is also shown by the uprising that recently broke out when two male founders presented their invention, the "Pinky Gloves", on the VOX program "The Lions' Den".
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Pink disposable gloves with which tampons can be disposed of “hygienically and discreetly”.
They received funding from donors, but there was also criticism on social networks.
The glove is "harmful to the environment", "stigmatizing" and "not sustainable", and it gives the impression that you shouldn't come into contact with something as impure as period blood.
The founders then withdrew their product from the market.
“At no point did we intend to discredit anyone or make a natural process taboo,” the website says.
A new approach is also being noticed at the Budnikowsky drugstore chain. “The topic of menstruation is discussed openly and relaxed today and dealt with pragmatically. Customers approach innovative products with a new enthusiasm for experimentation, ”says Wiebke Spannuth, press spokeswoman for“ Budni ”.
Unlike in the past, when discretion was a priority, the focus was on comfort, naturalness and sustainability.
"Accordingly, many small, innovative players are currently conquering the market." The company reacted quickly to these trends and to the demand.
In addition to sanitary towels, tampons and menstrual underwear, the range also includes cups.
These are flexible, funnel-shaped vessels made of medical silicone that catch the bleeding inside, like a tampon, but are rinsed out after use.
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The fact that female bleeding is dealt with much more naturally is also due to the fact that it has been one of the feminist favorite topics for years. Many were bothered by the uptight contact with her, criticized the blue-colored water that had to be used for simulation purposes in advertising. The message was clear: women have to protect themselves from their period and do so as discreetly as possible. The total of 7,000 euros that a woman spends in her entire life on such articles was shared by a manageable group of providers.
The impetus for a more natural approach was provided by women who showed photos of themselves in clothing stained with period blood. Like the Canadian artist Rupi Kaur, who gave the impetus: In 2014, she posted a picture of herself, lying on her side on a bed with a red stain on her bottom and on the sheets. Instagram deleted it, Kaur posted it again, she only felt confirmed. She will not apologize for not serving the ego of a misogynist society "that accepts my body in underwear, but cannot cope with a small 'leak'," she wrote.
Cordelia Röders-Arnold also remembers the picture of Rupi Kaur.
She has made menstruation her job. For five years now, as “Head of Menstruation” from Hamburg, she has been developing new period products for the Berlin start-up Einhorn.
The company is already famous for its vegan condoms - and for a planned democracy festival in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, which was supposed to cost 30 euros per ticket and did not take place due to great criticism and the pandemic.
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Five years ago, the Hamburg native switched from the listed world concert in Beiersdorf to Einhorn.
"As with condoms, period products also need a completely different approach," says Cordelia Röders-Arnold.
"Above all, the products should be more sustainable, but also cooler and more beautiful and maybe even a little fun."
The increasing demand proves the company right, which has committed itself to investing 50 percent of its profits in sustainable standards and fair pay.
“We only use certified organic cotton, for example from a farmers' cooperative in Tanzania.
We also offer menstrual cups because they are a sustainable alternative to tampons and are particularly popular with young women, ”said the 33-year-old. However, they too still have to learn. A product was recently withdrawn from the market in which the organic panty liners were individually packaged. "Made of recyclable bioplastic film, but still: You simply produce far too much waste."
The Hamburg native is also campaigning for a rethink outside of her product world. She is working with other companies and institutions to overturn the 19 percent VAT for tampons, sanitary towels and the like in Germany. “After all, they are not a luxury item, but rather cover a basic need.” Cordelia Röders-Arnold derives on the one hand from the feminist movement that the topic of menstruation is now socially acceptable. In addition, according to Röders-Arnold, more and more women were using so-called cycle trackers instead of conventional contraceptives. From an unpleasant side effect, it becomes a measured value for physical health that you pay more attention to.
In any case, the variety of products is growing, women no longer only have the choice between tampons and sanitary towels. And some just let the blood run. They practice "free bleeding", which means that they do without hygiene products as completely as possible during their period, because this alleviates discomfort. They go to the bathroom as soon as they feel blood flowing. However, this requires some training because the blood flow can be regulated via the pelvic floor muscles.
Or you can use the period wash mentioned at the beginning, which guarantees leakage protection with smart-layer fabric layers. On closer inspection, however, this variant is more "back to the roots" than brand new. Anyone who has talked to their grandmother about how things used to be handled knows that period underwear is basically a pimped variant of grandmothers' fabric interlinings. Only today with lace and machine washable at 60 degrees.