(My honest opinion: No. But first hear me out before you fling me away.)

I speak as a woman that runs a menstrual care company so, know that I live in the problem. There is a difference between a standard pad and an organic cotton, individually wrapped, dermatologically tested option that took a team of people years to develop. There is a difference between a basic menstrual cup and one that’s been designed for specific body types with medical-grade silicone and a warranty. Comfort, innovation, quality, these things cost something. And I believe when a company invests in building something genuinely better, they should be able to charge premium for it. The women who want that level of care and can afford it should have access to it. That’s not exploitation. That’s a market responding to real demand. 

Also, I think every person who menstruates should be able to access a basic pad or tampon without that being a financial crisis. Somewhere in this country right now, a girl is rationing pads across more days than is safe. A woman is choosing between a meal and a pack of Always sanitary pads. A student is missing school not because she’s sick, but because she bled and had nothing. That is not acceptable. Basic menstrual products, the kind that get the job done, that protect your health and your dignity should be accessible to everyone regardless of what’s in your pocket. That’s the floor. And right now, the floor has too many holes in it.

Essentially, not all period products are the same, and pretending otherwise doesn’t serve anyone. What I’m against is the gap that currently exists; where basic products aren’t accessible to the people who need them most, while we simultaneously pretend the whole category is just a matter of personal budgeting. No. The basics should be covered. The premium is an upgrade, and upgrades are allowed to cost money.

Think of it the way we think about housing. A roof over your head is a right. A penthouse is a choice. We don’t argue that because penthouses exist, nobody deserves shelter. We shouldn’t argue that because luxury period products exist, nobody deserves a free pad.

I think that the conversation around free period products needs to get more precise. Because when we say “period products should be free,” we sometimes mean something important, that nobody should bleed in shame or scarcity because they’re poor. And that, I believe completely. But when it becomes an argument that no period product should ever carry a price tag, we flatten something that’s actually more nuanced.

Give everyone the floor. Let the market build the ceiling. And stop making women pay the price for both.

Do you have a different opinion?