Kotex Adds Flair To Underwear. Period.

Kotex is taking the concept of a consumer design contest to a whole new level in their new campaign to add a little excitement to ... well, plain white maxi pads.

Partnering with Sex and the City designer Patricia Field, Kotex is hoping that this contest will help young ladies feel just a tad bit better about Aunt Flo coming to visit each month.

The contest - affectionately titled Ban the Bland - is open to boys and girls, age 14 years and older ... although I can hardly believe that any 14 year old boy is going to be knocking down the doors to publicly admit that he has a stellar new design for a maxi pad. 

Those interested in entering the contest can use design tools that are available on UbyKotex.com, a site Kotex launched last spring to help empower young women and to educate them on feminine hygiene.

Three winners will be selected to help Patricia Field design come cool new maxi pads. Winners will also attend Fashion Week in New York City later this year. Working alongside spirited Patricia Field will likely be an experience unto itself. As she recently commented, “I don’t know a thing about white. I see a world that’s very colorful and textured with, like, ice flying through it.”

Marissa Festante, public relations rep for Kimberly Clark's Kotex, explained the company's rationale for this contest:

"We see a future where women can choose to think differently

and talk openly about periods and vaginas and are

self-empowered to take control of their personal care." 

Isn't this how it all begins?

We start out with a topic that makes us feel uncomfortable. Then, someone nudges open a door and lobs out the first comment. A few more people begin to talk about it. The idea gains momentum. Pretty soon, fewer and fewer people wince when the topic comes up. Eventually, the masses become more and more comfortable and the stigma disappears. In my lifetime, I can recall when no one would dare bring up the topic of a woman dying her hair, going through menopause or admitting she was over the age of 50. Today, those topics are commonplace.

The only question I have is whether there is a need out there for young girls to publicly talk about their period and what kind of cool, new pads they use to stem the flow.

Ouch. That was mildly uncomfortable for both me and you.