The Dreaded Miacup

I follow a few really lovely "green" beauty bloggers on Twitter and the current craze they're all talking about is a new menstrual companion called Miacup.

The concept is pretty easy to grasp. It's an alternative to tampons and pad's, where you insert a little purple 'cup' (5cm in length) which collects the menstrual blood like in any normal cycle. It has a suction feature which makes sure there are no leaks and your cup wont suddenly fall out while shopping. Once your Miacup is filled, you break the suction and empty the contents into the toilet like you usually would. You then rinse it in a basin and insert it again. You can read about it's features here.

Images from miacup.co.za

I understand the need for an "eco friendly" alternative (if you can call it that) to something you would just throw away. Unfortunately I find this concept rather horrible. They say the 'mess', when emptying your cup, is the same as if you were inserting a tampon but I am not convinced.

Let me give you a scenario; you're out in public and realize you haven't emptied your cup in a while (apparently you can go up to 12 hours without needing to empty the cup) so you run to the nearest restrooms. You pop into a cubicle and empty the cup but the situation has become a royal mess, "Crap! I need to rinse the cup". Just your luck, as you come out the cubicle to rinse it, there is now a queue and the room is filled with ladies. How embarrassing, having to hog a basin to rinse your bloody cup. *Cringe* Aaand then you have to get back in line, holding your little cup, so you can insert it again.

I am in no way bashing the idea and I'm sure some ladies need an alternative to tampons for health reasons but is this not re-inventing the wheel? I would love be in the mind of the person who invented this and view the thought process they went through and what was their reason for needing the Miacup.

^Was it because tampons and pads are expensive? Hellooo!? Life is expensive. Period. (lame joke...*noted*) by the way, the Miacup will set you back by R394.95.

^Was it purely because tampons make up a lot of waste in our sewage system? I'm sure a lot more ladies would accept the idea of a better disposing/refuse system rather than someone trying to convince them to wear a period collecting cup.

You can read more about Miacup by visiting their website for tips on how to insert it, remove and store it and any other questions you may have.

Ah! I feel that modern society is creating a world where its okay to think that if you buy a product like this, you're helping your environment and your health will improve or not be compromised. "Let me empty my Miacup before I go to the store to buy a carton of cigarettes". It's the same concept as buying a meal from MacDonalds and ordering a diet coke. I could go on for hours.

Am I just stupid and not really 'educated' on the subject or do you feel the same? I'd love to hear your thought's on Miacup and the general issue of companies selling "eco friendly" products to make you feel like "you need to do your part" in helping your environment.

Sjoe!

Miss Claira-Bella

Xoxo

P.S. The rant at the end of this post is in no way directed solely at Miacup. I am just using the Miacup as an example. Click this link for an interesting read.