Kelli Pate
The world of feminine hygiene products can be overwhelming—even if you’ve been menstruating for years. It’s no surprise, then, that one boyfriend’s confusion over what kind of tampons to buy his girlfriend recently went viral.
Twitter user @broganpaget shared the text exchange Aug. 25 and quickly racked up more than 900,000 likes. Whether her boyfriend really thinks tampons come in flavors is still unclear, but that doesn’t make the story any less funny.
See the boyfriend’s hilarious tampon question for yourself:
when u ask ur boyfriend to buy u tampons pic.twitter.com/FmcKUGGkrG
— Brogan (@broganpaget) August 25, 2019
To be sure, the boyfriend definitely deserves props for even asking what kind of tampon she prefers. On a more serious note, though, the situation once again brought to light the period stigma that leads many cisgender men to be so clueless about menstrual products in the first place.
Remember the NASA engineers who asked astronaut Sally Ride if 100 tampons would be OK for a week in space? Or that one guy who compared period cramps to skinned knees? Or the boyfriend who thought his girlfriend could turn off her flow “like a tap“?
You might argue that cis men don’t need to know how women’s bodies work, but you’d be wrong. And luckily, some sympathetic bros jumped to the unnamed boyfriend’s defense on Twitter and confessed their own bewilderment over the topic.
you know how confusing it is to grab one for your girl and see 2 million brands and then shi XL and XS like am i gonna make you feel fat if i get you medium pussy? shit dangerous
— MKHL (@ScrapeLordMK) August 25, 2019
the amount of times I had to get them for my wife.
— Peter B (@18peter88) August 25, 2019
If a guy can`t do that for his wife/ girlfriend/ partner. then they should take a look at themselves
Guys need education on this stuff. It's important
— Chase Violet (@DeviatedReality) August 26, 2019
What is the difference cos I thought they were lemon and lime at first?
— Kyle Fleming (@kylefleminggg) August 25, 2019
This post saved allows me to dodge a future bullet. I didn’t even know those were types.
— Liam Hoffman (@LiamHoffman4) August 26, 2019
Many Twitter users graciously answered questions and shared tips about period products to help others avoid a similar fate.
Yes, the difference is both the size and the amount it can hold
— Celesteas (@Celesteas1) August 25, 2019
The different colours represent the different sizes depending on if the womans period is a heavy flow or a light flow. Heavy flow periods need to have more material in order to absorb the blood which is why the box has 3 tears on it instead of the lighter flow box which has 2??
— Becks (@Becksnnc) August 25, 2019
Every brand color codes differently but the best thing to do is to ask her what color. And don't get a different brand than she's expecting, we have STRONG BRAND PREFERENCES usually!
— drum major for the drunken parade of life (@rahaeli) August 26, 2019
Twitter wouldn’t be Twitter if the thread didn’t include a fair share of similar period-product catastrophes, of course.
But also pic.twitter.com/BnJYlh3jtN
— Walcott.? (@kellerykid_) August 25, 2019
same pic.twitter.com/odhezOdBHD
— shay ? (@shaylaspraguee) August 25, 2019
??
— Grace Allen (@gmarieallen) August 25, 2019
My bf bought me super tampons
'Thanks hon but these are the wrong size'
'Oh I thought that just meant like... really good tampons'
— Zack Rincon (@2boogie2woogie) August 25, 2019
— KG ? (@KG_1233) August 26, 2019
The main consensus of the story? Any boyfriend, husband or partner willing to pick up some tampons or pads for you is probably a keeper. Besides, of all the misconceptions surrounding periods and period products, wondering if tampons come in flavors is bloody hilarious. Pun intended.