The Last of Us is not afraid of menstrual health

Tampons and pads were banned from television advertising by the National Association of Broadcasters by 1972—television was considered the wrong place to talk about a product that is essential for everyone with menstruation. It was years before people on TV even talked about what tampons were used for — and said the word “period” — and even longer before all the big companies stopped using the mysterious blue liquid to demonstrate absorbency. This is also a new phenomenon: Kotex only switched to red for an ad in 2020.

Half the population menstruates, and yet it’s a deep uneasiness to talk about – so much so that we’re still trying to normalize periods. It’s taboo to talk about and stigmatized as if it’s a problem that needs fixing, something dirty that needs cleaning. It’s rare for anyone to speak openly about menstruation, let alone on TV. That’s why it’s so important The last of us do this in a small way; Finding a box of Tampax Pearls, first released in 2002, is a celebration for Ellie. (And with good reason: Tampax Pearls were a revelation and used plastic for the applicator instead of cardboard, which is a lot more convenient!) The last of us

In episode 6, the writers take it a step further when Ellie gets a DivaCup. DivaCup was the only major manufacturer of menstrual cups back then, but they certainly weren’t mainstream. Maria, Tommy’s wife, must have been shopping at crispy organic stores before the pandemic.

I have a feeling that most people who menstruate have had the thought How do you deal with your period in an apocalypse? It’s rare for a show to mention periods, let alone how to deal with them. It’s probably annoying having to hunt for materials for a makeshift pad or tampon, and that’s why it’s a celebration when Ellie stumbles across the box of tampons on a Cumberland farm in Massachusetts — her answer is a big ol’ one shit yeah before stuffing her pack of tampons into her backpack and moving on.

It doesn’t reappear until episode 6, and again in a nonchalant, normalized way. After Ellie and Joel arrive at Jackson’s, Maria lays out some new clothes and supplies for the teen. One such item is a menstrual cup. It is probably a rare find in the apocalyptic world and a priceless gift from Maria. For those who don’t know, a menstrual cup is a silicone cup that is inserted into the vagina to collect period blood. It’s reusable, unlike tampons and pads, so it’s a money saver in today’s world (a purchase every few years!) And

is better for the environment. DivaCup International, the company that manufactures DivaCups, was founded in 2003, which means the products were coming to market just as the infection hit the world.

In an apocalyptic world where tampons are considered a trophy, a menstrual cup is a lifesaver – the most underrated apocalypse tool. Menstrual cups can be stored longer than tampons, up to 12 hours, before needing to be emptied and cleaned. It’s a blessing in the apocalypse where life can be unpredictable and chaotic. Nobody has time to change a tampon every few hours while battling yeast infections!

Of course, like other menstrual cups, DivaCups can expire. DivaCup suggests Replace them every few years because it doesn’t last forever. But Ellies was probably unused, which gives her some runway. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus on how long the silicone product will last; With proper care, some say 10 years. We reached out to DivaCup to ask how one of their products would fare 20 years after the apocalypse and will update this story when we hear about it.

Tampons on the other hand expire after five years, even unopened and in the box. Even if they look good, they could harbor bacteria or mold, which could lead to toxic shock syndrome. Ellie survived The last of us‘ infected and uninfected dangers for more than 14 years, and I do not want to see her leave a tampon. (Toxic shock syndrome is rare but life-threatening. There is a risk from using old tampons, but also from storing them too long, as bacteria can enter the bloodstream and spread from there.)

These are such small details for so much praise, but the media’s portrayal of periods has mostly been abysmal — at best it’s a joke about why a woman could be moody, and at worst it’s a disgusting trope. But most often it’s just routine: a symbol of a person’s coming of age, a girl growing into a woman. In reality, a period is just something that happens to some people. It can be annoying and painful (some more painful than others!), but it’s normal and shouldn’t be taboo. The last of us‘ The performance underscores and normalizes this as Ellie crushes her DivaCup in her hand.