An interesting trend among teen girls
By NJ Chicaa
@NJChicaa (125881)
United States
January 8, 2026 3:15pm CST
This topic is kind of strange and I've thought of writing about it several times but always skipped it because, well, it is odd but here we go.
Now this is just among the teen girls that I see at work. I can't speak for other teen girls in the country or even the area. I don't think it is exclusive just to my school.
When it is "that time of the month" for the girls they use pads rather than tampons. Here in NJ there is a law that the nurse's office has to provide menstruation products for free to students. I have no issue with that. But so many girls will come up to me and ask to go to the nurse for a pad. I've never had a student ask to go get a tampon.
They freely and openly tell me that they need to get a pad. I would have melted into the floor if I ever thought I would have had to tell a teacher or other adult that. 
I asked a student who I had a very good kind of "mentor" relationship why it was always that rather than the alternative. She looked horrified and was like "oh hell no!"
I didn't go further with it so I truly don't understand this shift. My generation reviled pads and always use/used tampons. The idea of using pads is revolting to me. I really am curious as to what caused this shift back to them.
I asked a student who I had a very good kind of "mentor" relationship why it was always that rather than the alternative. She looked horrified and was like "oh hell no!"
I didn't go further with it so I truly don't understand this shift. My generation reviled pads and always use/used tampons. The idea of using pads is revolting to me. I really am curious as to what caused this shift back to them.8 people like this
7 responses
@AmbiePam (109731)
• United States
8 Jan
Growing up, we never used (me, my sister, friends) tampons because they were so uncomfortable. In fact, I have never used a tampon willingly. If I used one it was because that was all that is available. My niece begged my sister to buy period underwear, so that’s what she uses now. It used to be pads. She didn’t even entertain the idea of a tampon.
2 people like this
@RasmaSandra (92718)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
8 Jan
I never used a tampon, always pads, and my teen years were in the 1970s. Just always looked for thinner and more absorbent pads,
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (210357)
• United States
9 Jan
I wasn't allowed to use tampons when I was a teen. My mother forbade it. Later I realized it was because I was a virgin; and she didn't want that to change. You know what I mean. When I was away from home I used tampons; but sometimes wore a pad too.
As a P. S....in those days there was no adhesive on the pads. You had to wear a belt; and the pad NEVER stayed in the proper spot. So bad.
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (279)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
14h
don't know what trend is here and, yes, they are free in schools too. i would also never ask someone so freely for a pad or tampon or anything in my days. as for me, i always hated tampons. i remember some sea vacations when i had to swim with it and it was so uncomfortable for me. it depends of the person, i guess. pads are not comfy cause they move a lot but they are less painful than tampons. again, in my opinion.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (165319)
• United States
8 Jan
I have no clue about things like that now except Pretty doesn't use pads... She's gotten and I've paid for tampons for her.
When she was 13, she came home from a weekend at her mom's house and told me we needed to go to Walmart right then. I asked why and she told me she'd started her period but didn't trust her mom enough to tell her. Of course, I took her and then had to ask one of the associates to help us. I certainly didn't know anything about that subject. The associate laughed and said "dad needed to learn this stuff"... I wasn't amused but did follow along while the Walmart associate took us to that section of the store, explained both types and Pretty picked out tampons.
1 person likes this
