Company launches new solution to period problem

Periods: it is the thing that can help boost a little girl’s confidence in becoming a woman, and at the same time make her the target of laughter over a bloody clothing mistake.

After throwing away the “accident” underwear over and over again, Miki Agrawal and her team decided “it was enough.”

The CEO and co-founder of Thinx has helped to create a proclaimed “thoughtful” line of underwear that are self-absorbing, not to replace sanitary towels and tampons but to aid in eliminating mistakes.

“I would have to throw away two to three pairs of underwear a month,” Agrawal said. “I said ‘There has to be a better way.’ I didn’t want to keep standing up and looking at my chair to make sure it’s OK.”

The product was developed over a time period of three years with identical twin sister Radha and friend Antonia Dunbar, Agrawal said.

Currently offering three different styles, through patented technology that “absorbs and contains moisture,” people can buy underwear based on how heavy their flow is. The underwear can be washed and re-worn as if new.

For Jasmin Jenkins, the head of community engagement, it is an opportunity to educate both women and men.

“It may have feminist roots but it has the power to help other people,” she said. “Thinx is a human movement. The more women who can wake up to the reality of how other women manage their menstrual cycle, the more we can bring all people into our world. It’s about seeing the full picture and looking to understand the other end.”

Jenkins, who is a former Barrington resident, joined Thinx as the company’s fourth full-time hire since its launch in 2010. According to her, living in a community that offered service opportunities helped mold and “discipline” her global perspective about life.

“Barrington is a great place to have your roots,” she said. “But I knew I wanted to affect more things in the world so I knew I had to leave. I always knew I wanted to go out into the world and change it.”

Jenkins’ travels eventually landed her at the company where she, and others like Veronica del Rosario, director of marketing, help create conversations about the female menstrual cycle through their social media sites. Typical discussion, outside of customer feedback, is an equally important part of their brand, del Rosario said.

Partnering with AFRIpads, a non-governmental organization based in Uganda, the team has helped to fund reusable pads to more than 16,000 girls to date, according to Agrawal. With every pair of underwear purchased, Thinx stated that it is able to “fund a pack of washable and reusable pads to one girl in the developing world” who, on average, misses 11 percent of their academic training due to their period. The statistic comes from a 2013 SNV report about the menstrual management conditions in Uganda.

The movement has also fostered discussion all over the Internet about how Thinx could potentially “revolutionize” the feminine hygiene industry, with many, according to Jenkins, misquoting the company’s panties as a means to replace other products.

“We’re not stupid; it was clear that those headlines were clickbait,” she said. “People are going to click on an article that says ‘replace’ as opposed to ‘back up.'”

While Jenkins stated women could potentially use the underwear as a substitution from other traditional products, she insists that women “know their flow.”

Outside of helping to spread awareness about their product, del Rosario stated the team is working to offer a line of underwear that is gender-neutral.

“We’ve had a lot of people coming to us saying ‘Women aren’t the only ones who have periods. What are you going to do about that?'” she said. “We realized that the trans community is under-represented. Trans men have body dysphoria every single month when they get their period. It’s a really painful time for them and that anxiety is harder than even for some women.”

While plans to release new product choices are still developing, according to Jenkins, Thinx will continue to push their mission until the brand is a well-recognized name, and she encourages young girls everywhere to “fuel” their desire to change the world.

“It’s important that young girls use their voice and make an impact where they can,” she said. “We are growing and we want other people to grow with us. Eventually, I envision a world where everyone has heard of Thinx.”

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Compton is a freelancer.