Episode 331: The Tampon Shortage

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the national tampon shortage and the history of feminine products.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• A national tampon shortage has until recently been dismissed as a minor inconvenience or even a punchline. We all drew on this Smithsonian history of menstrual products. Niki referred to this Atlantic essay on the history of the tampon, and Natalia to Lara Freidenfelds’ book, The Modern Period: Menstruation in Twentieth-Century America.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared about ProPublica’s new study of adult literacy and referred to this New York Times article about challenges to a popular literacy program.
• Neil recommended Sasha Issenberg’s book, The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage.
• Niki discussed Christopher Mathias’ HuffPost article, “Living With the Far-Right Insurgency in Idaho,” and her own column for CNN, “Arrests at Idaho Pride Event Could Be a Harbinger of Things to Come.”