Student Forced to Develop New Ways to Hide Her Tampons as Weather Improves

EVANSTON, Il. - For weeks now, Northwestern students have had no need for their identical long North Face parkas, and instead have been able to wear short-sleeved t-shirts and tank tops as temperatures have finally consistently remained above 50 degrees in Evanston.  For SOC Junior Maddie Thompkins, however, the improving weather conditions have created an entirely new problem.

"In the winter it's really easy to avoid the shame of having a period by sliding tampons into your long sleeves or putting them in your sweatshirt pockets," Thompkins said. She added that she has even, on several occasions, tucked tampons into taller boots.

However, achieving the same level of secrecy without the extra layers will be difficult for her, Thompkins noted.

"If someone sees me carrying a tampon to the bathroom, it could alert them to the fact that I'm menstruating and therefore not pregnant," Thompkins told reporters. The obvious move, she said, is to be as secretive as possible.

"I could put it in my purse, but why else would I take a purse to the bathroom?" Thompkins said. "It would just be really embarrassing if anyone else knew that my reproductive system is in full working order, doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing, and that I'm taking care of it hygienically."

At press time, Thompkins was attempting to secure a tampon under her tank top and behind the waistband of her shorts.

"Does this look obvious to you?" She asked reporters. "Like, can you see that it's there or do you have to be looking for it?"

The story is still developing as Thompkins continues to rack her brain for ideas.