RED by ModiBodi Period and Leakproof Underpants Review
We usually think of ‘back to school’ as being the usual – uniform, school shoes, stationery and getting everything labelled and ready for September. But back to school is more than that, especially for young, adolescent girls. I think that kids are growing up faster than ever before, both physically and socially; they start their periods as young as 8 (the average age in the UK is 12, but we all know that there is no such thing as an average child), and with them being exposed earlier and earlier to social media, kids develop an idea of body image far earlier than we did when I was at school.
My eldest daughter is 10, and as much as I’ve done my best to try to let her grow up slowly, there isn’t much I can do about kids at school and what they’ve been exposed to. She checks the mirror every time she leaves the house, asks me if she looks ok and tells me that she can’t wear certain things cos they’re ‘not cool’.
I think, because of all of the above, it is so important that we equip our young daughters with everything they need to feel confident and good about themselves – and I don’t mean making sure we’ve provided them with the newest trainers available! Kids do feel self-conscious, there’s no two ways about it, and with all if the changes that are happening to them at that age, plus the hormones, everything is heightened.
I like to consider myself quite an open and un-fazed parent – both of my kids know the facts of life, as well as a general understanding of periods and how young girls change into women. With my eldest, we’ve also had a chat about what that will mean for her over the next few years and the importance of good personal hygiene. They have also recently completed a series of sessions at school about this, and she has come to me on a couple of occasions with questions, mostly about periods as they’re probably the single, most significant change a girl will experience.
My daughter already experiences certain challenges as she grows up, in that she has had a long-term problem with bladder weakness. For the most part, with certain adjustments to routine, we manage this fine, but even at her age, she has had a few embarrassing incidents at school, so the prospect of starting her periods out of the blue worries her a lot. She has been offered Tenna type pads by the hospital, and we have also had a kind of pull-up suggested, neither of which we thought was appropriate – she has an occasional problem, not a daily one and she has been so worried about looking different when getting changed for PE and swimming that these options were never going to work.
So we were particularly delighted to be contacted by Modibodi and asked to try out their Red range, especially for pre-teens and teens. Modibodi make period-proof underwear, to eliminate the need for towels and tampons and help make young girls look and feel no different when they’re having their period. The thing that particularly attracted me was that it mentioned that as well as soaking up the blood during a period and eliminating odour, it would also do the same for wee!
The pants are available in either bikini brief style or girl-shorts, all in either plain colours or funky patterns. we were sent three pairs to try out – two briefs (Hipster Bikini – Rainbow Stripes and Hipster Bikini – Love Heart), and a pair of Hipster Boyshort – Pink Polka Dot. These retail at £18.50 each.
Our first impressions were that they were incredibly well made – they feel very well stitched and the material felt thick, substantial and stretchy. My daughter loved the patterns on all of them, and I have to say that I agree – they are perfect for this age. They’re bright, funky and neither boring nor babyish in pattern. The undies do obviously feel slightly padded in the gusset area, but only very lightly, and my daughter said that once they were on, she couldn’t really feel the padding at all, and it certainly wasn’t visible to me. The padded gusset area is made from black Modifier fabric, meaning you don’t have to be confronted with the obvious every time you use the bathroom. They are comfortable to walk in, with no feeling of a ‘wedge’ between your legs, and no tell-tale rustle either!
Each pair will hold up to 2 tampons worth of liquid, so they should allow girls to feel fresh and clean all day, without the need to change and carry sanitary products around with them. I do remember trying to discreetly sneak towels or pads out of my schoolbag and into a pocket when I was at school, so I could go and change, but these eliminate any need for that at all. Yet another way that they are much less conspicuous than towels or tampons! The three-layer technology draws the liquid in, locks it away and makes sure there are no smells or dampness, which is a massive improvement on sanitary towels.
The Modibodi Red are also really easy to look after – you should be able to wear them for a full day – once you take them off for the day, you just need to rinse them under the tap until the runs clear and then you can pop them in the normal laundry basket. When they then come to going in the machine, just make sure you wash on a cool wash, leave out the fabric softener and don’t tumble them.
My daughter is over the moon with them, they have given her that little bit of confidence that if the worst does happen whilst she’s at school, and she either has an accident or her periods start unexpectedly, there will be no embarrassing moments for her. I can absolutely vouch for the odour eliminating and dry feeling that they claim – she feels completely dry, isn’t sore (as you can be if you leak urine), and they don’t smell at all.
The only slight issue that we have had is the sizing. She’s a pretty standard sized 10-year-old, so we ordered age 10-12. The shorts fit absolutely perfectly, but the briefs are a lot smaller and I don’t think she will get a great deal of use out of them – I think the 12-14 would have been a better fit, and I will size-up for future orders.
These are a fabulous idea, especially for at school where kids do fear embarrassment and not fitting in. They will give girls the confidence to just get on with their day, without needing to worry about leaks, smells or anyone knowing they’re on their period.
Rating: 4.5/5
Prices from £16.50
For more information or to buy visit www.modibodi.co.uk.
