Toxic Shock Syndrome is a rare but life threatening bacterial infection which is caused by Staphylococcus aureus. For reasons that are still not understood, a significant proportion of cases occur in women who are on their period and using a tampon. Even though the infection can be treated if caught early, many young women have not been educated on TSS and are unaware of its symptoms, meaning unfortunately many cases have been fatal. Part of the reason TSS is still so unknown is because there is a stigma surrounding menstruation and many women do not feel comfortable talking about their periods.
The packaging of tampons encourages girls to keep their periods a secret. Many leading tampon brands sell their tampons as 'discreet' or 'invisable' and suggest that your period should be something you should hide and be ashamed of. 'Just' is a tampon brand that challenges these perceptions, and aims to start the conversation between young women about their bodies, their periods and about the extremities of TSS.
Just is all about conversation, encouraging young women to have more confidence about their body and their period. With four different absorbancies, Just sways away from the regular tampon packaging and aims to be honest and open about its contents, whilst also raising awareness of TSS and how you can prevent it.
TSS can occur when a tampon is not used correctly. Inside every box are 5 sachets containing 3 tampons each, encouraging women to be war of how often they are changing their tampons and to preferably change it 3 times a day. The box also contains a small leaflet which aims to educate young women on TSS in an accessible and friendly manner.