(no subject)

[nny]

Any Americans around? Quick question. What would you call sanitary towels? Especially if you were kinda squeamish about actually calling them that? I mean... if they were called 'pads', would that bring the association to mind or not?

YES IT IS RELEVANT.

Comments

[bethbethbeth.livejournal.com]

Pads, yes.

But in that calling-a-Hoover-a-hoover way, some people might say "do you have a Kotex?" for example.

[innerbrat]

Maxipads sound American to me.

[jezrana.livejournal.com]

Pads, or kotex regardless of which brand they actually are, yeah.

[batyatoon]

If you're asking whether someone hearing the term "pads" would assume that it meant "sanitary towels," given reasonable context? I'd say yes.

[skygiants]

I've never referred to them as anything other than pads.

[beeej.livejournal.com]

For me, it's maxipads and minipads. And that wonderful invention, the tampon, often referred to by the brand name Tampax.

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I've only ever called them "pads" and "tampons".

[gramarye1971]

'Sanitary towels' calls to mind the kind that you'd have to wear hooked onto a separate belt, as they used to be. 'Pads', as such, are the kind that stick to your underwear without a belt.

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Looking for a medium-to-full-sized sanitary napkin: "Anyone got a pad?" "Anyone got a maxipad?" (If you were yelling for this from a bathroom stall, you could use the former, but if you were not you would likely use the latter because this would clarify what you wanted out of context.)

Looking for a thin little stain-protection version: "Anyone got a pantyliner?"

Looking for a tampon: "Anyone got a tampon?" "Anyone got a Tampax?"

We know that pads are formally called sanitary napkins but no one would call them that unless they were being really delicate or for humorous emphasis. "Honey, could you get me some pads at the store?" "Some what?" "Maxipads. San-i-tar-y nap-kins..." "Yes, yes, I got it, geez, I'll get 'em!"