Being female is hard. Stereotypes of women, including their "obsessions" with body-image, their so-called "place in the kitchen" and their endless household duties, can all be attributed to the media and the many misconstrued perceptions of women they project.

We've all seen "that" Tampax ad. It's not much of a commercial at that. It consists of a close-up shot of a little orange girly-bag and portrays a woman with all her pretty little things and ever-important image, maintaining a "clean" perception by shamefully sneaking out of a classroom, a tiny tampon hidden in her hand. The message of the commercial is clear: all women should be ashamed of their most natural bodily function. These ads supposedly support the "revolutionary" advancement of Tampax products.

So what was the point exactly? Tampax designed these little tampons no one can see to "help" us? I'm sure many of you would agree that they are essential and no one wants to return to the days of "mattress" pads, pieces of cloth, leaves or whatever other unimaginable means of absorbency were used. While I'm sure it was hard, women managed just fine without shame.

Help me understand the rationale. It's bad enough watching all the other insulting and derogatory commercials portraying the typical nut-job-frantic female who absolutely needs to clean her house. However when it comes to something as natural as your period, sending the message that your menstrual cycle is nothing more than shameful does a lot of damage to any woman's psyche. This message reaches not only the confused and impressionable girls, but also the rest of the female population. It shows how negative perceptions of women are still reality.

Our society states: if you're a girl who happens to menstruate, we don't want to know about it. I hate to burst your bubble but it happens. Girls menstruate. Whether or not a little tampon will help you sneak out of class undetected, the fact remains--it's part of being a girl.

What is it about the female physique? How can some aspects of the female body are admired and used to sell countless products, but as soon as you say "rag" you have guys cringing at the mere thought?

To the remaining male population who don't contribute to Tampax sales: While you adore the fact that girls are sweet, cuddly and smell good with all their prettiest little things, all I can say to that is thank goodness for PMS. It's our way of getting back at it all.