Have you ever started your cycle and had to whisper to the person beside you and ask “Do you have a pad or tampon?” Or let’s say you played sports and it was game day, “How am I supposed to play, is my pad thick enough? I hope I don’t bleed through.” The sheer nervousness can consume you, causing an internal freak out that’s unrelenting. Well, 1 in 4 girls around the world drop out of sport during adolescence with one of the key reasons cited being fear of leakage while on their period. Here to erase that fear, Adidas is addressing this issue head-on with product innovation and resources to help girls stay in sports despite menstruating.
Adidas, along with their Stay in Play launch, has just debuted their TechFit Period Proof Tights — using Flow Shield Technology to help protect against leaks, giving athletes the confidence to stay in play throughout their cycle. In addition to the tights, Adidas has also partnered with Dr. Georgie Bruinvels of Ocrreco who has created free lesson plans (yes – free) and provided resources to improve education about menstruating and comfortability around having a period. To further educate the masses, Adidas will also bring pop-up Stay In Play Trainer’s Lounges to youth sporting events throughout the summer.
Courtesy of AdidasDr. Bruinvels was responsible for the technology and education portion of the Stay In Play Campaign who explained how a period impacts their body while playing. “1 of 3 of female athletes feel that their performance can be negatively impacted by their cycle,” she says. “Additionally, 1 in 3 of women are heavy bleeders but if you’re proactive, you’ll be empowered to understand what to do about it. The whole premise of this campaign is to provide understanding and practical tools that we’ve created to help support.” Dr. Bruinvels did this through creating lesson plans to make the topic easier to discuss. “The menstrual cycle is a normal natural process,” she says. “It’s a sign of health and it shouldn’t be debilitating. That was a big highlight for me of the program was trying to remove the barriers and provide them with the tools, skills and know-how.”
Most importantly, however, is that the tights don’t feel like a diaper of sorts. “I feel that when you wear these, it’s not like, ‘Oh, these are your period shorts’ or ‘These are your period tights,'” Dr. Bruinvels says. “However, you’ll actually feel protected and covered — just not bulky.” I asked both Buerger and Dr. Bruinvels which pair was their favorite and surprisingly got two different answers. Buerger loved the shorter length because of how popular the biker short look is and Dr. Bruinvels liked the longer lengths because she is “quite short” and that elongate her bottom half. As someone who is 5’3, I’m all too familiar with that struggle.
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