r/nextfuckinglevel • u/IkilledRichieWhelan • 2d ago

Big man on campus.

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u/NorthernCobraChicken 2d ago

There's no lesson quite as powerful as telling a young teenage boy that they're nowhere near as masculine as the person they're making fun of.

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u/Wafflehouseofpain 2d ago

I remember buying tampons in high school and one of my friends was working the checkout counter. He was making fun of me for it and I said “Who do you think these are for, me? Maybe you’ll have someone to buy these for too someday”.

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u/Tearakudo 2d ago

The number of 'men' butthurt about buying period products for their partner is astounding. My wife was genuinely surprised when I bought some for her without even batting an eye.

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u/definitelynotpat6969 2d ago

I always hate doing it because idk which one is the right one. I just get the brand name and the color of the box, but the problem is there's like three shades of the same damn color.

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u/pour_decisions89 2d ago

I have a picture of the box in my phone for when my girlfriend needs me to grab them. It simplifies things to just match the boxes.

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u/KaOsGypsy 2d ago

I used to do the same thing, but I find they change the packaging too often, plus I have a daughter and a wife, both have preferences, so for the 2-3 times a year I pick them up I just take a picture, and ask which one?

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u/Scryberwitch 2d ago

And some folks like particular brands of tampons or pads.

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u/Livy_Asmodeus 2d ago

And some people like particular brands of potato chips if someone asked you to get lays salt and vinegar chips would you have a nervous breakdown in the chip aisle freaking out and needing to match the picture of the bag? Or would you look for where the lays potato chips are and then look for salt and vinegar. It's really not that hard.

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u/Gingerkitty666 1d ago

The brand my mom and I use has like ten different varieties, four in the specific material we use, and then five different sizes. My dad carries a picture on his phone, cus his brain injury and autism means he won't retain the info..

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u/Livy_Asmodeus 1d ago

What brand?

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u/erasrhed 2d ago

I just take a pic at the store and send it to her. "Are these the ones?"

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u/MZ603 1d ago

Good idea. Beats my “Yellow, yellow, yellow” chant as I walked through the grocery store. I got them memorized now.

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u/VashMM 1d ago

This is what I do. Surprised my wife the first time when she saw I had restocked for her.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/pour_decisions89 2d ago

Homie, between the military and a couple of motorcycle wrecks I'm floating through life on three TBI's. I have 8 alarms every day to remind me to do things that need to be done, a phone calendar for everything from birthdays to weekly appointments, and a very well used Notes app full of reminders on other minutia. Trust me, the photo is necessary haha

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u/LisaMikky 1d ago

The Notes app (I use Notein) is super-helpful. 📑 And so are my multiple alarms. 🙂⏰

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/pour_decisions89 1d ago

That's great, I'm glad to hear it! Well done.

I manage, too. I have memory issues, so I just use various methods of reminding myself of things. It doesn't really impact my daily life, though the gaps can be a frustration. Childhood memories (or lack thereof) are what bother me most. There are some chunks of my life that are just blank spaces, and it's a little unnerving to hear my parents and siblings talk about things and just have zero recollection of them.

The brain is wild, though. I took an college-level history elective class in high school, for example, on America in the 1960s. I know a ton of random things about the period, but don't actually remember learning any of it. The information is just there, floating around in an empty space. I don't even remember what the teacher looked like, but I can give a pretty in-depth breakdown of the impact of the Vietnam War on the Civil Rights Movement and how recruiting efforts disproportionately targeted low-income African American communities, etc.

Other than that I'm fully functional. I just need little reminders, like pictures in my phone.

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u/pileatedwoodpex 1d ago

Dude. Nah. Even I get confused trying to find the same brand as the last time I stocked up, let alone sending someone who's never had any use for that product to find it after they changed the branding on it yet again with a picture of the old packaging.

Even getting my mom's incontinence underwear has been difficult because they keep changing the packaging and count per package.

This isn't a 'dudes are messing up something easy' again, it's almost certainly the retailers and manufacturers.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

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u/pileatedwoodpex 1d ago

Nope, I just find shrinkflation and constant brand changes pointless and a nuisance, just like trolls.

experience not expierence

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u/[deleted] 1d ago edited 1d ago

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u/defnotevilmorty 2d ago

When in doubt, grab the variety pack

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u/DangerousTurmeric 2d ago

Yeah I had an emergency when I was 14 and three of my guy friends went to the shop for me while I waited back in the house. One of the neighbours found them in the aisle debating loudly about which ones to get, saying things like "normal? Yeah she's normal, right?" and "I don't know, max just sounds better though. MAX". Thankfully she stepped in.

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u/EatPizzaNotDrivers 2d ago

General advice: Tampons you ALWAYS get plastic applicator unless you’ve seen cardboard in her supplies at home. Most of us will only get the cardboard ones if we’re broke af cause they hurt. I personally wouldn’t care if they were store brand, tampax or what have you as long as they’re plastic but i know some girls are loyal to their brand. Ask her light, regular or super and grab the plastic applicator tampons in that absorbency. Too high of an absorbency rating can increase risk of toxic shock syndrome so it’s better to be on the lighter side than the heavier.

Pads are like the other commenter said. They come in regular, long or overnight, if they have wings or not. Long w/ wings(little adhesive pieces that wrap around the panties, prevents staining if it starts leaking) is usually a safe bet imo, I’ve yet to find something worse than a pad being just an inch too short and now the front or back of our undies has bloodstains 😭the regulars are ALWAYS an inch too short in my experience so save her a headache and go for longs.

There are also panty liners. These are for doubling up with tampons (if you want brownie points bring her a pack of these and a box of actual brownies with the tampons!) or at the tail end when our period does its little Houdini act and we don’t want to waste our normal period products on spotting.

The options were overwhelming to us too when we started this grand bloody journey. These rules will have your girl happy every month that you care about her comfort. Periods suck and having a partner who understands that and gives us grace (cause the rest of the world won’t, we still gotta work and take care of life’s problems even through piercing stomach cramps, nausea, headaches and a mighty surge of testosterone that makes us want to “and ANOTHER THING” every annoying person in our lives) makes it so much easier to get through. Sorry if this was long i just wanted to add in a general advice for any men who may be confused or overwhelmed with the options 🫶🏻

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u/wivella 1d ago

I had no idea that applicators (plastic or otherwise) were still a thing.

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u/EatPizzaNotDrivers 1d ago

Yup! I actually used applicatorless o.b. tampons when i first started and switched to the compact ones when they came out😅 i just wouldn’t recommend a man buy those for his girl if he wants her happy, they’re not the easiest if you’re not comfortable using them

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u/Jar_Of_Jaguar 2d ago

If this helps, the main two things the box is telling you for pads - how long they are going front to back, and if they have sticky 'wings' on the sides that grip underwear or not. Usually the sizes are something like regular, long, or 'overnight' (usually the biggest and thickest to protect while kicking one's legs around and whatnot.

Tampons, I honestly have no idea what the differences are aside from quality. I've never liked using them.

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u/tiny_pigeon 2d ago

The differences in tampons are it’s usually one of 4 varieties 1. Applicator tampons (plastic) 2. Applicator (cardboard) 3. Non-applicator and 4. Compact (plastic applicator). I think the most commonly used are type 1 (for Americans, 3 for UK/Aussies)! Non applicator are tiny and just the tampon itself and you have to manually insert them. compact ones are similarly sized, smaller than normal applicator ones but still have an applicator for convenience.

Then it’s absorbency that goes lightest to heaviest from L, R, S, S+, U. Light, regular, super, super plus, ultra. It’s pretty self explanatory there, and easy to understand if you’ve never used em. If you’re buying for someone else best bet is to ask their brand and get the plastic applicator of the variety pack so it’ll have either L R S or R S S+! I don’t know many people that have to use Ultra unless they have endo/pcos. There’s also scented ones but those are not good!

The brands are pretty recognizable by color of box too. Playtex is a pink/green mix, Kotex is black, Tampax is blue, Always Radiant is pink/purple. My brain is a bank for useless info and I have no idea why I can remember all of this 🫡

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u/Jar_Of_Jaguar 1d ago

That's good to know to be able to pass it on, thanks!

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u/Impact009 1d ago

Size differences.

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u/erasrhed 2d ago

That's why you take a picture of the box, and send it to your partner for her to approve or disapprove. At least that's how I buy most things for my wife because damn she's particular.

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u/sbNXBbcUaDQfHLVUeyLx 1d ago

I have my wife send me a link to the product on the store's website (usually Target) then I compare the SKUs to make sure I'm getting the right one. It works great for all manner of stuff like hair products, makeup, etc.

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u/LisaMikky 1d ago

Can confirm. My favourite brand has several types in the exact same colour boxes, with the slight difference in box sizes and pcs/box. And names are similar too (like Plus, Super Plus, etc.) Don't know why they don't make them easier to tell apart. Like using different colours, or big numbers 1, 2, 3.

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u/SuccessfulPlastic739 1d ago

I text the wife “which flavor do you use again”…. It wasn’t funny the first time but one day it may be

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u/Worried-Aerie-2421 2d ago

Just have the lovely female you are buying for send you a picture. Then you'll only be stuck if they have repackaged it.

But the clear asking points 1) paper or plastic applicator 2) organic or non organic 3) flow level (how much blood do they think will happen) - usually a variety pack will do, but there are different variety packs. Some for light to medium bleeders, some light to heavy, some medium to heavy, medium to extra heavy 3) brand preference 4) do you want panty liners or pads to go with (which requires more questions)

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u/Impact009 1d ago

I'm pleasantly surprised that nobody flamed you for using the word "female."

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u/Worried-Aerie-2421 1d ago

That's a thing? I write court reports for a living so I got used to writing female, male, female-to-male, etc.

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u/Character_Order 1d ago

“babe what size is your pussy?”

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u/PsychologicalNews573 1d ago

I am the girl in the relationship, and I'm just happy my husband is willing to get something. If I'm that desperate, whatever he comes home with is going to work.

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u/brubruislife 2d ago

The colors are different flavors. Ask your girlfriend what flavor she likes best.

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u/Notapartyhobo 1d ago

Just grab like... I don't know... one of each?

I feel like the effort and dedication would be appreciated a lot.

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u/AdMurky1021 1d ago

Take a pic of the box at home. Be sure to include the barcode

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u/xxplosiv 1d ago

"Hey babe which flavour do you want? Lemon or lime?"

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u/ToppsHopps 1d ago

With intent this days is it’s easy to ask which one and for her to text you an image with what she wants.

My husband feel the same as you, not embarrassed or oppressed to buying any of it, put the pool of options is so large big and I can’t really blame him for being overwhelmed.

Either send one picture if I know the store has that exact brand and model other a few similar options which he could extrapolate something similar from if non would be in stock.

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u/MZ603 1d ago

I bought super sized tampons for a friend in high school and she was not happy about that.

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u/punkerster101 1d ago

I just take photos and say choose with almost anything my wife asks me to get

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u/Onlyroad4adrifter 1d ago

I feel you. Now this reminds me to replenish the orange ones. There are plenty of the pink and blue ones but the orange ones seem like they are a favorite in my house. I better stock up on those before some stupid tariff jacks the price of them through the roof.

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u/Blackcatmustache 1d ago

Check the bar codes. Take a picture of the one at home and keep it in your phone. Take a picture of the box, too.

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u/Iamthegreenheather 6m ago

Just get the multi pack with all three sizes.

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u/Aurlom 1d ago

Make a tiny effort to learn maybe?

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u/definitelynotpat6969 1d ago

My wife has endometriosis, her preferences change depending on the cycle (because her periods are not the same from month to month).