Anonymous wrote:That gross skirt thing was added to th cardboard applicator ones when I was pregnant. I won't use Tampax cardboard anymore. They just don't expand well for me. I also can't use OB anymore, which sucks. I mostly use Tampax Pearl now. I hate that they have plastic but they expand better for me so I don't leak and they have Ultras, which I need now.
This. When I started using the old school Tampax again after having my first child, I was convinced that something about childbirth had changed my body such that I could no longer hold the tampon in right. Eventually I realized it was the damn "skirt" hanging too low and causing irritation. It was a so-called product improvement added during my pregnancy. I think I figured this out after randomly coming across something online where a bunch of women were complaining about how bad the skirt is. I use Tampax Pearl now and find they are like the original Tampax but with the plastic applicator. I am inclined to think the manufacturer added the skirt to differentiate the original product as a less-desirable budget option and push most users up to the "luxury" Pearl line.