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TikToker’s confusion about Aussie tampons goes viral: 'Not what I was expecting'
An American woman’s reaction to ‘Australian tampons’ has sparked a huge online conversation, after her TikTok video went viral.
Gabrielle Uhrig, who goes by the TikTok name gabrielleuhrig, is currently living in Australia but she’s realising not everything here is the same as back home - particularly feminine hygiene products.
In her viral video which has been viewed more than 3.1 million times, she revealed she was “super confused” after purchasing tampons, questioning why they are “so different” from those sold in America.
“Guys, someone has to explain this to me why has nobody mentioned this,” she began, before warning those who are guys to keep scrolling.
“Ok, so go buy tampons right? And this is what I get mini tampons,” she says, holding up the tampon, adding “this isn’t even as big as my pinky”.
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But the most shocking thing to her wasn’t the size, it was the fact there was no plastic applicator included.
“It’s tiny, which is fine, but how do you…where’s the plastic insertion piece?” She asked her 42 thousand followers.
Applicator vs non-applicator
The thousands of comments on her video quickly sparked an applicator vs non-applicator debate, not only between her American and Australian followers but women all over the world.
While many Aussie women couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, her American followers were just as freaked out as she was.
“Applicator is attached to your hand,” one person wrote, while another added “You use your finger. Simple.”
“Tampons without applicators? I have never heard of it. "just use your finger" WHAT???? I get not using all that plastic but..no,” one US follower said.
Another agreed saying, “I feel like it’s more hygienic with the applicator.”
Women from all over the world who had traveled to other countries said they’d shared a similar puzzling experience.
"I was the opposite when I came to the US. I was so confused about how to use the applicator,” one Aussie wrote.
"Yes! This happened to me the first time I went to Europe! And no applicator," another woman wrote.
Several Australian followers added they thought applicators were only used by those first learning to use tampons.
“I always thought applicator tampons were for learning how to use tampons?” one person questioned, with another adding “we were taught the applicator ones were for learning.”
However, Gabrielle said she was “just shocked” by this and that applicators were extremely common in America.
“That’s crazy! Learn something new every day. I’m just scared it’s going to hurt. Ever pulled a dry one out?! Terrible,” she responded.
‘So, what do Americans use?’
The numerous curious responses from her Aussie followers about ‘American tampons’ prompted Gabrielle to make a second video showing the most common options in the US.
In the clip, she shows the difference between the two and explains how to use the applicator.
“I’m not speaking for everyone in the US, but I feel like using tampons with applicators is more popular than not,” she says.
“I truly had no idea that there were tampons without applicators, but also I see people commenting saying they had no idea there were tampons with applicators.
“You can only imagine what I thought when I opened this up and it had no plastic piece over it. I was super confused to the point where I opened several more to make sure I wasn’t tripping.
“It’s just crazy how different the world is.”
Despite sparking a huge conversation about the applicator vs non-applicator issue, Gabrielle said at the end of the day, it comes down to “whatever works best for you!”
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