Well, to be fair, growing up in the thirties, my mom and her mom both used rags when they were on their period, and my mom has talked about being in school with this horrible, stiff, blood-soaked rag in her underwear, all stick and uncomfortable, and how it smelled, etc. So tampons *were* more sanitary, even pads were, and my mom was frankly over the moon when she could stop using rags and move on to something else.

So, you know - it's all a matter of perspective. I don't really think blood in your underwear is all that awesome *or* sanitary - it does stink, and i'd rather not smell like a meat-packing plant, you know?