What is the cost of being a woman?

Surprisingly, our most unwelcome and expensive house guest, Aunt Flo, is taxed as if she were in fact the tooth fairy. That's right, feminine hygiene products are taxed as a luxury!

YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen asked President Obama what’s up with our necessities being taxed as luxury goods in 40 states across the country.

“I don’t know anyone who has a period who thinks it’s a luxury,” she says to which the President laughs, saying he thinks the first lady would agree.

“I have to tell you, I have no idea why states would tax these as luxury items. I suspect its cause men were making the laws when those taxes were passed.”

“And I think it’s pretty sensible for women in those states to work to get those taxes removed.” Now while I appreciate the President’s honest answer, my only reservation is with the notion that it must be women that carrier the banner marching towards progress, with the weight of this issue solely on their shoulders. Couldn’t we all pitch in towards equality?

The President goes on to explain that these aren’t federal taxes, but state taxes, meaning change must come from governors and state legislators.

So, who is working to change this?

In January of 2016, California assemblywoman Cristina Garcia introduced legislation, AB 1561, to make feminine hygiene products exempt from sales tax.

“This is not insignificant to women, especially poor women on a tight budget who struggle to pay for basic necessities like a box of tampons or pads every month for their adult life,” Garcia said. “If we can’t make them free we should at least make them more affordable.”

“Basically we are being taxed for being women,” Garcia said.

Does that seem fair to you?

If you want to see a breakdown of how much your monthly costs add up, check this out!