Personal observation
Date: Monday, 22nd January
6.20am It was a normal school day. My mum came into our room to wake Eileen up as usual. I was awakened by the voice of my mum too. However, as usual, my younger sister would just pretend that she was going to wake up and go back to sleep again when my mum leaves the room.
6.30am This was when her alarm (from her cellphone) rang and she reluctantly climbed out of bed to get prepared for school. Since I was awake, I’ve decided to wash up too. Eileen has a regime every morning before school (as this was not the first time I’ve seen her in the morning). After brushing her teeth, she would sit down on her bed and check her phone. Then she would slowly change her clothes. The longest time spent was on her hair. She can spend a good whole 10mins in front of the mirror.
7.10am My dad would beckon her to hurry and finally, they set off for Eileen’s school.
2pm Eileen came back home from school. Upon seeing me in the living room, she smiled at me. She left her bag in the room and asked me what was for lunch. She is usually famished immediately after school and chooses to eat before bathing.
2.15pm She switched on the television and sat down to eat her lunch. As she watched TV and ate at the same time, she took about 30mins to finish her lunch. After lunch, she opened the refrigerator and took a bottle of Vitagen. She sat down in front of the TV again and took her time to savor the drink.
3pm After much persuasion and nagging from me, she went to shower. She was prepared to change into her sleeping clothes, as she knew that she need not leave the house again that night. She sang in the bathroom so loudly that even I can hear it from the living room.
3.30pm As she comes out of the bathroom to dump her clothes into the washing machine, she was singing away. I asked if she has any homework but she hasn’t any. She went into the room to pack her bag and checked to ensure that she really didn’t have any homework. Then, she wore her earphones, took out her notebook and started drawing. Occasionally she would sing while she drew.
4.30pm My mum came back from work and talked to my sister about her day.
5pm My sister stopped drawing. She took out her cellphone and looked really engrossed in the content that she was browsing. I took a glimpse of her cellphone and realized that she was looking at Instagram. After about 10mins, she rotated her cellphone to landscape mode and immediately I knew that she was going to watch her favorite Korean variety show.
6.15pm It was dinnertime. My dad has not returned home yet, hence my sister, my mum and myself started eating first. The television was switched on and my sister was really engrossed in the television while she was eating. Occasionally my mum would snap at her and asked her to stop watching and chew her food. She focused on her food only when the news at Channel 8 started at 6.30pm.
7pm After dinner, three of us sat in front of the television to watch the Chinese drama. My sister soon got bored and went into the room..
7.30pm She continued watching the Korean variety show on her cellphone. Sometimes she would giggle to herself and sometimes she would laugh out loud. I asked her what was so funny; she smiled at me and showed me her screen.
10pm My mum beckoned my sister to sleep. After washing up, she climbed onto her bed but she did not sleep. She would continue to watch her screen from her cellphone. I share the same room as her and I was working quietly on my table with a small lamp on. When she laughed really loudly, I stared at her and she apologized.
11.30pm Finally feeling tired, she went over to the table to charge her cellphone. She set her alarm clock for the next day and climbed back to her bed. After saying good night to me, she slept. She is a deep sleeper because not long later, she started snoring.
“I am active and energetic and I love music! Music rocks my life. A great part of my life revolves around music.”
Eileen Ang, female, 14
Secondary School Student
Brand user: Kotex
Eileen is a Secondary Two student from Fajar Secondary School. At 14, Eileen is at her initial phase of teen hood, where she craves for more freedom as she gradually discovers her self-identity. During her free time, she likes to sing and dance, and occasionally she would also draw. Being an avid KPOP fan, Eileen actively seeks out information on the web about her favorite KPOP idols and enjoys watching music videos as well as Korean variety shows. Sometimes, she would also learn the dance moves of her favorite KPOP idols and tries to emulate them. Her favorite brands are Samsung, which is the brand of her cellphone, Galaxy S4; Converse for the high-cut shoes and street style and Panasonic for giving her an awesome sound experience every time she plugs in.
Who usually buys sanitary pads for you?
Usually my mum or my sister. I will usually use whatever pads that are available for me during my period regardless of brand.
Do you have a regime during your menstrual cycle?
I don’t really have any regime.
Do you use different brands for day and night? What are the brands?
No. I use Kotex, which is the brand available to me at home.
Do you track your period?
I don’t consciously track it since my mum usually does. I always go with my intuition.
What is your experience with Kotex like?
I feel that it is really troublesome that I need to change my pads regularly, especially during my heavy flow days. I feel that the pads couldn’t really hold heavy flows and I really wish there is one that is able to contain my flow during the day.
What are the things you would do to prevent leakage (day/night)?
I usually put on two pads because one is really not long enough; even the longest one available is not long enough. (P.S. this is recommended by my auntie) However, usually it leaks at the sides.
Can you briefly recall and describe your first period?
I remembered I had it in the morning when I woke up to prepare for school when I was in Secondary One. I got a shock of my life to find stains when I was in the toilet but I was actually mentally prepared for it because my mum pre-empted me when I was around the puberty age. It was kind of a hilarious incident because I called for me dad as my mum has already gone for work. My dad was as nonplussed as I was. Finally I had to wake my sister and she taught me how to put on the pad and packed extra for me to bring to school.
Brand Profile
Low Brand Consciousness
Eileen is still at the initial stage of creating her self-identity, hence, she is still relatively indifferent to brands that she use. Most of the time, she would be satisfied with the things that are bought for her regardless of the brand. Yet at the same time, she is happier when she knows that she is presented with more reputable brands.
Financially Dependent
Eileen never goes pass a day without any interaction with music. Music revolves around her life. Whenever she has the opportunity, she would plug on her earphones and listen to her favorite KPOP idols or watch music videos. She also sings and dances whenever she feels like it, usually regardless of where she is.
Brand Relationship
Arranged Marriage
Eileen adopts the use of Kotex because it is the only brand available to her since her sister and mother use it. With little choice available for her, she would have to resort to use whatever brands her sister or mother buys. In addition, Eileen does not develop any special affection to Kotex and she is willing to change to any other brand that can serve the same purpose.
