Shaped tampons having varying perimeters are provided. Tampons disclosed comprise a mass of absorbent material formed into a self-sustaining shape comprising an insertion end, a withdrawal end, and a center region. The center region has at least one perimeter which is less than a largest insertion end perimeter and is less than a withdrawal end perimeter. The shaped tampons may also have varying average fiber density regions. The shaped tampons may be wrapped in tightly conforming wrappers which optionally aid in maintaining the self-sustaining shape prior to use. Optionally, the shaped tampons may utilize tampon applicators which enable a user to visually see the shape of the tampon prior to use.