From Sanitation to Liberation?: The Modern and Postmodern Marketing of Menstrual Products

An examination of materialism, conspicuous consumption and gender differences

“…Historically, by playing on women's anxieties and angst about their appearance, marketers have been able to create a market for uniquely feminine products. At the turn of the 20th century, advertisements for sanitary napkins all shared key themes about women – that women were abnormal, unclean and unhealthy and therefore needed protection from themselves (Park, 1996). Even by 1971 when women comprised one‐third of the US' full‐time workforce, women's role in advertising has hardly changed despite women's changing social and economic roles (Howard, 2010).…”

“…Reports from market research showed during the early 1900s, when American girls began to menstruate, their mothers usually introduced them to their favourite brand of sanitary protection and that girls remain loyal to that brand for the rest of their lives (Brumberg, 1997). Soaps and cleansers that had once been marketed as cures for physical ailments were marketed as necessities for women's mental health and social well‐being (Park, 1996). Marketers also exploited adolescent girls' anxiety about pimples.…”

“…Postmodern marketers made women believe that their many ailments (whether it be periods, skin, body weight or breasts) can be cured through simple consumption. ‘To appear well is to be well and this can be achieved through smart shopping’ (Park, 1996).…”

Construction of Negative Images of Menstruation in Indian TV Commercials

“…Another set of research is done from the biological, physiological, and anatomical point of view. Aspects like sanitation, liberation, convenience, and freedom have been closely associated with research in menstruation (Bobel, 2008;Park, 1996).…”

Inhaling Passions: Art, Sex and Scent

“…The mixed olfactory messages of Harwood's perfumed disinfectants fuses the industry standard of lemon and pine scents with erotically charged notes of lilac and musk. If there is confusion about whether the hybrid aromas are to be used on one's body or the office floor, to initiate a seduction or to kill germs, it is because they recall the times when perfumes served as combatants against disease, not to mention when cleaning solvents, such as Lysol, were marketed as feminine hygiene products (Park, 1996;McHugh, 1997). The confusion doesn't end at the boundary of the skin, however.…”