Say no to shame, waste, inequality—and leaks! Menstrual activism in the market for alternative period products

ABSTRACT

For decades, advertisements for mainstream menstrual products have been criticised for upholding harmful menstrual taboos. Meanwhile, the range of alternative products has increased, and menstrual cups, discs, underwear, and cloth pads have become more easily available. This article examines how online promotional materials of alternative products relate to the menstrual taboo and other concerns raised by menstrual activists. Based on thematic analysis of seven websites selling alternative period products, the article shows how the companies function in a double bind typical for contemporary feminisms. While selling products meant to hide menstruation in a cultural environment that expects concealment, the sites discuss menstruation openly and declare periods as nothing shameful. The sites also support calls for fair access to products and education, advocate sustainability, and recognize the diversity of the menstrual experience. Yet, the companies also apply marketing language that stresses leak-prevention and discreetness. By doing so, they profit from the worries over leaks ingrained in menstruators by a culture of concealment. Furthermore, despite calls for openness, blood remains relatively invisible. The article discusses the results of the thematic analysis in relation to menstrual activism, and popular and postfeminism.

KEYWORDS:

• Alternative period products
• menstrual activism
• menstrual movement
• popular feminism
• postfeminism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. I follow Przybylo and Fahs (2020, 377) in moving between the terms “women” and “menstruators” to acknowledge that although menstruation is predominantly a female issue (and perhaps therefore considered taboo), not all women menstruate and not only women menstruate.

2. I use the terms Minority and Majority World since they illustrate the amount of people in both non-geographically determined regions and do not represent development as a straightforward process.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aino Koskenniemi

Aino Koskenniemi works as a doctoral candidate at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. She is currently working on her dissertation on menstrual activism and the politics of consumption. E-mail: [email protected]