The Period Product Industry: A Reflection on Secrecy

Menstruation. Periods. Nearly half of the human population have them, so why are they still considered taboo? Why is there so much embarrassment and secrecy surrounding menstruation?

While there’s a lot of history to uncover with menstrual taboos, I have come to realize that the period product industry has always been a key player in perpetuating the negative stigma surrounding menstruation.

It often feels as if period product marketing promotes content that emphasizes secrecy. Products are often marketed as “rustle-free” or “small and compact,” showing that they are easy to hide. There have been countless times where I’ve felt nervous about whether someone would hear the rustling from the packaging of my pad or tampon. Having matured beyond this awkward phase and understanding that menstruation is so normal, I wonder — if it is so normal, why is it such a secret?

Sometimes when I think of period product ads, I imagine females dressed in all white with big smiles. They look perfectly poised. Refined. Clean. No one wants to ruin their clothes or sheets, but is being leak-free really all that menstruation is about? Shouldn’t advertisements be framed more towards education of menstrual hygiene and empowerment, rather than teaching menstruators that they can be “happy” knowing that they can finally wear white pants on their periods? Is it not more important for young menstruators to know about healthy ways to manage menstruation and the different types of periods products rather than what clothes they can wear?

I don’t doubt that there have been positive changes in menstrual product advertisement, but negative stigma still remains from its past. Ultimately, it is the lack of education and conversation surrounding menstruation that allows the period product industry to successfully push this narrative. This point of view presents periods as a problem that needs to be fixed or eliminated, an enemy that all menstruators are fighting. Sure, being on your period may not be the best time, but it is a completely natural bodily process. Periods are rooted in all human existence and are signs of good health.

Frankly speaking, menstruation is still an awkward topic of conversation for me at times, but this discomfort reminds me of how regressively menstruation is viewed. There’s so much that I have yet to discover about my body and menstruation, but one thing is clear: menstruation is normal and secrecy about it shouldn’t be needed. Giving in to this standard can lead menstruators to social avoidance and adverse health outcomes, including neglect of related health conditions and even death. Is suffering from discomfort or pain related to menstruation really worth maintaining secrecy?

Negative taboos from advertisements condition us to believe that menstruation is something to be embarrassed about, something to be hidden. It isn’t. This is a promise for me, and hopefully you too, to reflect on the “accepted” secrecy of menstruation perpetuated by period product advertising and encourage open conversation on these topics.

by Sarah Wong '24 (Blog Subcommittee Member)