From the first wooden tampons in Ancient Egypt and the nettles of The Middle Ages, women have been attempting a plethora of period products to aid their discomfort. Over time, period products have changed to become more discrete- a trend that has accelerated as period talk became more taboo, with sex and contraception becoming more of a private civil matter than a public discussion following the growth of British aristocracy.
In ancient Rome, many women used to wear heavy cloths to soak up their menstrual blood, and others would bleed freely. Considering many of the sources we have from Ancient Rome were written by men, it seems that often menstruation was not deemed important enough to record, with no evidence of it being taboo. Still, it often enhanced the Roman belief of some men that ‘women are deformed versions of men’.
Later in Britain, period products had an explosion of innovation with the sanitary towel: the heavy buckled sanitary belt which subsequently, with the help of war bandages, inspired the disposable menstrual pads we have today. Following concerns of many women that as 1930s clothing ‘was becoming more streamline’, the ‘tell-tale outlines of sanitary napkins’ became visible and that sanitary towels caused decreased flexibility, tampons went into mass production as a discrete alternative to hiding your period.
By the 1980s, as tampons were embraced widely, ‘the greater culture still wanted to pretend women didn’t bleed’, with the word period being avoided completely on television until 1985 when Courtney Cox uttered the word in a Tampax commercial. Here marked the turning point of no longer feeling shame for periods.
Today, we are finally having a boom in comfort over discretion for period fashion. Adverts showcase period pants and adult nappies, empowering women to embrace their convenience and comfort over their embarrassment. However, the infantilisation of these products offers a mirror image to the public disgust that women faced in the early 1900s. A woman’s body cannot control a menstrual bleed. Comfort needs to be prioritised over shame. Bearing in mind the long history of period products, it should be a celebration that we have finally found a convenient solution to those heavy flow, painful days; ironically a product so similar to that of our ancient civilisations.
Celebrate the history of period fashion with your female relatives and friends and let them know that whatever they wear, their comfort is a top priority.
Written by Lilly Horvath-Makkos
Artwork by Izzy Johns
Comments