This week is Environmenstrual Week, so what better time to talk about the history of period products. A lot of conventional period products are now made mostly of plastic, but was this always the case? And, is there a reason that this area of health care is often neglected, leaving many in period poverty, when there are lots of sustainable options? Let’s find out!
Attitude History
It’s not a secret that periods are a bit of a taboo subject, and have been for many, many years – probably before we had language. In the first Latin encyclopaedia from 73 AD, contact with menstrual blood was told to turn wine sour, kill crops, dry up seeds in the ground, kill bees, rust bronze and iron, drive dogs mad and blunt steel amongst other things. During the Second World War female pilots were encouraged not to work during their periods as they were considered to be emotionally unstable. However, in Ancient Egypt menstrual blood was used as an ingredient in ointments, and in mediaeval Europe menstrual blood was believed to be a cure for leprosy. However, these positive attitudes were in the minority, and periods were often seen as unclean.
Several religions also have passages about menstruation which reflect the time in which they were written. Hinduism teaches that people on their periods are ‘impure and polluted‘ and the Bible describes a woman who bleeds for 12 years and is considered unclean. The motivations for these depictions are likely to have been linked to hygiene, but also to the patriarchy.
These taboos are not just historical. In countries like Indonesia, India, Nepal and many countries in Africa, there are many social taboos around periods which lead to isolation, a lack of access to sanitary products, diminished access to education and limited access to things like water. This Flo article depicts the details really well if you want to find out more, and find out what initiatives there are to help. Even though I live in a country where periods are not treated in this way, they are still a pretty taboo topic. I think that there is definitely still an attitude that periods are ‘icky’ or shouldn’t be talked about. A classic example of this is that often we don’t use the term menstruation or period – it’s ‘time of the month’, ‘Aunt Flo’, ‘monthlies’, ‘on the rag’, ‘crimson tide’, the list goes on.
Material History
Conventional sanitary pads are made up of 90% plastic, but have period products always been so reliant on plastic? Well, no, but I’m not sure that it was necessarily an improvement.
Ancient period products were pretty makeshift. In Ancient Egypt, softened papyrus, sea sponges and wood wrapped with lint were used. Later on rags were used, which is why people sometimes use the term ‘on the rag’ for being on their period. From the mid-1800’s, menstrual cups, rubber pants and Lister’s towels (basically like pads) were all marketed but were not widely successful. The first commercial example of a period product was introduced in the 1890’s, which was an elastic belt to which a pad is attached. This is also when pads were introduced. By 1921, cellulose was a material which was used because the First World War revealed that it was effective at absorbing blood. This led to the ‘first successfully mass-marketed sanitary napkin‘. The first beltless pads came out in the 1970’s, and by the 1980’s pads with wings were widely available.
Tampons were patented in the 1930’s and were considered to be a better option as they removed the possibility of the transfer of faecal bacteria. However, there were concerns about the possibility of infection, and also moral concerns about virginity, masturbation and contraception. From 1979, there were growing concerns about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) as over 5,000 cases were reported between 1979 and 1996, which led to a focus on natural products. The environmental and feminist movements of the 1970’s encouraged biodegradable options, and the sponges which were used in Ancient Egypt were still going strong. Free bleeding, where you use no products to collect the blood, was also a thing, although it wasn’t widespread.
That brings us to now. Conventional period products are predominantly made of plastic and also do not have to describe what chemicals they use, which can mean that they are not super safe to use. Environmentally friendly options are becoming more and more popular now, with reusable pads and pants, biodegradable tampons, plastic free pads and tampons and cups all being widely available.
Overall, periods are an example to me of where we have to balance everything within the climate crisis. The most important thing is that everyone has access to period products and feels comfortable and safe. Equally, plastic waste is a huge problem and needs to be dealt with. So, we need to find a way to make access to period products better and more widespread whilst making sure that the options are more sustainable and better for us.
I hope that you enjoyed this blog post – let me know what you thought in the comments below!
Waste Makes Waste 