The tomato soup is overcooked. The cranberry woman is coming. Jenny has a red dress on. Every country is equipped with a set of euphemisms to avoid talking about menstruation directly. When mentioned in the media, it’s usually the butt of a joke or the source of sales pitch. And you’ll be hard pressed to find a drop of actual blood on screen, even in Tampax commercials. With all the once-taboo topics we can now freely discuss at the dinner table, why is menstruation still rarely taken seriously?

Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation is a thoroughly researched confrontation on social discomfort with menstrual blood. Authors Elissa Stein and Susan Kim present information in a casual, familiar style, as if your older sisters have come to tell you about the facts of life. “The stages of our lives are in a sense defined by where we are on the menstrual time line,” they explain. (p.15) Puberty, PMS, contraception, child birth, and menopause all revolve around ovulation and monthly bleeding.

Among other things, this book studies the impact of language on our perceptions of menstruation. The term “feminine hygiene,” for instance, teaches us the process is inherently unsanitary. Tampon ads frequently use the words “protection” and “embarrassment,” implying our periods will harm and humiliate us if we aren’t careful.

Greek and Roman philosophers ignited some of these cultural stigmas centuries ago. Hippocrates and Plato believed a woman’s uterus could actually drive her insane, throwing tantrums in its desperation for children. Aristotle described women as passive receptacles for sperm, monthly menstruation being the burden of procreative failure. Pliny the Elder thought menstrual blood was toxic, saying it “could make seeds infertile, kill insects, kill flowers, kill grass, cause fruit to fall off trees, dull razors and drive dogs mad. The glance of a menstruating woman could kill bees, her touch could make a horse miscarry, and contact with her blood would cause another woman to lose her child, as well.” (p.36-37)

Most religions also treat menstruation with disgust and disdain. In Islam, menstruating women are not permitted to touch anyone, as echoed in the Koran 2:222, “Keep away from women in their courses, and do not approach them until they are clean.” Orthodox Judaism forbids men to touch their wives for two weeks per month – before, during, and after menstruation. In the Bible, Leviticus 15:19-23 says “If a woman has a discharge, and the discharge from her body is blood, she shall be set apart for seven days; and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening.” (p. 80-82)

Beyond simply exploring stigmas, the authors reveal all the ways menstruation has shaped cultural practices. Bloodletting, for instance, began as a way to mimic periods, purging the body of supposedly bad blood. Vibrators were initially used by doctors to treat hysteria, a mental disease thought to be caused by a woman’s uterus. Even the word “taboo” is linked to the concept of menstruation.

While the authors’ colloquial delivery may not appeal to everyone, they’ve nevertheless built a comprehensive overview of social, political, and economic issues connected to menstruation. It’s a fascinating read, and a potential springboard for further conversation. Over 3 billion people have a monthly cycle, so there’s no reason to feel uncomfortable addressing it honestly and openly.

Source:

Stein, Elissa, and Kim Susan. Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009.

“You know you like them. Now it’s time to save the boobs.” This ad promotes the Rethink Breast Cancer fundraising event “Boobyball,” and has been heavily scrutinized. Critics can’t seem to decide if it’s effective or insulting, “provocative or patronizing.” [1]

The Booby Wall

“This is not spring break. This is not Maxim. This is beautiful.” In conjunction with Schick Quattro, Rethink has created The Booby Wall, “a virtual, interactive exhibit of breasts.” [2 NSFW] With pages and pages of anonymous breasts, some clothed and some not, the site feels more like an exploitative gimmick than a legitimate way to raise awareness.

The Rethink Romp

The annual Rethink Romp is a fundraising party for adults only, featuring themes like 2008’s “Hello Sailor,” where “nautical gets naughty.” There are men dressed as “sailors on shore leave,” and women dressed as “pin-up girls in patent pumps,” as well as a steamy burlesque show for all potential donors. [3]

Curvas Cubanas

Rethink’s Curvas Cubanas (Cuban Curves) bikini fashion show hopes to “make people think differently about breast cancer while raising money for the cause.” [4] It’s unclear how a bikini fashion show will reshape the idea of cancer, other than the insinuation that models could get the disease. And if that is their aim, it poses the question, “would people care more about cancer if they thought about beautiful, young people getting it?”

If Men Had Breasts…

Just like Rethink’s “Save the Boobs” ad, adult humor and sexual overtones try to catch the eyes of a younger audience.

The “Save the Ta-tas” campaign believes that “laughter heals,” which is how they justify shirts with slogans like, “Caught you lookin’ at my ta-tas,” and “Thanks for noticing. Save the ta-tas.” [5] While it’s for a good cause, these shirts feel reminiscent of the Abercrombie & Fitch line from a few years back, pulled from shelves after a highly publicized “girlcott.” They featured similar phrases, like “Keep your eyes where I can see them,” and “I see you’ve already met the twins.” (See Terrible T’s) So, the concept can be either funny or offensive to women’s rights groups, depending on who’s behind the campaign.

Know Your Girls

The effort to reach young people wouldn’t be complete without Facebook. This comparatively mild campaign, “Know Your Girls,” works with Yoplait to increase awareness about the risks young women face. [6]

Boobalicious

This annual carnival/panty-party, held in Canada during The Weekend to End Breast Cancer, has “a pinch of class and a dash of trash.” Adults only, clothing optional, with proceeds going to breast cancer research. [7]

Boobs & Baseball

The slogan “Don’t let breast cancer steal second base” has been used in print ads, as well as on t-shirts and aprons. It usually features two strategically placed baseballs, and implies that you should stay healthy for the sake of your sex life. [8]

Mousepads for the Cure

21Breast.com debuted the Breast Cancer Awareness Mousepad in Shanghai, China. It reads, “frequent massaging of breasts enables you [to] detect breast cancer before it strikes.“ [9] The charity has since folded, and 21breast.com now redirects you to the porn site NudeTube.com.

Note: A similar mousepad is sold in Hong Kong [View it here - NSFW].

Dan Neil, reporting for the LA Times, says these ads “represent one of the few occasions when the male tendency to objectify the female body is put to good use, as opposed to selling beer and premium football cable packages.” [10]

Newsweek’s Kate Dailey, however, insists that “while breasts can be sexy, breast cancer is a serious, sometimes deadly disease.” [1] There is a delicate balance between selling something with humor (and debatably effective objectification), and trivializing a serious illness. The intentions are good, but we can only hope this trend won’t go full-PETA, using overt sexuality to advance one cause at the expense of another.

(See PETA: Humanizing Animals, Animalizing Humans)

Sources:

[1] “Sexy Breast Cancer Ads: Provocative or Patronizing?” (Kate Dailey) Newsweek: The Human Condition. October 2, 2009
[2 NSFW] The Booby Wall: Homepage
[3] Rethink Romp 2008: Hello Sailor
[4] Curvas Cubanas: Press Release
[5] Save The Ta-Tas: Girls’ Catalogue
[6] “Yoplait ‘Know Your Girls’ Campaign Educates Young Women About Breast Cancer.” PR Newswire: United Business Media. September 23, 2009
[7] Boobalicious 2009: Toronto & Vancouver
[8] GotCancer.org – Don’t Let Breast Cancer Steal Second Base
[9] Ads of the World: Breast Cancer Awareness Mousepad
[10] “Breast Cancer Ads Use Lechery For Good” (Dan Neil) The Los Angeles Times, Business. September 22, 2009
[11] Booby Prize: 10 Bizarre Breast Cancer Ads // MomLogic.com, October 1, 2009