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In the early 20th Century, makers of sanitary towels had to find a way to sell an item that some people found too embarrassing to mention. In some parts of the world, that stigma still hasn't gone away. Tim Harford charts the controversial history of a quietly revolutionary product.

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10 minutes

Last on

Mon 27 Jan 202004:50GMT

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Sanitary towels (Credit: Getty Images)

Sources

Sharra Vostral Under Wraps Plymouth: Lexington Books 2011 Ch 4

Sharra Vostral Under Wraps Ch 1

Thomas Heinrich and Bob Batchelor Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies: Kimberly-Clark and the Consumer Revolution in American Business Columbus: Ohio State University Press 2004 p96

Janice Delaney, Mary Jane Lupton, Emily Toth The Curse: A Cultural History of Menstruation New York: New American Library 1976

Sharra Vostral Under Wraps Ch 3

Delaney et al. The Curse and Ashley Fetters “The Tampon: A History” The Atlantic June 2015

Juneja A, Sehgal A, Mitra AB, Pandey A “A Survey on Risk Factors Associated with Cervical Cancer” Indian Journal of Cancer, Vol. 40, No. 1, (January - March 2003) , pp. 15-22

Colin Schultz “How Taboos Around Menstruation Are Hurting Women’s Health” Smithsonian Magazine

Delaney et al. The Curse; the Museum of Menstruation

Kat Eschner “The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads” Smithsonian Magazine 11 August 2017 

Sharra Vostral Under Wraps Ch 4

Ashley Fetters “The Tampon: A History” 

Kelly O’Donnell “The whole idea might seem a little strange to you: Selling the menstrual cup” Technology Stories 4 December 2017

Delaney et al. The Curse

Susan Dudley, Salwa Nassar, Emily Hartman, and Sandy Wang “Tampon Safety” National Center for Health Research. They cite a 2015 Euromonitor report.

Andrew Adam Newman “Rebelling Against The Commonly Evasive Feminine Care Ad” The New York Times 16 March 2010

Vibeke Venema “The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary” BBC Magazine 4 March 2014 

Oni Lusk-Stover, Rosemary Rop, Elaine Tinsely, and Tamer Samah Rabie “Globally, periods are causing girls to be absent from school” World Bank Blog: Education for Global Development 27 June 2016

Thomas Friedman “Cellphones, Maxi-Pads and Other Life-Changing Tools” The New York Times 6 April 2007

Broadcasts

  • Sat 25 Jan 202005:50GMT
  • Sat 25 Jan 202014:50GMT
  • Sun 26 Jan 202014:50GMT
  • Sun 26 Jan 202015:50GMT
  • Sun 26 Jan 202022:50GMT
  • Mon 27 Jan 202004:50GMT

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