a history of menstrual hygiene technology
- Categories
- Book/Boek
- Creator
- Vostral, Sharra
- Publish Year
- 2008
- Shelfmark
- VS 39 2008
- Thesaurus
- menstruatie, dagelijks leven, technologie, vrouwbeelden
- Description
- This book looks at the social history of menstrual hygiene by examining it as a technology. As technological users, women developed great savvy in manipulating belts, pins, and pads, and using tampons to effectively mask their entire menstrual period. This masking is a form of passing, though it is not often thought of in that way. By using a technology of passing, a woman might pass temporarily as a non-bleeder, which could help her perform her work duties and not get fired or maintain social engagements like swimming at a summer party and not be marked as having her period. How women use technologies of passing, and the resulting politics of secrecy, are a part of women's history that has remained under wraps.