According to a leading gynecologist, the name of feminine hygiene products should be changed to stop reinforcing the idea that menstruation is dirty.
Dr. Jen Gunter said that while most personal items, like toothpaste and toilet paper, are labeled by function, society still uses “euphemistic language” for menstrual products.
Using terms like “hygienic” and “sanitary” to describe them suggests that menstruation is “dirty or polluting.”
Dr. Jen Gunter said that while most personal items, like toothpaste and toilet paper, are labeled by function, society still uses “euphemistic language” for menstrual products.
This “false belief” has existed for thousands of years to oppress women, for example by excluding them from religious services or from preparing food during menstruation, she said.
Writing in the New Scientist, she added: ‘Menstruation is not unhygienic.
‘When someone menstruates, they are not dirty or unhealthy; They are menstruating.
“If we can say toilet paper (a product literally designed to clean fecal matter) without raising hygiene or sanitary issues, surely we can do the same with menstrual products.”
Once described as the world’s most famous and outspoken gynecologist, Dr. Gunter is a vocal critic of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop empire, describing it as a “fear factory.”
Over the years, she has taken aim at the wellness company’s “trash” claims that underwire bras can cause cancer and its promotion of trends including vaginal steaming and the infamous jade eggs.
Author of books such as The Menopause Manifesto, Dr. Gunter also questions the concept of femininity surrounding menstruation products as inappropriate when periods typically begin around age 12.
By refusing to label things as objective, you “reinforce the false narrative that what is happening is shameful and dirty.”
She continues: ‘The easy solution here is to refer to tampons, sanitary pads or napkins, menstrual cups and menstrual underwear as menstrual products. That is its purpose.
‘Nothing bad will happen to those who do not menstruate when they see the words “menstrual products” on store signs or hear them pronounced. Menstruation is not contagious….
‘The terms “sanitary napkins” and “feminine hygiene” are not a thin line that prevents the decline of society.
“It’s time to put an end to the use of euphemisms for menstrual products, because there is nothing shameful about menstruation.”