History 280 project proposal

A History of the Tampon: The Impact of Menstrual Technology on Gender Roles

HIST 285 Proposal:

The topic I plan to explore is the evolution of feminine hygiene technology, specifically the tampon, from the nineteenth through the twentieth century. I will focus on Western technological development, especially Britain and the United States, and how this development reflected societal views of gender roles. First uses of a tampon similar in concept to today’s tampons occurred in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but at the time, they were not used for menstruation (but rather other medical uses). The commercial introduction of the tampon occurred in the early 1900’s. The societal response to it was at first disapproving, and well into the twentieth century, there continued to be a substantial group of people who condemned use of the tampon as impure and inappropriate, especially for young, unmarried women. People, including physicians, feared the misuse of the tampon for contraception or masturbation, and believed that the hymen would break upon first use. Societal views of menstrual technology like the tampon began to shift when the need arose for women to enter the workforce during World War I. Women who wore tampons were able to perform the duties necessary for work even during menstruation, and the practicality of the tampon began to be openly advertised. During the twentieth century, commercial growth of disposable menstrual technologies led to further innovation. Widespread use of tampons gave women the ability to perform manual labor, play sports, be active, and otherwise participate in activities that men could. Thus gender roles were greatly impacted, especially those concerning work, and related to that, independence. This topic relates directly to the course’s goal of examining technology’s role in society, as I will be discussing how the development of menstrual technology impacted gender roles, giving women the freedom to participate in activities they might not have been able to before (especially activities that allowed them to become part of the workforce).

Primary source: “Tampons in Menstruation,” a correspondence from a physician published in the British Medical Journal in 1942 discouraging the use of tampons by “young unmarried girls” (see bibliography)  This source is a primary source because it is a publication from the time period that I will be discussing when describing the introduction of tampons for menstrual use. I will use it to demonstrate the societal view on tampons, menstruation, and female sexuality at the time.

Secondary sources: see bibliography  The secondary sources listed further describe societal views on menstruation over the course of history. They describe the takeoff of menstrual technologies commercially and why that was able to happen despite initial views like the one demonstrated in the primary source.

Bibliography Brander, M.S. “Tampons in Menstruation.” British Medical Journal 1(4239) (1942): 452. Delaney, Janice, Mary Jane Lupton, and Emily Toth. The Curse. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1976. Freidenfelds, Lara. The Modern Period. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009. Gutcho, Marcia H. Tampons and Other Catamenial Receptors. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Data Corporation, 1979.

Research Project Schedule: