When the idea of menstrual pads was brought up in our discussion, the reaction from the group was mainly that of raised eyebrows and suppressed giggling. What this served to show however, was that despite decades of advertising and education about menstrual pads and menstruation, menstruation still remained an embarrassing topic, not something usually mentioned in polite conversation, or at a GEK1046 group discussion. Hence, despite our initial misgivings, we chose to examine why something as bilogically natural like menstruation would remain such a taboo and unspoken topic still, even in this age of information and post-feminism.
To analyze this provocative cultural object, we chose to focus on print advertisements for the brand “Kotex” from the 1920s to the turn of the century, whilst bearing in mind that advertising has progressed to other media such as screen and online ads. Nonetheless, the main aims of advertising has not changed, namely to sell the product. As Roland Barthes noted, “in advertising the signification of the image is undoubtedly intentional.”
The other effects of advertising have been that ads act as a reflection or impetus for the various socio-political changes that have come about. Ads therefore give us an insight into some of the various cultural anxieties and myths through the signifiers present in the ads themselves, while when examined for their connotations, give us a world of insight into the prevailing mindset of that period and how this mindset has changed or stayed the same.
(GEK1046/DW5: Li Jia. Sam. Natasha. Sandra. Jemina. Jeremy. Endi)
We would also like to thank Associate Professor John William Phillips, Associate Professor Ryan Bishop and Ms Pham Ngoc Lan for sharing their insights and advice with us.
An intimate look into women's intimates 