Don’t call them ‘sanitary’ products! World-renowned gynecologist says term implies menstruation is ‘dirty’
Feminine hygiene products need to be rebranded to stop reinforcing the trope that periods are gross, according to a top gynecologist.
Dr. Jen Gunter said that while most personal items – such as toothpaste and toilet roll – are labeled according to their function, society continues to use ‘euphemistic language’ for historical products.
The use of terms like ‘hygiene’ and ‘sanitation’ to describe them suggests that menstruation is ‘dirty or polluting’.
Dr. Jen Gunter said that while most personal items – such as toothpaste and toilet roll – are labeled according to their function, society continues to use ‘euphemistic language’ for historical 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 said: ‘Menstruation is not unhygienic.
‘When a person is menstruating, he or she is not dirty or unhygienic; they are menstruating.
“If we can say toilet paper – a product literally designed to wipe away fecal matter – without bringing up hygienic or sanitary issues, we can certainly do the same with menstrual products.”
Once described as the most famous and outspoken gynecologist in the world, Dr. Gunter is a vocal critic of Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop empire, describing it as a “scare factory.”
Over the years, she has focused on the wellness company’s “garbage” claims that underwire bras can cause cancer and the promotion of trends like vaginal steaming and the infamous jade eggs.
Dr. Gunter, author of books including The Menopause Manifesto, also challenges the concept of femininity surrounding menstrual products as inappropriate when menstruation often begins around age 12.
By refusing to label things factual, it “reinforces the false narrative that what is happening is shameful and dirty.”
She continues, “The easy solution here is to consider tampons, pads or napkins, menstrual cups, and menstrual underwear as menstrual products. That’s their goal.
‘Nothing bad will happen to those who don’t menstruate when they see or hear the words ‘menstrual products’ spoken on signs in a store. Menstruation is not contagious….
“The terms ‘sanitary napkins’ and ‘feminine hygiene’ are not a fine line that prevents the decline of society.
“It’s high time that the use of euphemisms for menstrual products ends, because there is nothing shameful about menstruation.”