The Curse

January 4, 1999
In this history of "the culture of concealment" surrounding menstruation and the effect of that secrecy on American women, Houppert presents medical, historical, literary, religious and anecdotal material documenting attitudes toward menstruation dating back to the Bible. Writing with a bravura that occasionally crosses the line into crudeness, she also convincingly investigates the role of advertisers and manufacturers of "feminine" products in perpetuating "superstition, shame, and sexual self-consciousness." In 1995, Tampax "reduced the number of plugs in a box from forty to thirty-two and raised the price," which incensed Houppert and sparked her research. She found that when tampons were introduced in the 1930s, clergy of all stripes opposed them as a threat to pubescent virginity, but few stepped forward to protest in 1980 when 38 women died of "tampon-related toxic shock syndrome." The FDA did not implement regulations until a decade later, after 60,000 women had been affected. Houppert shows how feminine-products manufacturers are maneuvering to stave off the coming industry economic crisis when baby boomers enter menopause by "hawking to pubescents" in middle schools with "traveling menstrual shows" that effectively keep the culture of concealment intact. She shows how PMS "has slipped into the cultural lexicon to discount women's legitimate concerns," noting how it has been blamed for everything from indigestion to murder. The silver lining for Houppert is a Museum of Menstruation (called "MUM" for mum's the word) and Web site (www.mum.org). Illustrated examples of each era's advertising introduce each chapter.