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Menstrual Products and Modern
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The celebration of modernity was dropped after 60s, and in
the so-called postmodern time, American gradually gave in being ¡§dainty¡¨
and totally focused on ¡§freedom.¡¨ Kotex manufactured New Freedom pads
in 1971 with adhesive strip on the back, and soon after Modess also
made Stayfree on the market. The ads (Figure10)
provided an open-end image and did not explicitly tell consumers to
be any specific quality (for example, dainty) but announced the ¡§free¡¨
in a loud voice. Compare to the long text in the ads in the first half
of twentieth century, the advertisements of postmodern menstrual products
contained less and less words and became more and more abstract. The
modern people required more the looking, to look immaculate and remain
dainty, and poise. In the postmodern time, women seem to need more feeling
rather than looking. Always even put the wings on the pads and created
a connection with flying¡Xa symbol of liberation and freedom. Another
brand name Think Pink quickly changed into Carefree. Beside all the
illusions of freedom, modern and postmodern women hardly are free in
certain senses. As Shelley Park questioned a 1990s advertisement of
Always pads in her ¡§From Sanitation to Liberation?¡¨ those products revealing
some contradictions among modern women, freedom, and menstruation. The
advertisement depicted a ¡§brave¡¨, yuppie young woman who was ¡§crazy¡¨
for that new product with wings. Park wondered if the ad tried to tell
consumers that menstruation is dangerous, otherwise why the young woman
needs to be ¡§courageous¡¨ in her period. Also, if she is ¡§brave¡¨ enough,
why does she need ¡§special protection¡¨?<16>
Obviously, the new freedom is only allowed a contemporary woman to use
a belt-free pad or a hymen-friendly tampon but not free to take a tampon
out of her pocket open and aboveboard or free from worrying the outline
of her pad.
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