The Curse

The Curse examines the culture of concealment that surrounds menstruation and the devastating impact such secrecy has on women's physical and psychological health. But the hush surrounding menstruation makes it "impolite" to challenge such assumptions. Houppert argues that industry ad campaigns have effectively stymied consumer debate, research, and safety monitoring of the sanitary protection industry. By telling girls and women how to think and talk about menstruation, the mostly male-dominated media have set a tone that shapes women's experiences for them, defining what they are allowed to feel about their periods, their bodies, and their sexuality.

First sentence: Welcome this new day for womanhood, Tampax Inc. announces on July 26, 1936, in its very first mass-market ad.

Year

1999

Language

English

Publisher

Farrar Straus Giroux

Editions

4

Pages

263

ISBN

9780374273668

Data source: Wikidata