Women: Shameful and Unclean (part two)

This BBC article about the practice in Nepal of chhaupadi, or confining women who are deemed to be considered by society to be “unclean” is yet another way in which women are made to feel and be perceived as dirty and shameful.

In Nepal, chhaupadi applies to new mothers (until the eleventh day after the birth of their child), and to women during their monthly period. This practice is attributed to a belief that their god will become angry with families who do not practice chhaupadi. Padma Devi Deuba, a young mother, said of being on her period: “If I touch anyone, it will be a sin.” Other beliefs are not universal, ranging from bad luck on a household that allows a new mother or a menstruating women to remain in the house, to the idea that such women can make blood out of cow’s milk.

Many of the women in Nepal are forced to deal with cramped, unsanitary conditions, often in spaces shared with cattle, and the consequences can be frightening.

“Last summer a 15-year-old girl died of diarrhoea she contracted while sleeping alone in a shed. No one wanted to take her to a health post.”

Such realities did lead the government of Nepal to take some action on this issue.

“Extreme confinement was outlawed by Nepal's Supreme Court three years ago, but continues to be widespread.”

Devaki Shahi, who was confined after the birth of her son, now travels and speaks out for change in regard to this practice. She works for the Rural Women's Development and Unity Centre, a local charity.

Women: Shameful and Unclean (part one)

I have been doing some preliminary readings in preparation for a feminist-type research project I hope to undertake at my college this summer. Many of the readings I have done have either gone into detail about, or at least briefly mentioned, the problem of shame and dirtiness surrounding women in our society when it comes to menstruation.

Shame sells menstrual products.

The idea of shame is widespread in advertisements for menstrual products. This 1992 ad describes how Kotex pads will keep girls from being embarrassed by their hot lab partner finding out she’s on he period. This buys into the idea that menstruation, a perfectly natural part of women’s lives, is something to be ashamed of and to hide from everyone, especially those cute boys in your life. This 1990 Tampax tampons ad plays into the idea that a girl’s virginity is tied to her worth, and that a girl who loses her virginity is shameful, by assuring potential buyers that “you can use them at any age and still be a virgin.”

Along those same lines, the following, more recent ad for Tampax Pearl Tampons also buys into the idea of shame. Notice how it doesn’t go into any detail about why this particular product is supposedly such an “upgrade.” All it says is that it’s their “best protection ever” from those possible leaks that are to be avoided at all costs if women want to avoid long-lasting humiliation and shame.



This trend does not only apply to advertising for menstrual products, but it is especially troubling in this case because menstruation is a very natural function, and one for the most part, cannot be controlled.

For more advertisements, check out the Museum of Menstruation website.