From “products” to “protectors” to contain the flow

from westernized commodification to menstrual dignity

Abstract

The objects of study in this text are the tools for containing menstrual flow in modern Western society. Menstrual “products” and “protectors” have been circulating more clearly since the popularization of disposable pads, after the First World War, especially in the last decade with the emphasis of feminist movements tensioned by marketing pressures that guide the need for “products” and “ menstrual protectors” to promote menstrual dignity. It proposes to weave an intersectional analysis through the cartography of tools to contain the flow, as well as clues to reflect on the historical process of the universalization of menstruation along modern Western lines in the face of the diversity of cultures, genders, bodies, times and spaces. It discusses the need to advance the issue regarding the Human Rights of menstruating women in Brazilian territories and the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) presented by the United Nations and adhered to by Brazil (2021).