The Period Paradox: Evaluating Contemporary Indian Advertisements for Menstrual Pads

Abstract

Before the advent of modern medicine, menstruation was deemed supernatural. Nonetheless, it is paradoxical that menstruation is still shrouded in myths and taboos. Today, the primary mode of communication about menstruation often comes through advertising menstrual management products (MMPs). While menstruation encompasses physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects, advertising only overplays hygiene. Disposable menstrual pads are the most widely used commercial option among the products designed for menstrual flow management. Despite the proliferation of marketing and advertising for disposable menstrual pads over the years, the silence and shame surrounding menstruation are paradoxical. In this context, this study aims to critically analyse the content of advertisements promoted by MMP manufacturers, with the following objectives: (1) To identify the primary concerns, prominent themes and key messages in the advertisements of leading brands of disposable menstrual pads. (2) To evaluate the inclusivity of these advertisements through the lens of intersectionality. Using a qualitative approach, ten advertisements launched from 2022 to 2023 by Whisper and Stayfree, the top two brands of MMPs in India, were scrutinised from an intersectional feminist perspective using multimodal critical discourse analysis. The analysis exemplifies that the advertisements foreground menstruation as a hygiene concern and overlook taboos and myths about menstruation.