Episode 5: Menstrual history with Dr. Lara Freidenfelds
Menstrual dos from “As One Girl to Another,” an educational pamphlet for girls published by Kimberly-Clark, 1940 (courtesy of Duke University Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library, Durham, North Carolina)
Just 100 years ago, getting a period often meant shock, bewilderment and an old rag in your panties. From pads to tampons to the pill, we’ve come a long way. Historian Lara Freidenfelds joins us to discuss her book exploring the history of “modern” menstrual management. We talk about how industrialization changed periods, spurring the advent of menstrual pads and tampons and a new realm of menstrual education. And we explore a growing movement to embrace periods in a whole new way.
Resources + Links
More about Lara Freidenfelds
Lara’s author page at Nursing Clio
The Surprising Origins of Kotex Pads - Smithsonian
Organizations providing menstrual products to menstruators in-need:
http://hashtaghappyperiod.org/
http://www.distributingdignity.org/
Our theme song is Crimson Wave, performed by Tacocat, courtesy of Hardly Art Records.
Additional music/sound used in Episode 5: “Pine Apple Rag” by Scott Joplin, under an Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License; conga_D'rocha.wav from FreeSound.org.