New this week: Ads for disposal pouches in boxes of pads (last week: disposal pouches near public toilets): Camelia
(1990, in Miß Vogue magazine, Germany) and contrast
the attitude towards menstruation with the following American ad:
Whenever (1987, in Mademoiselle magazine, U.S.A.);
New Freedom (1985, in Good Housekeeping magazine,
U.S.A.) - Ad for Kotex pads: Are you in the know?
(1944, The Star Weekly newspaper, Toronto, Canada)
May 8, Celebrate the First Annual Menstrual Monday! See below.
CNN story about the birth control pill
A reporter from CNN (Cable News Network) told me that it will probably
do a story commemorating the birth-control pill on Tuesday,
9 April. I don't know the time. (Read
about the recent proposal to stop menstruation indefinitely using birth-control
pills as well as a history of The Pill in The New Yorker magazine.)
It's possible viewers will see some pages from this site. The reporter,
a woman, also told me that the MUM site is "[a] truly thoughtful, informative
and yes, very entertaining Web site." Many thanks!
Letters to your MUM
A Wellesley College (Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) student sends
a list of "alternative" products
Harry,
Thanks for giving me permission to use those images [from this Web
site] for my presentation.
Your site has been more factually informative than any one book I've
read on the subject, and in fact, contains information I didn't see anywhere
else.
I noticed, though, that the section on www.mum.org that deals with
menstrual products is still under construction.
I've compiled a brief list of "alternative" products for my talk,
and I've pasted it below in case you find it helpful. [Many thanks! I have
gotten way behind in updating that information as well as keeping the two
directories of this site current.]
Thanks again.
____________
Cotton Tampons
A tiny flushable pad-tampon hybrid that offers light-flow absorbency.
Like a tampon held between the labia.
Menstrual cups (history
on the MUM site) (Comments from users are throughout
the News pages - just keep clicking back. Here are collected
older comments from women who have tried cups.)
A soft, disposable cup made of the same material as baby bottle nipples,
the Instead cup sits below the cervix, much like a diaphragm, and may be
used up to 12 hours. Available at CVS.
A rubber cup worn in the vaginal canal (like a tampon); holds one ounce
of fluid and lasts up to 10 years.
Natural Sea Sponges
Worn internally and washable. Made by Jade and Pearl (www.jadeandpearl.com).
Reusable Cotton Pads (information
on the MUM site)
Washable, absorbent, reusable all-cotton menstrual pads consisting
of a "holder" and "liners" are environmentally sound
and more comfortable than disposables; they are also available in organic
cotton. Pads are available from
Does anyone know the connection between menarche and black pearls?
Just curious if you can explain as well give the history behind giving
a girl who has just reached menarche a string of black pearls. I'm looking
forward to your reply. [I have never heard of it. Can
anyone explain the "practice?"]
You have privacy here
What happens when you visit this site?
Nothing.
I get no information about you from any
source when you visit, and I have no idea who you
are, before, during or after your visit.
This is private - period.
Celebrate the
First Annual Menstrual Monday!
When: The
Monday before Mother's Day, because menstruation comes before motherhood
(and usually long after it, too). This year's Menstrual Monday falls on
May 8, 2000. If you live in a country that
doesn't celebrate Mother's Day as in the United States, pick a day that
seems appropriate and convenient for a "Menstrual Monday"!
Where: In your backyard at sunrise;
in the cafeteria at lunch; after work; at your friend's house; in the classroom;
in your dorm room - wherever is convenient and appropriate!
Why: To create a sense of happiness
and fun around menstruation; to encourage women to be proactive in addressing
menstrual and reproduction-related health issues; to encourage greater visibility
of menstruation culturally, in film, print, music, and other media; and
to enhance honesty about menstruation in our relationships.
How: Wear a red article of clothing,
put a red tablecloth on the table at dinner; talk to an older or younger
relative about her menstrual experiences; create some art or do some writing
about menstruation, and share with friends; share information about PMS,
endometriosis, or self-breast examinations; create a ritual involving red
candles and red tulips. In short: Whatever seems convenient and appropriate
to you!
Free Starter Kit!
Please feel free to download the above text to
make flyers or post on your own Web site, to e-mail
a friend, and so on. For more information,
or to receive a FREE Menstrual Monday "starter
kit" - please e-mail menstrullenium@aol.com
or write, with your address:
4881 Packard #A2
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48108
Is this the new millennium or even century?
You can get the correct information
if you go to these pages published by the U S Naval Observatory:
"whenIs")
A comprehensive site from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich will put right any doubts:
Help Wanted: This Museum Needs a
Public Official For Its Board of Directors
Your MUM is doing the paper work necessary to become eligible to receive
support from foundations as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. To achieve
this status, it helps to have a American public official - an elected or
appointed official of the government, federal, state or local - on its board of directors.
What public official out there
will support a museum for the worldwide culture of
women's health and menstruation?
Eventually I would also like to entice people experienced in the law,
finances and fund raising to the board.
Do You Have Irregular Menses?
If so, you may have polycystic ovary syndrome
[and here's a support association for it].
Jane Newman, Clinical Research Coordinator at Brigham
and Women's Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, asked
me to tell you that
Irregular menses identify women at high risk for polycystic ovary syndrome
(PCOS), which exists in 6-10% of women of
reproductive age. PCOS is a major cause of infertility
and is linked to diabetes.
Learn more about current
research on PCOS at Brigham and Women's
Hospital, the University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University
- or contact Jane Newman.
If you have fewer than six
periods a year, you may be eligible to participate
in the study!
New this week: Ads for disposal pouches in boxes of pads (last week: disposal pouches near public toilets): Camelia
(1990, in Miß Vogue magazine, Germany) and contrast
the attitude towards menstruation with the following American ad:
Whenever (1987, in Mademoiselle magazine, U.S.A.);
New Freedom (1985, in Good Housekeeping magazine,
U.S.A.) - Ad for Kotex pads: Are you in the know?
(1944, The Star Weekly newspaper, Toronto, Canada)
© 2000 Harry Finley. It is illegal
to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium
without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations
to hfinley@mum.org