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The Curse: Confronting the Last Unmentionable Taboo: Menstruation
A provocative look at the way our culture deals with menstruation.
The Curse examines the culture of concealment that surrounds menstruation and the devastating impact such secrecy has on women's physical and psychological health. Karen Houppert combines reporting on the potential safety problems of sanitary products--such as dioxin-laced tampons--with an analysis of the way ads, movies, young-adult novels, and women's magazines foster a "menstrual etiquette" that leaves women more likely to tell their male colleagues about an affair than brazenly carry an unopened tampon down the hall to the bathroom. From the very beginning, industry-generated instructional films sketch out the parameters of acceptable behavior and teach young girls that bleeding is naughty, irrepressible evidence of sexuality. In the process, confident girls learn to be self-conscious teens.
And the secrecy has even broader implications. Houppert argues that industry ad campaigns have effectively stymied consumer debate, research, and safety monitoring of the sanitary-protection industry. By telling girls and women how to think and talk about menstruation, the mostly male-dominated media have set a tone that shapes women's experiences for them, defining what they are allowed to feel about their periods, their bodies, and their sexuality.
The Curse examines the culture of concealment that surrounds menstruation and the devastating impact such secrecy has on women's physical and psychological health. Karen Houppert combines reporting on the potential safety problems of sanitary products--such as dioxin-laced tampons--with an analysis of the way ads, movies, young-adult novels, and women's magazines foster a "menstrual etiquette" that leaves women more likely to tell their male colleagues about an affair than brazenly carry an unopened tampon down the hall to the bathroom. From the very beginning, industry-generated instructional films sketch out the parameters of acceptable behavior and teach young girls that bleeding is naughty, irrepressible evidence of sexuality. In the process, confident girls learn to be self-conscious teens.
And the secrecy has even broader implications. Houppert argues that industry ad campaigns have effectively stymied consumer debate, research, and safety monitoring of the sanitary-protection industry. By telling girls and women how to think and talk about menstruation, the mostly male-dominated media have set a tone that shapes women's experiences for them, defining what they are allowed to feel about their periods, their bodies, and their sexuality.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 27, 2015
What do menstrual taboos have to do with the environmental and health hazards of tampons? Karen Houppert dives into this question and more in a well-researched exploration of misogyny, menstrual products, and corporate abuses in 20th century America. Before reading, I'd had no idea that the dangers of tampons extended beyond TSS, and I recognized in the pages the corporate-sponsored puberty eduction classes of the '90s. Published in 1999, it's an interesting read, with personal interviews, retro ads, and shocking statistics.
Houppert's critique falls short, however, when she fails to apply her scrutiny to the realm of sexuality. Oftentimes in her analysis, Houppert blames sex-negative American culture, rather than misogynist American culture, for the silence around menstruation. Her suggestion that coed puberty classes would solve menstrual taboos seems short-sighted, and she never reflects on the role of compulsory heterosexuality in the lives of women.
The book explores alternatives to menstrual taboos, including 1970s cultural feminism and its descendants into the '90s, but her ire towards these movements seems disproportionate.
I was also confused by her complete denial that (1) women might have valid reasons to modify their behavior when menstruating (for example, not wearing a bikini or going swimming), and (2) menstrual blood has a distinct smell (the term "odor" constantly accompanied by scare quotes). Houppert goes out of her way to dismiss these realities as false beliefs, failing to acknowledge that some women might bleed more heavily than her prescriptive view of a modern-day, liberated period.
Houppert's critique falls short, however, when she fails to apply her scrutiny to the realm of sexuality. Oftentimes in her analysis, Houppert blames sex-negative American culture, rather than misogynist American culture, for the silence around menstruation. Her suggestion that coed puberty classes would solve menstrual taboos seems short-sighted, and she never reflects on the role of compulsory heterosexuality in the lives of women.
The book explores alternatives to menstrual taboos, including 1970s cultural feminism and its descendants into the '90s, but her ire towards these movements seems disproportionate.
I was also confused by her complete denial that (1) women might have valid reasons to modify their behavior when menstruating (for example, not wearing a bikini or going swimming), and (2) menstrual blood has a distinct smell (the term "odor" constantly accompanied by scare quotes). Houppert goes out of her way to dismiss these realities as false beliefs, failing to acknowledge that some women might bleed more heavily than her prescriptive view of a modern-day, liberated period.
August 11, 2013
An interesting look at how society forms the way we perceive menstruation, though I find the author hard to swallow at times. I will agree that PMS and hormonal fluctuation have no reason to be called a disease or a disorder, but Houppert essentially claims that all resulting issues surrounding premenstruation are perceived because of the stigma placed around them.
As a woman who sometimes loses track of what time of the month it is, I can tell you that there is a correlation between my grumpiness as a baseline (those days I am mean for no reason) and where I am in my cycle. And I don't believe it is because I *think* about my period coming. I believe it is because my period is coming.
As a woman who sometimes loses track of what time of the month it is, I can tell you that there is a correlation between my grumpiness as a baseline (those days I am mean for no reason) and where I am in my cycle. And I don't believe it is because I *think* about my period coming. I believe it is because my period is coming.
November 9, 2007
This book is excellent. It gives a lot of information about the "feminine hygiene" industry and urges folks to think of menstruation as something normal. This book really helped form my ideas about the normalcy of menstruation. Highly recommended.
(Note: to realize how dumb "feminine hygiene" is as a concept, say "masculine hygiene" out loud. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? But men could be convinced that they need to spray deodorant on their testicles and have special little pads to absorb pre-cum. "Feminine hygiene" is a made up concept!)
(Note: to realize how dumb "feminine hygiene" is as a concept, say "masculine hygiene" out loud. Sounds stupid, doesn't it? But men could be convinced that they need to spray deodorant on their testicles and have special little pads to absorb pre-cum. "Feminine hygiene" is a made up concept!)
January 24, 2018
The Curse is an interesting look at the taboos and misinformation surrounding an experience that millions have gone through and continue to go through every year. Focusing on the dangerous myths surrounding the start of menstruation, the uncomfortable closeness the subject has to sexuality (especially female sexuality), and the dangerous unanswered questions around the use of tampons, the book is an unapologetic and blunt exploration into why this subject makes us so uneasy.
Overall, I did like this book. I especially really liked when she discussed how much uncomfortable feelings are around menstruation and young girls because it brings to light the possibility of sex and pregnancy (the author notes the same fears are not surrounding boys as they enter puberty). The hyped up sexuality of young girls seemed linked to several other issues surrounding still enduring myths around women so I found it especially relevant.
The book is not without it's problems, though a few are not of it's own and really due to timing. The book was published in the 90's and it shows. Now a few decades later, I am forced to ask how much of this data is irrelevant or has since been updated. How many new studies have come out? How much has changed in attitudes towards menstruation? Another disappointing aspect of the book is the ending which honestly felt a bit rushed an inconclusive. The author notes her own discomfort around discussing the subject of her book with men, and then dreams of a future in which discussion of periods is no more different than telling someone "Bless you" after sneezing. I would have liked to seen more ideas presented on how to better achieve this.
Another issue I take with the book is how quick the author was to dismiss pms. Now, as a cis woman with a very active uterus, I can tell you - I do get pms. I do experience extreme cramping and mood swings, sometimes even before realizing my period is about to start. Now, this isn't to say she makes some alarming good points about how quick we are to dismiss ALL unfeminine behavior as being the result of hormones, but I still think her focus should have been more on how society pressures women to be perfect than on the idea that pms as a result of this isn't likely real or as prevalent as we'd like to believe.
Last big problem with them book - there is zero mention of trans individuals at all. No talk of how it may feel for trans men to have periods or for trans women to not. That seems like a huge blindspot to me, one worthy of a whole chapter. As getting a period does have such a focus on "women experiences", seeing how trans individuals feel about it would be a really interesting addition to the book. And even though the book was written in the 90's, that doesn't seem like much of an excuse. It's not like trans people didn't exist back then.
So while this book offers some interesting observations, ultimately it might be better to read something more recent and/or more inclusive.
Overall, I did like this book. I especially really liked when she discussed how much uncomfortable feelings are around menstruation and young girls because it brings to light the possibility of sex and pregnancy (the author notes the same fears are not surrounding boys as they enter puberty). The hyped up sexuality of young girls seemed linked to several other issues surrounding still enduring myths around women so I found it especially relevant.
The book is not without it's problems, though a few are not of it's own and really due to timing. The book was published in the 90's and it shows. Now a few decades later, I am forced to ask how much of this data is irrelevant or has since been updated. How many new studies have come out? How much has changed in attitudes towards menstruation? Another disappointing aspect of the book is the ending which honestly felt a bit rushed an inconclusive. The author notes her own discomfort around discussing the subject of her book with men, and then dreams of a future in which discussion of periods is no more different than telling someone "Bless you" after sneezing. I would have liked to seen more ideas presented on how to better achieve this.
Another issue I take with the book is how quick the author was to dismiss pms. Now, as a cis woman with a very active uterus, I can tell you - I do get pms. I do experience extreme cramping and mood swings, sometimes even before realizing my period is about to start. Now, this isn't to say she makes some alarming good points about how quick we are to dismiss ALL unfeminine behavior as being the result of hormones, but I still think her focus should have been more on how society pressures women to be perfect than on the idea that pms as a result of this isn't likely real or as prevalent as we'd like to believe.
Last big problem with them book - there is zero mention of trans individuals at all. No talk of how it may feel for trans men to have periods or for trans women to not. That seems like a huge blindspot to me, one worthy of a whole chapter. As getting a period does have such a focus on "women experiences", seeing how trans individuals feel about it would be a really interesting addition to the book. And even though the book was written in the 90's, that doesn't seem like much of an excuse. It's not like trans people didn't exist back then.
So while this book offers some interesting observations, ultimately it might be better to read something more recent and/or more inclusive.
January 6, 2016
At a short ~250ish pages, this book was a quick and interesting read. And it covered enough ground to feel fairly deep, it actually whet my appetite for more; as the author says in her conclusion, “the answers I come up with are vague and amorphous.” Also, the book came out nearly 20 years ago now. While some things the book describes are exceedingly familiar, I have noticed some shifts, but it’s hard to know if it’s tied to something larger or just a function of who my friends are.
Definitely worthwhile, the book looks at the safety of the “sanitary protection” industry as well as the way menstruation is handled by the culture at large (hint: it’s not much and not well), and the implications for both preteens and adults. She goes into the “science” of PMS, the link between sexuality and menarche, menstrual literature, and some small resistances, weaving in cultural commentary along the way.
Recommended.
Definitely worthwhile, the book looks at the safety of the “sanitary protection” industry as well as the way menstruation is handled by the culture at large (hint: it’s not much and not well), and the implications for both preteens and adults. She goes into the “science” of PMS, the link between sexuality and menarche, menstrual literature, and some small resistances, weaving in cultural commentary along the way.
Recommended.
May 4, 2009
Loved this, especially the connections that the author draws between health education and menstruation (i.e. she believes it's a taboo to talk about menstruation in our society because it is linked to being sexually active). Very interesting and enlightening as a whole, especially concerning the chemicals that are still in feminine products today.
August 25, 2007
this book frightened me, i really was startled by the corprate uncarring truth behind the tampon industry. I had already made the switch to a moon cup but felt after reading this book that i desision i knew was a good one was even better.
January 17, 2011
Boy, I need this book for my future daughter. Great subject (I was expecting more of a historical slant but
I am not whining). We have much to do to confront this taboo...because we, as women, perpetuate it.
I am not whining). We have much to do to confront this taboo...because we, as women, perpetuate it.
November 27, 2020
Before I write this review, I will add a disclaimer/conflict of interest on my positionality in this field: I am a cis female scientist in the world of menstrual health and PMS.
Reading The Curse two decades after it was published, a lot has changed, and a lot hasn't. The chatter and urgency of menstrual hygiene, security and awareness has boomed (maybe not to the degree we would like, but I'll take what we have now) to the point where Scotland has just made all menstrual products free! Indeed, we still have a long way to go, but it was rewarding to read about the issues that surfaced in the 90s and how much we have accomplished. A lot of what Houppert discussed is common knowledge in this field (toxic shock syndrome, children's lack of education), but I will say, I am grateful for her range of topics (Going into the world of Dr. Dalton, critical analysis on Anne Frank and Judy Blume). Many of these menstrual health books just regurgitate what the previous author published, and the critical analysis feels missing; but Houppert mentioned the key points, and went on a different path. Well done!
Though the section hinting that PMS is a misogynistic approach to reinstate that "yes women are crazy, by their hormones" was a bit whacky... There is plausible and concrete evidence, scientific and anecdotal, that many fertile women do suffer from cyclical ailments, so that chapter would need some revisiting. I did enjoy the challenge however!
Overall, an insightful, meaningful and original read.
Reading The Curse two decades after it was published, a lot has changed, and a lot hasn't. The chatter and urgency of menstrual hygiene, security and awareness has boomed (maybe not to the degree we would like, but I'll take what we have now) to the point where Scotland has just made all menstrual products free! Indeed, we still have a long way to go, but it was rewarding to read about the issues that surfaced in the 90s and how much we have accomplished. A lot of what Houppert discussed is common knowledge in this field (toxic shock syndrome, children's lack of education), but I will say, I am grateful for her range of topics (Going into the world of Dr. Dalton, critical analysis on Anne Frank and Judy Blume). Many of these menstrual health books just regurgitate what the previous author published, and the critical analysis feels missing; but Houppert mentioned the key points, and went on a different path. Well done!
Though the section hinting that PMS is a misogynistic approach to reinstate that "yes women are crazy, by their hormones" was a bit whacky... There is plausible and concrete evidence, scientific and anecdotal, that many fertile women do suffer from cyclical ailments, so that chapter would need some revisiting. I did enjoy the challenge however!
Overall, an insightful, meaningful and original read.
March 24, 2017
This book was an enlightening read. The book starts with Karen assessing the whole advertising industry tiptoeing around menstruation. The intention is to promote their products with "shame" as a basis. Karen Houppert expertly analyses the entire revolution of tampons and how far they go to get teenagers hooked into their products and how far they go to hide the side effects. She also points out a social angle where no one is willing to talk about these products because there is an inherent shameful attitude about discussing menstruation. She seems to have grappled with this question and has pointed out useful insights - interviewing young girls and the hush hush they face with respect to discussing this, the unseen hidden company somewhere in Iowa where employees aren't too proud to discuss what they are making - the unfair taxation in menstrual products, the whole taboo around the period and smelly women and the misconception of sex and the period causing vast apprehension among women. She also points out some women researchers who have used PMS as almost a very scathing weapon at women themselves. If you want to understand the period and the dysfunction surrounding it, this book is a must read. I went seeking for this topic and identified this book but I wonder why it isn't out there in bookstores! This should be a must read for all women.
August 21, 2023
Bir feminist olarak dert edindiği konular isabetli, tampon ve kadın pedi endüstrisinin etik kaygı duymadan ve kadın sağlığını gözetmeksizin pazar payını attırmak için pompaladığı yalanları ifşa edişi çok yerinde. Dioksin konusunu her ne kadar fazla detaylandırıp uzatmışsa da bunu mesele edinmesi bile tatmin edici. Adet görme olgusunun toplum nazarında neden ve ne şekilde hâlâ üzerine konuşulamayan hatta konuşulmaması gereken gizli bir "kusur" sayıldığını da çok iyi örneklemiş. Medya, reklâm sektörü, edebiyat, eğitim kurumları, aileler, tüm toplum.... Haklı eleştiriden her biri nasibini almış. Reglden, bedeninden, fizyolojisinden utandırılarak büyüyen her genç kızın okumasında yarar var. Ve fakat üslup akıcı değil. Bu da nazar boncuğu olsun bari.
February 26, 2018
Excellent, but a bit dated in its references.
December 24, 2017
A sobering reminder not such much of misogyny (though there's plenty of that, both internalized and on a broader cultural basis), but that non-fiction doesn't always age gracefully.
The book is chock full of interesting information and insight for those who want to learn about Western cultural approaches to menstruation... before 1999. Having finished it on the cusp of 2018, a cool nineteen years after its publication and, at times, forty-four years after its cited data was collected (one poll mentioned was done in 1973, before my mother got her first period.)
It can't be helped, I know: the Internet as a public tool was but a baby (okay, a toddler) when this book first came out (most of the links in the last section no longer work.) But it was nearly impossible to read this book without looking at the period culture I've grown up in myself: menstrual cups, "period panties," period-tracking apps, pills marketed to stop your period all together, anti-trans bathroom laws, HelloFlo ads, the sleek black boxes of U by Kotex... this book would GREATLY benefit from a revisit. Obviously this can't be helped; I don't blame Houppert for her lack of a time machine, but by now this book serves better as a time capsule than as a contemporary look at Western feelings surrounding "that time of the month." I learned enough that I'm comfortable giving it 3/5 stars.
As for the book itself (a.k.a., things that could have been helped, or at least caught by an editor):
-I felt it dragged on at times, or went off in a un/semi-related direction. For example, when citing The Diary of Anne Frank, Houppert cites a great deal of Anne's diary that has to do with her budding sexuality/ coming-of-age, though not necessarily her period. Seeing as only two other pieces of fiction were cited in how books/ movies approach menstruation ("Are you there God, It's Me Margaret" and "Carrie"), I feel some of that could have been cut in favor of other works. Also, a solid amount of the last section focuses on a product known as the "Insync Miniform." Though I thought the section was good, especially in relation to how advertising menstrual products is approached (what women say they want to see vs. what they ACTUALLY want to see), it lasted awfully long for a product that ended up never catching on (I had to Google it just to know what it was.)
-There were some minor research/ editing issues that should have been caught. For example, Houppert (rightfully) sings the praises of Karen and Jennifer Gravelle (authors of "The Period Book," published in 1996.) However, she fails to mention that Debbie Palen, the illustrator of the book, also drew a somewhat negative tampon advertisement featured earlier in the book. The lack of a comment on this wouldn't be so noticeable if the following non-fiction author mentioned in the section hadn't been criticized for drawing on the shame perpetuated by those same types of ads in her own work. Palen has illustrated several other girl-power books, and I was surprised that she didn't come up formally.
The book is chock full of interesting information and insight for those who want to learn about Western cultural approaches to menstruation... before 1999. Having finished it on the cusp of 2018, a cool nineteen years after its publication and, at times, forty-four years after its cited data was collected (one poll mentioned was done in 1973, before my mother got her first period.)
It can't be helped, I know: the Internet as a public tool was but a baby (okay, a toddler) when this book first came out (most of the links in the last section no longer work.) But it was nearly impossible to read this book without looking at the period culture I've grown up in myself: menstrual cups, "period panties," period-tracking apps, pills marketed to stop your period all together, anti-trans bathroom laws, HelloFlo ads, the sleek black boxes of U by Kotex... this book would GREATLY benefit from a revisit. Obviously this can't be helped; I don't blame Houppert for her lack of a time machine, but by now this book serves better as a time capsule than as a contemporary look at Western feelings surrounding "that time of the month." I learned enough that I'm comfortable giving it 3/5 stars.
As for the book itself (a.k.a., things that could have been helped, or at least caught by an editor):
-I felt it dragged on at times, or went off in a un/semi-related direction. For example, when citing The Diary of Anne Frank, Houppert cites a great deal of Anne's diary that has to do with her budding sexuality/ coming-of-age, though not necessarily her period. Seeing as only two other pieces of fiction were cited in how books/ movies approach menstruation ("Are you there God, It's Me Margaret" and "Carrie"), I feel some of that could have been cut in favor of other works. Also, a solid amount of the last section focuses on a product known as the "Insync Miniform." Though I thought the section was good, especially in relation to how advertising menstrual products is approached (what women say they want to see vs. what they ACTUALLY want to see), it lasted awfully long for a product that ended up never catching on (I had to Google it just to know what it was.)
-There were some minor research/ editing issues that should have been caught. For example, Houppert (rightfully) sings the praises of Karen and Jennifer Gravelle (authors of "The Period Book," published in 1996.) However, she fails to mention that Debbie Palen, the illustrator of the book, also drew a somewhat negative tampon advertisement featured earlier in the book. The lack of a comment on this wouldn't be so noticeable if the following non-fiction author mentioned in the section hadn't been criticized for drawing on the shame perpetuated by those same types of ads in her own work. Palen has illustrated several other girl-power books, and I was surprised that she didn't come up formally.
February 20, 2012
I think my rating is this high because it really gave me an "AHA!" moment. The overall theme of this book is why, when at any given time probably a quarter of women are menstruating, the very notion of the practice is shamed and hidden. I know I buy into this, and never really thought why. Sorry, friends, I never went through my feminism stage in college where I questioned the very notion of the things I held dear, so it's looking like the time is now.
I hold my tampon high, ladies! Okay, not really. Just kidding!
But definitely this book and its topic got me thinking. Recommended probably to most of the gals who will read this. And maybe a few dudes if you're interested in what (little) we learn about as we enter adolescence and how the "feminine products" industry capitalizes on that.
I hold my tampon high, ladies! Okay, not really. Just kidding!
But definitely this book and its topic got me thinking. Recommended probably to most of the gals who will read this. And maybe a few dudes if you're interested in what (little) we learn about as we enter adolescence and how the "feminine products" industry capitalizes on that.
October 18, 2009
Really interesting discussion of cultural perceptions of menstruation. In particular, the whole household would crack up as we read bits out loud about the history of how we have educated girls about menstruation. I highly recommend that you look up the educational videos on YouTube to watch them yourself. It is fascinating to see where we have come from and scary to think about where we still are at times.
My only complaint about the book is that the author seems to jump around a bit at times. The beginning of the book isn't that bad, but towards the end I felt it had a little less of a running stream of thought.
My only complaint about the book is that the author seems to jump around a bit at times. The beginning of the book isn't that bad, but towards the end I felt it had a little less of a running stream of thought.
October 4, 2010
This is a good book on the topic, very good, but not great. I was very impressed with the coverage of "PMS", dioxin in pads and tampons, and with tambrands/marketing in general, but it lost stars for the authors blindness as to why the experience of menstruation would be anything but a "simple inconvenience" to women. So sad.
January 10, 2014
it's a little dated and completely gender essentialist but is also an amazing insight into an industry that effects so many people so personally. I could personally read about periods forever and am thinking of creating a menstruation canon list of some kind. Very quick read despite being academic, highly recommend.
May 9, 2015
Though this book was written in the 90s, it's still relevant and thought-provoking. I tend to think that my period is more than a "simple
inconvenience", and I shuddered every time the author said "feminine hygiene" rather than "fem care", but I realize that this is nitpicky stuff. Great read.
inconvenience", and I shuddered every time the author said "feminine hygiene" rather than "fem care", but I realize that this is nitpicky stuff. Great read.
December 15, 2007
B+ Really interesting, but she takes tangents that are a bit unrelated at times.
May 24, 2009
Read this book for a provocative discussion of menstruation.
April 27, 2012
Interesting insight into the taboos and misogyny surrounding menstruation. Good feminist read.
July 29, 2012
Interesting and thought-provoking, if a little muddled.
March 23, 2014
It's extremely disconcerting that this excellent, very readable book has a copyright on 1999 - and as far as I can tell, nothing has changed since then. Shh! Wouldn't want to talk about reality.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews