Parting Messages

In conclusion, our current capitalist system encourages women to pay to produce a significant amount of waste through the continuous disposal of single-use menstrual hygiene products at every menses cycle, since this disposal increase the rate of “capital circulation.” Women, as such, pay for the degradation of waterways and landfill sites; we pay for the threats to marine wildlife; we pay for the chemical harms inflicted upon workers; and we pay for the pollution of our own bodies by harmful chemicals such as dioxin. Women in Western Societies engage in this polluting consumption pattern to conform to current societal views of menstruation as an “ailment” that should be controlled and hidden so as to pass as “normal” in a society regulated by male norms. Tampons are seen as the ultimate solution for they hide menstrual blood within women, allowing the internalization of menstrual angst. Because of this negative view of menstruation, women avoid menstrual hygiene products that necessitate direct contact with menstrual blood, viewing these options as “unhygienic” and “uncivilized.” In essence, women pay for the continuation of harmful practices created through the acceptance of patriarchal dominance, all in an effort to be “clean.” What is ultimately needed is a shift in ideology toward feminist, anti-capitalist and anti-consumerist narratives that encourage female-friendly and environmentally-sound menstrual products. Although “menstrual products may only make up a small proportion of the total waste, toxicity, resource and energy use contributing to environmental degradation,” they still represent a wasteful practice that can be changed. In this change, one should hope to see a shift away from viewing menstruation itself as a pollution of the female body, and towards a natural process that does not need to be hidden, but rather managed with pride as a sign of good health.

About The Author…

Evelyn O’Rourke is a third-year undergraduate student in Sexual Diversity Studies and Geography at the University of Toronto, St-George Campus. A self-proclaimed happy-hippie and eco-diva, her ineterests include environmental activism, reproductive  health issues and Do-it-yourself intitiatives. In her spare time, she volunteers with the University of Toronto Sexual Education Centre as the Information Resource Coordinator.