From birth control to that "fresh feeling": a historical perspective on feminine hygiene in medicine and media.
This essay traces the modern history of vaginal douching in the United States from its widespread adoption as the first clinical form of birth control in the nineteenth century, through the marketing success of cosmetic douches in the late twentieth century. Women's changing and often overlapping motivations for douching in the past provide insight into contemporary women's choices about douching. The persistence of the practice today despite its association with adverse health consequences is a troubling phenomenon that can only be fully understood by considering this complex history.
Ferranti
Michelle
M
Marymount Manhattan College, New York, New York 10021, USA. mferranti@mmm.edu
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003132:Commerce; D003267:Contraception / Q000266:history* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D053566:Hygiene Products / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history*; D015438:Health Behavior; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D044364:Vaginal Douching / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health