”Vi hadde ikke menstruasjon, vi hadde ’vondt i maven’” Norske menstruasjonsopplevelser fra 1900-tallet

Abstract

Menstruation has historically been considered a taboo, also in Norway. Recently, a new international wave of menstrual activists, medical professionals, and advertising has argued that it is important to fight this taboo to counteract shame, embarrassment and pain. As part of this shift, menstrual history has been explored in many countries and cultures, including Scandinavia. This article expands upon these histories, by presenting the biography of Norwegian menstruation in the twentieth century. It draws on women’s stories from 1900 to 1980 from the Norwegian Ethnological Survey, and tracks their experiences in the years before, during and after commercially available products changed the menstrual experience for most Norwegian women and girls from 1945. Placing this in an international capitalist context, the article explores what this history can tell us about menstruation as a commercial, personal and important topic.