Adolescence, advertising, and the ideology of menstruation

Since the 1920s, American advertisers have recognized the taboo associated with menstruation and have incorporated messages about the social consequen ces of "showing" into feminine hygiene advertising. In order to answer the research question "do advertisements that target girls perpetuate or dispel myths and taboos associated with menstruation?" a content analysis was con ducted on ten years of feminine hygiene advertising in Seventeen and Teen m agazines (1987-1997). Categories included an analysis of the setting and th e themes used in the advertisements. The findings suggest that the ads do r ely on headlines and themes that hearken to the past. However, unlike earli er studies that found the ads present menstruation as a "hygienic crisis," focusing on shame, physical discomfort, and fears, this study found somethi ng more encouraging-that the body copy of these ads is working to dispel th ese myths. Racial representation in ads, however, remains troublesome as bl ack models are rarely shown unaccompanied by white models. These findings a re important to researchers, advertising practitioners, and consumers as ma gazine advertising has become a key agent of socialization for adolescent g irls.