Prior to the normalisation of disposable menstrual products, many people relied on homemade options. In Scandinavia knitted options were used, often knitted at school. These were DIY technologies relying on skill, public creation (and washing), and time.

Ethnographic material from Norwegian surveys show that the advent of disposable products meant the end for some communication regarding menstruation, especially involving knitting and washing. Instead, new communication channels through ads began.

The Norwegian brand SABA, hired a bus and educators who travelled around the country, 'educating' the rural population about menstrual hygiene and 'modern' menstrual management. This involved dismissing older practices, such as the knitted system.

SABA relied heavily on images of white middle-class aspiration, linking Norwegian femininity to consumerism. The branding invoked Orientalism, named after the Queen of Sheba and featuring a sphinx (to hint at the luxurious feel of the cotton pad)

Meanwhile, the owners celebrated. Here are the founders at one of SABA's famed Christmas parties, where all staff were invited to enjoy live music and lobster. Happy days.

But consumers demanded more from the products. In 1994 a consumer rights magazine tested Scandinavian products, finding low quality and high prices. The article was illustrated like this, for no apparent reason other than to underline progress versus 'tradition'.

During the 20th century, discussions & displays of menstrual habits shifted from home and school (via knitting & washing) to the public realm of advertising and shops. The 1994 article is a reminder that Norwegians questioned many aspects of this (if not the Orientalist elements)

Further reading on product development outside Scandinavia: Sharra Vostral's 'Under Wraps', Lara Freidenfield 'The Modern Period', and Elisabeth Kisslinger 'Capitalizing on the Curse'. https://www.rienner.com/title/Capitalizing_on_the_Curse_The_Business_of_Menstruation