Beatrice Kenner, The Idea Behind Modern Sanitary Pads

A question that has probably never crossed your mind. How would the 21^st century woman survive without modern sanitary pads?

The quickest answer to that will depend on you. I know some will say our grandmothers and mothers survived without the modern pads, so why would our wives and daughters not do the same?

Well, the fact is that they did survive. But do you know just how menstruation days were for these women? I bet you don’t, especially if you’re a man.

Menstruation created problems for women at the time. Although Tampons were available in the west for use during the 1930s, they were considered unseemly, so women felt uncomfortable using them.

Cloths and rags were the more popular option in Africa, but were not reliable and often left women in fear of bleeding on their clothes in public, which in turn led to a general sense that women shouldn’t leave their homes during their periods.

The societal expectation along with the stigma that surrounded menstruation at that time-restricted most women who had the ability and willingness to participate in activities that built the nation, just like men did.

This is why Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner decided to file for her very first patent: a belt for sanitary napkins. This is an idea she created when she was only 18 years old, long before the modern-day maxi pad, and at a time when women were in real dire need of this.

Her idea of the adjustable belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket was one of a kind since it would help to keep pads in place, decrease the likeliness of leakage, and ultimately give women the freedom to comfortably leave their homes while menstruating.

It took this bold African – American more than 30 years to get her idea and invention into recognition because of racial and gender discrimination at the time.

Nevertheless, she was not meant to give up on a good thing. Especially one which was going to be the source of hope for an entire women generation.

Her original idea has helped the modern industry to develop modern-day pads. Her invention still lives in the entire universe. Sanitary pads are the most widely used form of menstrual management, even though they are still overpriced, particularly in developing countries.

Over the last twenty years, the sanitary pad industry has advanced by leaps and bounds. Gone are the days of bulky belts and diaper-like thickness. With the invention of more absorbent materials and better designs, pads are more comfortable and practical than ever. The invention of ‘wings’ keeps pads in place in the underwear, and the invention of ‘scented pads’ reduces odor.

The idea by Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner challenged the status quo of women in society not just then but now.

Her story is one of the many that shows how African women with brilliance and blazed intelligence in science and technology, art and literature, political tables, and generally positions of power, have been dismissed before. The achievements and creativity of most women have been overlooked.

Awareness of menstrual issues is still extremely low in Kenya and Africa as a whole. Monthly periods have always been discussed in hushed tones, with boys being sent out of class whenever the topic is raised leading to girls developing a sense of shame around it.

This perhaps explains why the average Kenyan woman might not have wanted to discuss vaginal itching, burn, or odor, especially if she believed it was her own body at fault.

As such, even when individual women experience issues, for a long time they will opt to keep it to themselves, especially with the new assumption that most women are now exposed.

Even though the government and some other non-governmental organizations have tried to bridge the gap, many girls are still not using sanitary pads majorly because they cannot afford them.

Just like there are free condoms in schools, there should be more free sanitary pads for the girls to prevent the cases of dropouts.

Mary Beatrice Kenner already set this pace. Let us not be ignorant of the menstrual topic because is a very important and critical area. Let our girls go to school comfortable to gain the power and skills required to take this country to the next level.