It's a question that's often brought up in this context, but the answer is that there are a lot of options for dealing with menstruation that don't require underpants. (In fact there are relatively few that do require underpants.) Mind you, some or the options are ones that 21st century members of industrial western societies would consider a bit squicky. But consider that even as recently as my own girlhood (we're talking 40 years ago) the two options offered me (pad-and-belt and tampons) didn't require underpants.
The other side of the question is that research on the details of historic menstruation technology is sadly lacking -- largely due to people's evident reluctance to write about those details. And it would be fascinating to know more about it. But given the gap in knowledge, people tend to project their own modern experiences onto the topic and come up with misleadingly limited conclusions.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-16 04:14 pm (UTC)The other side of the question is that research on the details of historic menstruation technology is sadly lacking -- largely due to people's evident reluctance to write about those details. And it would be fascinating to know more about it. But given the gap in knowledge, people tend to project their own modern experiences onto the topic and come up with misleadingly limited conclusions.