Menstruation is a large problem for females in development countries today. Studies have shown that around 40 percent of menstruating girls have been absent from school due to their menstruation. One of the challenges that need to be solved is the absence of female hygiene products amongst women, especially in low income and developing countries due to the cost of commercial products. In countries where the national economy is unstable or poorly comes a problem with importing products, it would be better if they could produce their own products so that the national economy is supported. Small factories and production sites that produce female hygiene products have started to form in some areas. This shows that it is possible to produce in the context where the product is going to be sold. One of the advantages of this system is from the environmental perspective, many of the local production sites use environmentally friendly materials and some products are up to 95 percent bio-degradable. The purpose of this thesis is to develop a concept for a sustainable female hygiene product that women in developing countries can afford to buy, this so that social effects can be enabled due to the security that a functioning protection can bring. To be able to do so a field study in Uganda has been conducted. During the study users and local producers were interviewed to find out what demands and prerequisites there are to create a female hygiene product that can be produced and used locally. The field study gave a deeper understanding and knowledge about both the subject as whole and the technical aspects to take into consideration when developing a female hygiene product. The study confirmed that female hygiene products, or rather the lack of them, are a big problem that needs to be solved quickly. It also revealed that the possibilities for producing in the context existed but was not developed enough. Through an analysis of the empirical findings as well as theories about, for example, material and production, six concepts were developed. The concepts and already existing products were evaluated and correlated to requirements collected in the field study. One concept was chosen for further development from this evaluation. This concept consists of a disposable napkin that is fastened by putting it in holders sewn in the panty. The panty can be bought as a product with existing holders or the holders can be sewn into the users own panties. The final concept has taken both technical aspects and social effects into account. Lists of requirements on material for the concept as well as the production of it are also included in the work. A prototype of the concept has been sewn and tested. The final concept in this work is not a finished product and needs further developing before being released as a product. More work need to be done on specifying the production and specific materials to implement the concept. For further developing, it is also important to have in mind in what context the product would be used due to the different possibilities and demands that the setting gives.

Solicitud de envío manuscrito de artículo científico. / El tema desarrollado en esta investigación se centra en la relevancia que ha tenido hablar de empoderamiento de la mujer en productos de higiene femenina y su relevancia en la percepción del tabú menstrual dentro de un público de mujeres adolescentes entre los 15 a 20 años de Lima que empiezan a descubrir e interactuar por primera vez con este ciclo natural. El caso que se tomó para esta investigación es de la campaña “El Rojo No Me Sonroja” de la marca de toallas higiénicas Nosotras en Perú. La importancia que tiene la presente tesis se da en los distintos aportes que ofrece al mercado publicitario, al sector académico y al contexto actual caracterizado por el empoderamiento femenino. En primer lugar, dentro del mercado de la publicidad permite tener nuevos enfoques en relación a la responsabilidad social que es a lo que apuntan las marcas de hoy en día al tener a un consumidor más preocupado por su contexto social. En segundo lugar, dentro del sector académico, su relevancia se enfoca en debatir más este tema y enriquecer el punto de vista existente por parte de otras investigaciones que tienen una postura de crítica con respecto a cómo ciertas marcas comunican el empoderamiento de la mujer en relación a productos de higiene femenina. En tercer lugar, tiene importancia para el contexto actual el cual se caracteriza por una ideología feminista que bus ca empoderar a la mujer en los diferentes ámbitos de su vida. El objetivo de esta investigación fue determinar la percepción de tabúes menstruales de las mujeres frente a discursos de empoderamiento. Nuestro hallazgo principal es que existe una incongruencia entre lo que las marcas tratan de comunicar como empoderamiento al hablar de la menstruación con las consecuencias que genera. En este caso, las marcas de toallas higiénicas dicen a sus consumidoras que se sentirán empoderadas siempre y cuando usen sus productos, creando prejuicios como que la sangre menstrual es sucia, poco higiénica y vuelve débil a la mujer. / The theme developed in this research focuses on the relevance of talking about the empowerment of women in feminine hygiene products and its relevance in the perception of the menstrual taboo within in an audience of adolescent women between the ages of 15 and 20 from Lima who they begin to discover and interact with this natural cycle for the first time. The case chose for this investigation is the campaign “El Rojo No Me Sonroja” of the sanitary pads brand Nosotras in Peru. The importance of this investigation is related to the different contributions it offers to the advertising market, the academic sector and the current context characterized by female empowerment. In the first place, within the advertising market it allows new approaches in relation to social responsibility, which is what today’s brands are aiming at by having a consumer more concerned about their social context. Second, within the academic sector, which relevance is focused on further debating this issue and enriching the existing point of view by other research that has a critical stance regarding how certain brands communicate the empowerment of women in relation to feminine hygiene products. Third, it is important for the current context, which is characterized by a feminist ideology that looks to empower women in the different areas of their lives. The objective of this research was determine the perception of menstrual taboos by women in the face of empowerment discourses. Our main finding is the incongruity between whats brands try to communicate as empowerment when talking about menstruation with the consequences it generates. In this case, the brands of sanitary pads tell their consumer that they’ll feel empowered as long as they use their products, creating prejudices such as that menstrual blood is dirty, unhygienic and makes women weak. / Trabajo de investigación