This research aims to study the consumer perception, acceptance and adoption of menstrual underwear as it provides a sustainable option to the current feminine hygiene management solutions widely used in the consumer market in the U.S. In addition to the functional and utilitarian aspect of the underwear, I further delve into studying the social psychological effect the usage of the underwear (i.e., hedonic) has on consumer adoption. A longitudinal, qualitative study employing a three-step approach was conducted. The findings suggest that participants have never heard of menstrual underwear and did not fully understand the phenomenon. Contradicting responses between subject's attitudes and behavior towards the environment were revealed although, menstrual underwear had a positive psychological effect on the participants. Overall, menstrual underwear was most accepted amongst participants in the study.

The portrayal of women in commercials is intertwined with patriarchal structures and power hierarchies found in Western contemporary society, which stem from the Judeo-Christian binary of a ‘clean/messy’ body as introduced by St. Augustine (354 – 430 CE). This portrayal of women and its effect on their self-esteem, as well as consumerism, have considerable implications for the gender dynamics in modern Western societies. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the interdependent relationship between feminine hygiene product commercials, feminist movements and women’s self-esteem.The goal of this thesis is twofold. First, a multimodal discourse analysis of four advertisements from Always and Venus will be performed to uncover to what extent feminine hygiene product commercials are adjusting their portrayal of the female body according to feminist movements. Secondly, four qualitative semi-structured interviews will be conducted to examine how the portrayal of women in these commercials affect women’s self-esteem. This thesis’ research draws from feminist theories, Representation Theory, Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), and the Hierarchy of Effects Theory (HET).The findings of the analysis imply that the companies have made some adjustments in the way they are portraying women in accordance with the feminist movements. However, both the analysis of the commercials and the interviews imply that more improvements are necessary. The thesis comes to the conclusion that feminine hygiene product commercials can affect the self-esteem of women by creating (unrealistic) norms about how a female body should look and function. / <p>B</p>

University of Macau / Faculty of Business Administration / Department of Management and Marketing

Orientadores: Paulo César Giraldo, Rose Luce Gomes do Amaral / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T16:38:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ruiz_Camila_M.pdf: 754661 bytes, checksum: 0af2005c32494829a282f4331f1aabb5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Os cuidados com a genitália feminina quanto à higiene pessoal é assunto de interesse de todas as mulheres. Milhares de dólares são gastos por ano com higiene, vestimentas, uso de produtos para depilação, adornos sem que se determine a eficiência, eficácia, necessidade, consequências ou resultados das mesmas. A forma, frequência e ocasiões não são claras, necessitando de fundamentação científica. Objetivo Avaliar a prática cotidiana do cuidado com a genitália feminina em médicas ginecologistas, incluindo os cuidados diários de higiene, uso de tatuagens e piercings genitais, depilação, vestimentas e uso de absorventes sanitários e hábitos sexuais.Desenho do Estudo: Estudo analítico descritivo. Questionário auto-respondido com 60 perguntas relacionadas aos cuidados diários dos genitais femininos e hábitos de vestimenta, uso de adornos e comportamento sexual foi aplicado em 220 médicas ginecologistas, no período de junho à setembro de 2013 durante congressos da especialidade. O registro e armazenamento dos dados utilizou o programa Microsoft Office Excel. Os resultados foram analisados através de estatísticas descritivas (frequências, média e desvio padrão). Resultados: A média de idade das entrevistadas era de 37,3 anos (DP±12,9), 71,3% eram brancas.A taxa de aceitação foi de 94, 6%. Quase metade (46, 8%) estava formada entre 1 e 10 anos e permaneciam fora de suas casas por períodos acima de 10 horas consecutivas (53,6%). Apesar disto,mais da metade, referiram que tomam 2 banhos por dia (55,9%), A maioria usava apenas papel para secar a vulva após as micções (66,3%).Somente 21,5% lava a região anal com água e sabão após a evacuar, e 48,6% usam desodorantes íntimos com frequentemente. A higiene genital é feita com sabonete líquido por apenas 39% das entrevistadas e 6,8% usam sabonetes bactericidas. Um quinto faz duchas vaginais, 52,7% higienizam-se antes da relação sexual e 78,5% lavam a área genital após o coito apenas com água. O protetor diário (absorventes higiênicos) é usado no período intermenstrual por 41%. Mais de 85% usam roupas íntimas de algodão apesar de que 62,7% usam calças Jeans apertadas. A maioria faz depilação genital (89,15%) e menos da metade destas (48,6%) não usam produtos de hidratação ou para evitar complicações na região. O perfil sexual mostrou que mais da metade das entrevistadas tinham frequência de relações sexuais de 1 a 3 vezes por semana, praticavam sexo oral e anal em 47,2% e 22,2% respectivamente. Mais de 29% delas relataram dor nas relações em intensidades variadas e 24,5% usam condom. / Abstract: The care of the female genitalia as personal hygiene and sexual practice are matters of interest to all women. Thousands of dollars are spent every year on hygiene, clothing, use of products for depilation, ornaments, use of erotic products, without which determine the efficiency, effectiveness, necessity, consequences or results thereof. The form, frequency and timing are unclear and require scientific foundation. Objective: To evaluate the daily practice of care for female genitalia in medical gynecologists, including higyene habits, genital tattoos ands piercings, use of sanitary pads and clothing. Study Way: A descriptive analytical study. A questionnaire was administered to 220 medical gynecologists with 60 questions self-administred , in congress of specialty in the period from june to september related to the daily care of the female genitals and habits of dress, use of ornaments and sexual behavior. The recording and storage of data used Microsoft Office Excel program. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, means and standard deviations) to identify the interrelationships among the most significant variables. Results: The mean age of respondents was 37.3 years (SD ± 12.9) and 71.3% of them are white. The acceptance rate was 94,6%. Almost half (46, 8%) of the gynecologists were between 1 and 10 years of graduation, and 53.6% remain out of their homes for periods over 10 consecutive hours. Nevertheless 55.9% reported taking 2 showers a day, and 52%, washing genitals 2 times per day, in counter point to the fact that only 66.3% use paper to dry the vulva after urination. Only 21.5% wash the anal area with soap and water after bowel movements and 48.6% of them frequently use intimate deodorants. The genital hygiene with liquid soap is made by only 39% of respondents and 6.8% use antibacterial soaps. About 20% make vaginal douches on frequency and time variables, 52.7% sanitize yourself before sex and 78.5% wash the genital area after intercourse, with just water. Daily Protector (sanitary napkins) is used in the intermenstrual period by 41%. The sexual profile found that 50.9% of respondents had frequency of sexual intercourse 1-3 times a week, engaged in oral and anal sex in 47.2% and 22.2% respectively. Over 29% reported pain in varying intensities intercourse and 24.5% them use condom / Mestrado / Fisiopatologia Ginecológica / Mestra em Ciências da Saúde

The portrayal of women in commercials is intertwined with patriarchal structures and power hierarchies found in Western contemporary society, which stem from the Judeo-Christian binary of a ‘clean/messy’ body as introduced by St. Augustine (354 – 430 CE). This portrayal of women and its effect on their self-esteem, as well as consumerism, have considerable implications for the gender dynamics in modern Western societies. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to explore the interdependent relationship between feminine hygiene product commercials, feminist movements and women’s self-esteem.  The goal of this thesis is twofold. First, a multimodal discourse analysis of four advertisements from Always and Venus will be performed to uncover to what extent feminine hygiene product commercials are adjusting their portrayal of the female body according to feminist movements. Secondly, four qualitative semi-structured interviews will be conducted to examine how the portrayal of women in these commercials affect women’s self-esteem. This thesis’ research draws from feminist theories, Representation Theory, Consumer Culture Theory (CCT), and the Hierarchy of Effects Theory (HET).  The findings of the analysis imply that the companies have made some adjustments in the way they are portraying women in accordance with the feminist movements. However, both the analysis of the commercials and the interviews imply that more improvements are necessary. The thesis comes to the conclusion that feminine hygiene product commercials can affect the self-esteem of women by creating (unrealistic) norms about how a female body should look and function.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:56:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao de CHIARA MUSSO RIBEIRO DE OLIVEIRA SOUZA.pdf: 3219731 bytes, checksum: 4e9cda14fdff3b61520c40dd1db90c92 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-27 / A saúde vaginal depende de complexas interações entre a microbiota vaginal, a histofisiologia da mucosa escamosa, o estado hormonal e os mecanismos de defesa do hospedeiro. Muitos fatores podem alterar essas relações, induzindo citólise, infecção e inflamação, genericamente denominados infecção vaginal (IV). A IV manifesta-se por graus e combinações variáveis de ardor, prurido, dispareunia, disúria, mau odor e aumento e modificações do conteúdo vaginal. A abordagem clínica tem sido orientada apenas empiricamente e há pouca percepção do risco potencial das IV. Isso se deve a vários fatores, incluindo uma complexa rede de causas, inespecificidade das manifestações, discordâncias conceituais, dificuldade diagnóstica, natureza íntima da prática sexual e limitados recursos diagnósticos e terapêuticos. Objetivos: Avaliar em nosso meio o uso dos intrumentos autocoleta do conteúdo vaginal, diário de hábitos, sintomas e práticas sexuais e descrever as variações diárias da microbiota, da citólise, do exsudato inflamatório e dos sintomas. Casuística: 18 mulheres no menacme, não grávidas, recrutadas em clínicas ecológicas na região metropolitana de Vitória, ES. Métodos: Estudo descritivo com exame ginecológico inicial, registro diário de hábitos de vestuário, higiene, práticas sexuais e sintomas e autocoleta vaginal por um mínimo de trinta dias. Os esfregaços vaginais foram examinados (Gram e Papanicolaou), sumarizando-se os achados como grau lactobacilar, candidíase, citólise e inflamação. Os achados históricos, do exame ginecológico e do estudo seqüencial foram registrados em um quadro pictórico individual e sumarizados por freqüência simples. Resultados: A mediana dos dias com respostas às perguntas do diário foi maior que 87% em todas as participantes. A autocoleta do conteúdo vaginal garantiu espécimes adequados em mais de 85% dos dias em todas as participantes. Microbiota bacteriana anormal, candidíase, citólise e inflamação foram observadas em 27,8%, 50,0%, 83,3% e 94,4% das participantes em algum momento durante o estudo. Os hábitos de vestuário, higiene, e práticas sexuais e os sintomas, microbiota, citólise e inflamação variaram marcadamente tanto entre as mulheres como ao longo dos dias em uma mesma mulher. Conclusão: O registro diário e a autocoleta foram bem aceitos e garantiram dados e espécimes adequados que, sumarizados em um quadro pictórico, mostram que há marcadas variações diárias entre os elementos das redes de causas e efeitos de IV, indicando que somente com estudos seqüenciais é possível identificar todo o espectro das IV. / Vaginal health depends on complex interactions between the vaginal microbiota, the squamous mucosa histophysiology, hormonal status and host defense mechanisms. Several factors can alter these relationships, inducing cytolisis, infection and inflammation, generally named vaginal infection (VI). VI manifests itself by changeable degrees and combinations of burning, itching, dispareunia, disuria, offensive odour and increase and change of the vaginal content. The clinical approach has been taken only empirically and there is few perception of the potential risk of VI. This is due to several factors, including a complex net of causes, few specific manifestations, concept disagreements, difficulties on diagnostic approach, intimate nature of sexual practices and limited diagnostic and therapeutic resources. Objective: To evaluate in our environment the use of the following tools: self collect of the vaginal content and diary of habits, symptoms and sexual practices and to describe the diary changes of the microbiota, cytolisis, inflammatory exsudate and symptoms. Casuistic: 18 non pregnant women during menacme, enlisted at gynecological offices in metropolitan region of Vitória, ES. Study design: Descriptive study consisted of an initial clinical evaluation, daily register of clothing, hygiene, sexual practices and symptoms and self collect of vaginal content by at least 30 days. The vaginal smears were evaluated (Gram and Papanicolaou) and the findings were summarized as lactobacillary grade, candidiasis, cytolisis and inflammation. The historical, gynecological and sequential findings were registered on an individual pictorial table and were summarized by simple frequency. Results: The median of days with diary answers replys was higher than 87% in all of the participants. The self collect of the vaginal content guaranteed adequate smears in more than 85% of the days of the study in all of the participants. Anormal microbiota, candidiasis, cytolisis and inflammation were observed in 27,8%, 50%, 83,3% and 94% of the participants in any moment during the study period. The clothing and hygiene habits, sexual practices, symptoms, anormal bacterial microbiota, candidiasis, cytolisis and inflammation varied markedly between the participants and across the days in a single woman. Conclusion: The daily register and the self collect were well accepted and guaranteed adequate data and smears which, summarized on an individual pictorial table, show that there are marked daily variation between the elements of the nets of causes and effects of the VI, indicating that only sequential studies allow the identification of the whole VI spectre.