Virginity and tampons: the beginner myth as a case of alteration.

Using an inductive analytical approach to the portrayal of menstruating women in menstrual product advertisements, we discovered that tampon advertisements directed to adolescents provide a unique case of myth alteration. The beginner myth contends that tampon use by young women threatens virginity. With considerable deftness, the tampon advertisements we analyzed addressed the beginner myth, both dispelling the myth and at the same time retaining it to the degree that it sustained the need for specialized tampons.