How was menstruation handled in Medieval times?
Up until about 50 years ago, most women in Kerala, India, used to wear a traditional undergarment called the onnara mundu, which means “one and a half loincloth.” It was made of soft, thin cotton and tied in a special way around the waist.
When a young girl reached puberty, there would be a small ceremony marking her shift from wearing a konakam (a basic loincloth) to the more stylish and womanly onnara mundu. It was seen as a big step in her journey to womanhood. The onnara mundu shaped the waist just like corsets did for women in the West—but it was much more comfortable.
Back then, women didn’t usually cover the top part of their body, so people didn’t focus much on how the chest developed. Most attention was on the waist and lower body, which made the onnara mundu very important. It was tied tightly to shape the body as girls grew, and at the same time, it was modest and easy to wear. Think of it as old-style underwear that fit snugly and felt good. Women would wear their main clothing, the mundu, over this. In fact, people even found the faint outline of the onnara mundu under the main dress quite attractive. 😉
During their period, women would fold and place thick cotton pads inside the onnara mundu to absorb the blood. Because it fit so tightly, the pads stayed in place and didn’t move around, which made periods much easier to manage. These cotton pads were washed, starched, and reused many times until they wore out. I wore an onnara mundu myself during my coming-of-age ceremony, and honestly, it was incredibly comfortable.
I tried to find some pictures to share, but most of what’s online is, well… a bit too revealing for my taste. If you’re curious, you can always Google it. 😀
P.S. I don’t know if women in other parts of India wore this, too. Maybe they did, but I’m not sure!
