Mary Beatrice Kenner invented sanitary pads vs sanitary belt
News Claim: A news viral on Social media claims that Mary Beatrice Kenner invented sanitary pads for women.
Viral News Today: News shared on social media claims, “Mary Beatrice Kenner, the woman who invented sanitary pads for women. Her invention has helped billions of women & children to get rid of various diseases”
News Verification: Mary Beatrice Kenner, invented an adjustable sanitary belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket, not sanitary pads..
Kenner was born on May 17, 1912, in Monroe, North Carolina. Kenner patented multiple inventions in her ’40s, her first patent was in 1957 for the sanitary belt. She originally invented the sanitary belt in the 1920s, she couldn’t afford a patent.
Kenner invented an adjustable sanitary belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket. She completed the patent application for her invention in 1954. In 1956, the application was approved. The invention was described as an eliminator for “chafing and irritation normally caused by devices of [its] class.”
Sanitary belts were most commonly worn for menstruation between the mid-19th century to the 1970s and were used to keep a sanitary pad in place between the legs before the advent of adhesive sanitary pads. The belt would commonly be worn at the hips, with special clips or safety pins attaching to the pad.
Sanitary belts are still in use in medical settings — mostly for women who have just given birth and are still experiencing postpartum bleeding
News verdict: She invented sanitary belts, not sanitary pads.
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