The perception of the Base-of-the-Pyramid (BOP) as one single consumer market is no longer a viable notion.The present article illustrates this through an exploration of how local cultural meanings shape a distinct consumer contextin a BOP market. This influences products aspiring to establish themselves in this particular context, as it calls for adiversified consumer perspective. On this note, women are systematically discriminated in BOP contexts, making them aconsumer group in need of special attention. In particular, the activity of menstruation is an often stigmatized practiceleading to female discrimination. Hence, from a young female consumer perspective, this article performs an intensivesingle-case study of the menstrual hygiene product, Ruby Cup, which attempts to foster female empowerment in Kenya.Beyond its immediate product qualities, the Ruby Cup empowers girls in its provision of education about menstruation anda forum of discussion regarding female topics. However, these discussions occur almost exclusively between women andparallel to the prevalent male-dominant discourse, leaving the inter-gender menstrual topic taboo unaddressed. Still, theidentified dynamic interplay between the product and the cultural meanings holds the potential of altering the culturalmeanings in the market in favour of women. This article implicates how BOP markets can be approached and altered froma consumer cultural standpoint with an emphasis on the need to perceive each of these markets separately in theory andpractice.
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