Kotex sells its pads in early vending machines. See a Kotex pad sold in a 1930s vending machine.
See some pad dispensers and ads for pads that come with pouches: New Freedom and Whenever, from the U.S.A., and Camelia, from Germany.
See also the booklets How shall I tell my daughter? (Modess, various dates), Growing up and liking it (Modess, various dates), and Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday (Kotex, 1928).
And read Lynn Peril's series about these and similar booklets!
See more Kotex items: First ad (1921) - ad 1928 (Sears and Roebuck catalog) - Lee Miller ads (first real person in amenstrual hygiene ad, 1928) - Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday (booklet for girls, 1928, Australian edition; there are many links here to Kotex items) - Preparing for Womanhood (1920s, booklet for girls; Australian edition) - 1920s booklet in Spanish showing disposal method - box from about 1969 - "Are you in the know?" ads (Kotex) (1949)(1953)(1964)(booklet, 1956) - See more ads on the Ads for Teenagers main page
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links:
homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.


The Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health

Disposal bags for menstrual napkins, page 2 (pages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)

See the first page for a discussion of these.

Next
See some pad dispensers

Donated by Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford

This is the back of the bag at left.


Donated by Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford

This is the back of the bag at left.


The English text: For razors, Sanitary Products, etc. For personal hygiene and cleanliness. After use please place in waste bin for removal by maid.
Note the capitalization of "sanitary products."
(Donated by Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford)

 

Donated by Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford


 

Note the euphemism "lavatory," replacing "toilet," a word hard to say in polite company in the U.S.A. and, possibly, Great Britain. Lavatory means a place for washing.
I wonder if "Luna," "moon," refers to menstruation.
(gift of Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford)

This is a variation of a bag on page 1.
(gift of Mel Terras, Christ Church, University of Oxford)

 

(Donated by a woman first-year student at Northern Arizona University [2000])

 

(Donated by a female writer and staff member of New York University [2000])

Next
Pages 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 of disposal bags. Kotex sells its pads in early vending machines. See a Kotex pad sold in a 1930s vending machine. See some pad dispensers

© 1999-2004 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org