More Kotex: Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins and Quest napkin powder, 1948, U.S.A.), Preparing for Womanhood (1920s, for menarcheal girls); see also Directory. Humor in advertising: Dr. White's tampons (1987, United Kingdom); Carefree panty pads for teens (1990, Germany)See Society menstrual pad, and a "silent purchase" ad for Modess, 1928.
Other Modess ads: 1931,"Modess . . . . because" ads, the French Modess, and the German "Freedom" (Kimberly-Clark) for teens.
See a prototype of the first Kotex ad.
See more Kotex items: Ad 1928 (Sears and Roebuck catalog) - Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday (booklet for girls, 1928, Australian edition; there are many links here to Kotex items) - 1920s booklet in Spanish showing disposal method - box from about 1969 - Preparing for Womanhood (1920s, booklet for girls) - "Are you in the know?" ads (Kotex) (1949)(1953)(1964)(booklet, 1956) - See more ads on the Ads for Teenagers main page
Ads for the Kotex stick tampon (U.S.A., 1970s) - a Japanese stick tampon from the 1970s.
Early commercial tampons - Rely tampon - Meds tampon (Modess)
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

Kotex Lightdays PantiLiners ad, U.S.A., 1982
Featuring a named person

Part of the meaning of "fresh" in this and many ads for menstrual products is lack of genital and especially menstrual odor, odor in general being a social crime in many Western cultures and certainly in America. Menstrual odor is unforgivable (see a great Kotex ad showing this), even though 99.99 percent of your fellow citizens don't know what causes it; you now do and it's a shocker.

The lady in the ad is not concerned about blood - I hope not! - but secretions from the vagina during pregnancy. Nevertheless any public hint of anything but flowers (which refer ambiguously to menstruation) would send her into the social shadows.

NEXT Kotex named person ad (1985) - ads featuring famous people
More Kotex: Are you in the know? (Kotex napkins and Quest napkin powder, 1948, U.S.A.), Preparing for Womanhood (1920s, for menarcheal girls); see also Directory. Humor in advertising: Dr. White's tampons (1987, United Kingdom); Carefree panty pads for teens (1990, Germany)

Copyright Harry Finley 2007