Ads for the Kotex stick tampon (U.S.A., 1970s) - See "Remember how simple life used to be?" ads for the stick tampon. - a Japanese stick tampon from the 1970s.
Early commercial tampons - Rely tampon - Meds tampon (Modess)
And, of course, the first Tampax AND - special for you! - the American fax tampon, from the early 1930s, which also came in bags.
See a Modess True or False? ad in The American Girl magazine, January 1947, and actress Carol Lynley in "How Shall I Tell My Daughter" booklet ad (1955) - Modess . . . . because ads (many dates).
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.

Stick menstrual tampon (Kotex; this box is from 1990)

The stick tampon used a wooden stick as an applicator, thus being biodegradable and ecologically sound, in contrast to the tampons that used plastic applicators (for example, Meds, by Modess; Playtex and others).

The toxic shock crisis of the early 1980s, especially associated with Rely tampon, caused the toxic shock warning to be placed on the back of tampon boxes. The wording changed throughout the years.

 

Tampon and the paper covering 

 

  Box front

Back of box. I broke the image of the back into two parts to make a faster download. The two images immediately above belong together. 

Ads for the Kotex stick tampon (U.S.A., 1970s) - See "Remember how simple life used to be?" ads for the stick tampon. - A Japanese stick tampon from the 1970s
Early commercial tampons - Rely tampon - Meds tampon (Modess)
© 1999 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute
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written permission of the author. Please report suspected
violations to hfinley@mum.org