Compare the American "Modess . . . . because" ads, 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)
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Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

Nana sanitary napkin ad, France, 1989, Elle magazine

Ads for menstrual products featuring just a man are rare, as you can imagine. Nana sanitary napkins made at least two.

I think the text says, "How does she do it and be a chick [girl] too?" nana meaning girl - but a French speaker told me it means "nice" or "cute." Does this mean "How does she do it, menstruate and be [that American word of choice for menstrual advertising] - feminine?"
Another e-mailer who said she's bilingual said it meant "What does she do to be so cute?"

But nana in 19th century France could mean prostitute (discussion) an amazingly similar usage to the German menstrual pad Camelia, named for the flower associated with a - hold your breath - French prostitute.

Interesting huh? Two major menstrual pads in Europe whose names are associated with prostitutes!

See a similar Nana ad.

Send me your suggestions for a better translation!

The ad measures 17.75 x 11.62" (45 x 29.6 cm] across two pages. By this time the vast majority of American magazines had given up large sizes like this because of the expense.

NEXT: One-page Nana ad, sort of the same idea, different guy - Malaysian and Dutch ads featuring men only, one smirking

Compare the American "Modess . . . . because" ads, and the German "Freedom" (Kimberly-Clark) for teens.

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