See ads for menarche-education booklets:
Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday
(Kotex, 1933), Tampax tampons (1970, with Susan Dey),
Personal Products (1955, with Carol Lynley), and
German o.b. tampons (lower ad, 1970s)
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
 
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THE MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND WOMEN'S HEALTH - 1997
Incontinence Aided from London
A few weeks ago
I mentioned the serious emotional problems men often suffer when incontinent. Alex Birkett of the Department of Medical Physics, of the University
College London Hospitals NHS Trust in London, England,
visited the MUM site and invites folks to visit their
site. His unit is concerned with the design
of novel and effective continence devices for men and women.
It sounds like one of the most worthwhile
activities someone could be involved in!
An Australian Comments on The Keeper and Sponges
"Hi, stumbled across the MUM page, and noted with
interest an article about the Keeper and other menstrual cups. I bought one when in Canada several
years ago, and was disappointed with it. Great idea, and I was confident
of it's working, giving my experiences with diaphragms some years ago. Despite
following all instructions (e.g., once in place, give it a quarter turn
to get a proper seal) it consistently leaked. I also did find it hard to
insert (despite having been a dab hand with the diaphragm) and suffered
from small cuts/tears which of course are painful. Interested in seeing
more information.
"Actually, I used a sponge for a good six months - natural sea
sponge, back in uni days when I had lots of time to lock myself in the bathroom
every single hour. Found that more comfortable and easier. Just hard to
find very dense natural sponges without holes."
Comments are always welcome, and we
will publish them here without your name if you give your permission.
Talk About The Keeper!
Read some of the
reactions others have about The Keeper and the
new cup Instead.
Here's what The Keeper and Instead look
like.
Making Fun of Menstruation?
I just received an angry phone call from the editor of
a lesbian publication, who said that she will not promote MUM any further
because the media have been making fun of this museum, partly because its
director is a man. Making fun of the museum means making fun of menstruation,
and she takes menstruation very seriously.
So do I. I have drawn a lot of criticism and mockery not
only from the media because of my seriousness in creating MUM. Most of my own family is deeply upset by this museum,
and I am estranged from some of them because of it.
But I will not close it. Menstruation is a neglected and
important cultural phenomenon which deserves the most extensive treatment
possible, something a museum has never done before on a permanent basis.
People find menstruation funny mostly because it makes
them uncomfortable. Humor is part of the culture of menstruation. I was
on a talk program where a psychiatrist was making witticisms about
periods! Humor is also part of life; we make jokes about sex, not because
we don't take it seriously, but because we do.
In truth I have expected at least some some lesbian opposition
because of my gender. But heterosexuals of both persuasions have criticized
me too, as have the old and young, and the educated and the less so, the
far right and the far left, and those in between.
But many folks, some of whom are lesbians, have congratulated
me on the museum. One visitor said that "women are thankful to you."
Planned Parenthood of America even called it "fabulous."
Why didn't a woman start MUM? I think because women are
too close to the subject, which is disregarded to the greatest extent possible
in most societies. I believe also that if it were evident that a lesbian
had started such a museum, the public would feel it was just another left-wing
feminist cause, marginalized as usual, not part of their world.
I want to make menstruation part of everyone's world,
men as well as women, at least to the extent of making them realize that
it's not shameful and that it's a phenomenon with an extraordinary history.
© 1997 Harry Finley. It is illegal
to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium
without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations
to hfinley@mum.org
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See Tampax tampons (1970, with Susan Dey), Personal Products (1955, with Carol Lynley), and
German o.b. tampons (lower ad, 1981) See a Lucky Strike cigarettes ad from 1933.
See ads for menarche-education booklets:
Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday
(Kotex, 1933),
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 another ad for As One Girl to Another (1942),
and the booklet itself.
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