See Australian
douche ad (ca. 1900) - Fresca douche powder (U.S.A.)
(date ?) - Kotique douche liquid ad, 1974 (U.S.A.)
- Liasan (1) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany)
- Liasan (2) genital wash ad, 1980s (Germany)
- Lysol douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Lysol douche liquid ad, 1948 (U.S.A.) - Marvel
douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.) - Midol menstrual
pain pill ad, 1938 (U.S.A.) - Midol booklet (selections),
1959 (U.S.A.) - Mum deodorant cream ad, 1926 (U.S.A.)
- Myzone menstrual pain pills ad, 1952 (Australia)
- Pristeen genital spray ad, 1969 (U.S.A.) -
Spalt pain tablets, 1936 (Germany) - Sterizol douche liquid ad, 1926 (U.S.A.) - Zonite
douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
The Perils of Vaginal Douching (essay by Luci
Capo Rome) - the odor page
See how a woman wore a belt in a Dutch ad.
See a classy 1920s ad for a belt and the first
ad (1891) MUM has for a belt.
See how women wore a belt (and in a Swedish
ad). See a modern belt
for a washable pad and a page from the 1946-47 Sears catalog showing a great variety.
More ads for napkin belts: Sears,
1928 - modern belts - modern washable
- Modess, 1960s
Actual belts in the
museum
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).

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colleens menstrual tampon (about 1961, U.S.A.)
This is an ad for colleens (judging from
the ads, colleens was always written either all lower case or all upper
case), which seemed to be an improved tampon.
Mayfield Industries, the maker, was in Ft. Worth, Texas, U.S.A., and the
ad probably appeared in publications around that area in the early 1960s.
I do not know if colleens ever enjoyed big sales - or any sales. Tambrands,
former maker of Tampax tampons, gave these two photocopies and an almost
full-page ad to this museum, which are the only traces I have of the tampon.
Fading and discoloration make the photocopies and newspaper hard to
read, and the last lines on this page are missing.
The first sentences, especially in the large ad,
are advertising in all its glory; watch your wallet! Many
new menstrual products promise the world at the beginning; many new
products of any kind do that. But the first Tampax
ad was justified more than most, I think, in claiming good things, even
though there were tampons before it, because Tampax first marketed the applicator, invented by
Dr. Earle Haas. Earlier tampons looked
like today's o.b., in that they had no insertion device other than the finger
- and one, fax, didn't even have a
string!
Note the references to flowers, common
in menstrual hygiene advertising (see it for a menstrual
cup). The word flowers once meant menstruation (see here),
although I doubt the ad writers knew this; flowers conceal what many women
(and men) find objectionable, the fact and odor of menstruation.
Unfortunately, the ads never show the tampon itself, which a later era
might have done.
Read the Dickinson report, which the ad mentions.
See a much bigger ad, with a more expansive
message, but with a long download and a lot of scrolling!
See a notice that women can now buy colleens
in stores.
Long download! I cut the images into several
pieces (on the computer only) to make them smaller.
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See a much bigger ad, with a more expansive
message, but with a long download and a lot of
scrolling! See a notice that women can
now buy colleens in stores.
© 1999 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
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