More Midol: Midol ad, 1938
See its competitor from Kotex, Kurb.
See Midols ads from newspapers, 1911-1961.
 
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Midol menstrual pain reliever magazine ads, U.S.A.,
1939, 1948 and 1960
The woman in the 1939 ad, left, can't be
picking out her first Midol pill because she's already feeling great
- she's smiling! Poor Betty (far right, 1960),
on the other hand, hasn't had her first one yet - but scroll down and look
what happens to her after she takes a few: she's GAY! But she's smiling
so it can't be that bad.
"Gay" appears in the 1948 ad
but not so personally. And strangely enough, the closest the '48 text gets
to "menstruation" is "periodic," whereas the other two
use "menstruation."
There's been a tremendous change in the everyday meaning of the word
"gay" in the past 58 years. Midol would not have dared to use
the word if it had implied homosexuality to the average person, a taboo
subject then. And I'd bet you a million bucks they would not use the word
today. But the word did indeed mean homosexual to some people in the 1960s
and way before then. The Online Etymology Dictionary (here)
traces the fascinating history of the word, which often had undertones of
sex and promiscuity reaching back to the 19th century. And it meant "brilliant,
showy" as far back as around 1300.
After 21 years Midol still showed an open tin of pills with one already
out. But note that Betty's "outed" pill - oh, that's a good one,
huh? - doesn't come from right behind it in the tin box: there's no space.
Why do I worry about such things?
Midol took care to conceal menstrual topics; it states that it will
send the reader a booklet explaining menstruation in a "plain wrapper."
Today people get junk mailings of menstrual pads and tampons.
See Midols ads from newspapers, 1911-1961, and two Midol containers.
I thank the person who generously sent the scan of the 1939 ad.
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See more Midol newspaper ads, 1911-1961, and
excerpts from a Midol booklet, 1959. See its
competitor from Kotex, Kurb.
See Midol tins, 1911-1970s.
See also 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) - Vionell genital spray ad, 1970, with Cheryl Tiegs (Germany)
- Zonite douche liquid ad, 1928 (U.S.A.)
The Perils of Vaginal Douching (essay by Luci
Capo Rome) - the odor page
© 2006 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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