See other o.b. ads: See other o.b. ads: French (ooo.ooo.b., 1989) - German (nude, 1970s) - German (1970s) - German nude (1970s) - French (1989) - Dutch 2005 German Camelia ad (1920s) - German Camelia ad right before World War ll - German Camelia ad touting disposal bag(1990s) See a early Tampax ad (1936) - part of the original patent - the first box - more early commercial tampons DIRECTORY of all topics (See also the SEARCH ENGINE, bottom of page.) CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | LIST OF ALL TOPICS | 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. Early ad for o.b. tampons (probably early 1950s; German, magazine unknown) Europeans probably started using tampons after World War II, utilizing another contribution of American culture (see some pre-1940 American tampons), although the Tambrands company did send me a box of tampons with a French text and with a note saying it was from the 1930s. But let's ignore that. I believe the o.b. tampon - o.b. stands for the German ohne Binde, meaning without [a menstrual] pad - was the first native European brand (the American company Johnson & Johnson bought it in the 1970s). It had no applicator, just like the first American tampons (Tampax made the first applicator, in 1936). I suspect European women thought that inserting their fingers into their vaginas was peanuts compared with the war they just went through - and the applicator-less tampons had to have been cheaper. The ad comes from the book Die unpäßliche Frau, by Sabine Hering and Gudrun Maierhof (Pfaffenweiler, Germany, 1991).   I suspect the original ad is in color. Translation: "The future of menstrual hygiene"["Damenhygiene" literally means "ladies' hygiene"] "o.b." stands for "ohne Binde," German for "without [a] pad." See other o.b. ads: French (ooo.ooo.b., 1989) - German (nude, 1970s) - German (1970s) - German nude (1970s) - French (1989) © 2000 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