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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The Oakland [Cal.] Tribune advertised Wix
on Sunday, June 10, 1934
and
The Sears, Roebuck catalog (U.S.A.) advertised
Wix menstrual tampons in its 1934 Fall-Winter
catalog
Embarrassment was an issue Sears exploited
for years - but it was also a convenience for women. Embarrassment had forced
Kotex to sell its napkins from the tops of sales counters in the 1920s (see
here), where a woman also deposited her money
into a box. Self-service stores today use the same technique, although even
shy women must face a cashier.
The price listed on the side of the box in the MUM
illustration is $0.50, which might mean this particular box was made
later than the above ad - or just that Sears sold it cheaper.
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Above: Newspaper ad from the Oakland [Cal.]
Tribune, Sunday, June 10, 1934, bottom right of page 28[?] next to an ad
entitled "That Old Neck," below.
Hope never fades but maybe wrinkles do. The ad above
mentions a woman advising about feminine hygiene; she might have used this
card to instruct potential customers. Tampax also
had customer advisors, and a booth at the 1939 World's Fair. Other tampons
also featured women in bathing suits, like fax,
pads not being suited to them. Read
who this "woman thoroughly versed in feminine hygiene" might be.
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Below: the ad in the Sears, Roebuck catalog for fall-winter, 1934.
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© 1998 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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