Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.mum.org Updated 6 December; next scheduled update 1 March 2018, but sometimes updated throughout the week. "Time dos fly too fast" Lady Elizabeth Delaval in her poem "Upon the Singing of a Lark" in Dr Sara Read's "Menstruation and the Female Body in Early Modern England," a fount of learning This web site is "odd, funny and well researched" - The New York Times This museum collection is "[U]nrivaled. . . . [T]he best material culture collection on menstruation in the world." - Menstruation: A Cultural History (Howie, Shail, eds.) This museum, MUM, has thousands of advertisements and products concerning menstruation from around the world. This museum Web site is "a treasure trove of information." - Kotex, Kleenex, Huggies: Kimberly-Clark and the Consumer Revolution in American Business, by Thomas Heinrich and Bob Batchelor. Listen (unfortuntely the link is dead) to MUM director Harry Finley carry on about men and menstruation, the MUM museum in his basement, toxic shock, etc., on the Keeper menstrual cup site. No, they didn't pay me. ABOUT MUM (MUseum of Menstruation): "May God close your horable museum." From a letter, with original spelling, to the Museum of Menstruation, from "Shocked, by women," mailed from Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.A. "Consider how Surg. Gen. Koop changed the country! . . . Carry on!" Judge Giles S. Rich (retired), United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Washington, D. C. (from a letter to me) Comments from TV, online, radio and other media about this museum. Three listeners' comments (more) from my half-hour interview with Howard Stern (here): ° "Get a life, creep." ° "[I] am quite familiar with the obstacles to a frank and intelligent discussion of menstruation." (Nancy Freedman, author of Everything You Must Know About Tampons, 1981) ° "I was just listening to your interview with Howard Stern. You handled yourself very well with him. He lambastes just about anyone with a peculiar interest, but you had him very much in check. I was amazed!" Google declares this site "adult,"not something a family could look at together and withdraws the ads it had placed here for 8 years (December 2011). I need permission slips from Google employees' mothers before they peek at this site. NO FAKE SIGNATURES OR I'LL SEND YOU TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!! "Stick to jock itch products, buddy." In a commentary about the museum and its creator in the defunct Sassy, an American magazine for teenage girls. "Terrifically diverse" - The Independent on Sunday (London, England) "It's fabulous that somebody out there is willing to . . . pull back the curtain." Mona Miller, national media relations director of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, discussing the museum in The Prince George's Journal, Maryland, U.S.A. "One of the best on the Internet" - Britannica.com  "Ecco perché Harry Finley ne sa più della tua Mamma" - Marie Claire magazine (Italian edition) "This gem of a website is a virtual repository for everything you ever wanted to know about women's periods." - New Scientist magazine (United Kingdom) "More interesting than you might think. . . . lively." The V Book: A Doctor's Guide to Complete Vulvovaginal Health, by Elizabeth G. Stewart, M.D., of Harvard medical school and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston. More media on MUM The New York Times: This site is "odd, funny and well researched" Judge Giles S. Rich: "Consider how Surg. Gen. Koop changed the country! Carry on!" Former official of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research: "You're a brave man." Woman visitor looking at the museum archives: "You will be sacrificed." More Below, the latest menstruation articles, news, with the history of menstrual products & culture. See the original Museum of Menstruation, a cartoon visit, the museum's future, and reaction to it and this site.  ............................................................................................................................. Putin grabs Trump by the --! Well, see the Danish cartoon at the bottom of the page. ........................................................................... Two more contributions to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ...................................... American contribution to words and expressions about menstruation: Charlie Brown is in town .................................................................. Hemingway sipped gin from a menstrual cup flying with his wife on a Chinese airline in the 1940s. I wonder if it was hers. She - Martha Gellhorn - recounted this in her book Travels with Myself and Another. The only American cup at the time I know of is that of Leona Chalmers, introduced around 1937. Maybe the flight attendant offered a Chinese one if there was such a thing. Just the story to break the ice with that stranger you've always been interested in! .......................... From The Onion: "Mortified Tampax CEO Bursts Into Tears And Runs Out Of Boardroom After Tampon Falls Out Of Briefcase" Look at the similar ad for the defunct Pursettes tampon almost 45 years ago. ................................. Emily Dickinson warns Hugh Hefner: "Playmates at threescore and ten Are such a scarcity–" So ends the poet's 1882 near-death masterpiece My wars are laid away in Book[let]s. ............................................ And, can you connect Emily Dickinson with "feminine hygiene"? Was I surprised?! When browsing Thomas Johnson's  edition of her poems I found in She went as quiet as the Dew at the end of the 6th line "summer's Eve." I imagined a poetry-loving marketer at the hygiene company writing this, a college English major forced to serve Mammon instead of Art and wanting to insert high culture into low orifices. (More on the topic; more from the poet). .......................................... A Girl Gets Her Period And Is Banished To The Shed: #15Girls Story through National Public Radio Read what this MUM site says about menstrual huts. ................................ "Nepali 'menstruation hut' ritual claims life of teenage girl" CNN story Read what this MUM site says about menstrual huts. ........... This museum gets closer to going public! Period Equity in New York City offered to permanently house and display this museum's collection. The organization, "a law and policy institute dedicated to advancing menstrual access, equity and safety in the U.S.," is fund raising for its headquarters and the museum. And a recent show at the Parsons School of Design in New York City incorporated three items from MUM for a show on industrial design aimed at women. Europeans in past decades have seen shows of menstrual history in Norway and Germany (items from exhibition catalog in Frankfurt and Lorsch). Read more about the future of the museum. See the first public exhibit of this museum. .................................. I'm taking a 1-year break from regularly updating this Web site aside from an item now and then. Many projects call me! See you on March 1, 2018. ................................... In Mexico, red underwear conferring "special powers" during periods (from a site visitor): "I came across this article recently Red underwear in Mexico during menstruation: and thought I would mention what I was told (around 2008) by a woman in her 30’s who came from a rural area of Mexico. She said the women in her village wore red underwear when they were menstruating. She was taught that the red underwear had 'special  powers' to protect them during these times. I asked if she, too, believed in their powers. Her answer was yes. She said she still wears red underwear during menstruation for this reason." ................... WHERE, Mr. Trump? And mansplaining the truth. Yes, it happens. Tampax ad, 1997 .................................... If I ever get this museum in the public again, you'll be able to sit inside a menstrual hut. In the meantime, read the New York Times's In Nepal, a Monthly Exile for Women and look at this museum's menstrual hut page, which has a much earlier article about a menstrual hut, also in Nepal. ................................ See an X-rated tampon ad!! OK, OK, it's not but Tampax made an ad for Italians hard to imagine in America. .................................................. Help students turn water hyacinths into menstrual pads We are a group of university students from Bangladesh, wanting to revolutionize society as it is using the idea of producing biodegradable sanitary pads made out of water hyacinth. We are currently participating in a business competition, whereby we are required to help restore refugee rights and provide them with employment/a stable source of income. We want to use this opportunity to produce these water hyacinth pads, thus providing the refugees with essential rights to sanitation and hygiene (along with proper public health education) and also providing them with a source of income by employing them in the extraction, production, and logistics services, while also helping the environment (water hyacinth on its own is an invasive species which clogs water bodies, kills marine life and emits greenhouse gases, but when processed into our good it becomes a biodegradable necessity). In order to implement our plan and actually take our project further, we need your help and advice. If you are able and willing to help, please reply as soon as possible at mashiyat.rahman (at) live.com You can also contact me at +8801744211444. Your cooperation in this matter will be highly appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you soon! Warm regards, Mashiyat Rahman BRAC University, Bangladesh ............................................................... Winging it in Germany for the first time: Freedom Brevia Plus panty pad ad, 1994 .............................................................. How bad were tampons and pads in 1942? ............................................................... When did the Japanese government allow women to skip work when they were menstruating? How come? A course paper by Hiromi Mizuno, graded by eminent feminist philosopher Dr. Sandra Lee Bartky, who died recently at age 81. I adapted a design on a Japanese lacquer writing box to create the picture. The box, at the Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art And Culture, is from about 1850-1900 ................................................................ How did Japanese society regard menstruation throughout its history? .................................................... "What you did for us, all women on the planet, is really, really wonderful! I send you thousands of hugs, Sara" Mail from an Italian woman answering Would you stop menstruating if you could? ................................................................................. "Take my hand, I'm a stranger in paradise ..." Um, actually, mademoiselle just fell skating wearing a French Freedom menstrual pad in the 1970s. .............................................................. What's so funny? Pads? Tampons? 2 ads for Freedom, Germany, 1991 ........................................................... CREMATION? And a new sanitary towel, er, pad? In, um, 1880? Dr. Galabin and Southall's towels. ............................................. A bow tie just for you? Ad for Kotex Freedom, France, 1984 ............................................... See this museum's first way of reaching a wide audience: Its newsletter Catamenia, 3 issues, mid 1990s ........................................................................... What I Learned from the Museum of Menstruation, and an Announcement by Harry Finley, creator and curator of this museum The woman on the phone called to make an appointment to visit the museum. Along with her nine-year-old daughter, she hoped to bring two of her daughter's friends staying with the family. (continued) ............................................................................. Virginity and Tampax: Ads, U.S.A., 1990-91 .............................................................. One site visitor, and a chance reading of a Danish newspaper provided two quotes to think about. .............................................................. Mimosept promotes new way of adhering its pads into panties Ad, Germany, 1970s ............................................................... A Muslim woman writes about periods and Islam and her attitude toward stopping hers. ............................................................... A restaurant review?? Mm, no, a Dutch ad for Kotex, 2000!! ............................................................... Kathy & Mo's Menstrual Mirth A review by Marisa Guillardo ............................................................... "[I]n Kenya, one in ten of the 15 year old girls told us that they had engaged in sex in order to get money to buy pads. These girls have no money, no power." Read The Guardian story, which also discusses menstrual cups and the pitfalls of ignorance: "A study by the Canadian organisation in Nairobi revealed that 80% of girls had no idea what their period was before they started....  'I ... think that women are tired of feeling ashamed of their periods and are speaking out more often.' ” ............................................................... Mirrors, mirrors, on ... Kotex ad, October 1923 ............................................................... A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? "I hate needles, but when I found out Depo-Provera stopped periods, I not only demanded it from my gynecologist, I injected myself whenever I didn't have the $30 she charged to do it for me." ................................................................ Coyness for Carefree tampons American ad, 1969 .............................................................. Gatsby and dark and stormy night? Well, not really. Dreams, though. Dr. Pierce's early 20th century What Your Neighbors Say Dream Book ............................................................... Read the just-published Washington Post article about this museum. A good job! But contrary to what the article suggests my intention is to either again create a museum or find a suitable place for the archives. Preferably create another museum. Read more here. See the original museum. ............................................................... "[W]hat I would LOVE is to get a week off every month, from cooking, cleaning, and working, b/c I am 'unclean.'" A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ............................................................. New expressions for menstruation from Canada: Experiencing technical difficulties, technically difficult, Muffy is sick .............................................................. Huge ad for Always Slender for Teens, 1987 ............................................................... Are you confused? This picture proves a point with the Libresse ad, March 2016, Netherlands .......................................... Can you get a blood sample without sticking your skin? You know the answer: of course. Read the story about using future tampons to diagnose endometriosis, for just one example. (This is not new: the story missed at least one early example of using tampons to collect suspicious cells: the Draghi Detection Tampon that Tampax patented in 1959 to find cervical cancer.) The article mentions Lillian Gilbreth and her fabulous report that asked WOMEN what they wanted in menstrual containment products. Men ruled the roost in menstrual products for decades; look at the Tampax board of directors in 1949 and at the Kotex board in 1947. And in general did men bash women involved in the advertising industry? Is Donald Trump interesting? .............................................................. You can get FREE reproductions of elegant Modess ads! Um, er, COULD get free ones. Four Modess in-store cards offering these reproductions, 1957-1958. .................................................... While putting the museum archive in order I found this exchange between Tamara Slayton and myself (Harry Finley) 2 years before this museum existed. ........................................... "Free the Tampons" Great New York Times article about the cost of menstrual products and the cost of silence about menstruation. ................................................ Czech Dr. Robert Maytáš submits a less nefarious use for Wampole's Vaginal Cones with picric acid. ................................................  New York Times says, "End the Tampon Tax." ................................................ Additions to menstrual humor. .............................................................................. A new view on Would you stop menstruating if you could? ............................................................................... The Art of Menstruation: Menstrual Igloo by Australian artist Olivia Inwood ............................................................ A German company refits its panty pad. Ria, 1992 ................................................................ Nana - the name of a French menstrual pad - can mean loose women. Funny, the German Camelia pad is tied to a flower worn by a prostitute. And we wonder why Europeans make fun of Americans for their prudery? ................................................................................................. If you boogie, do it till dawn with Always! Dutch ad, 2015 ................................................................... Tampax uses 2 pages to convince British women Ad, Tampax, 1990 .................................................................. But what do you think about the plastic applicator? Ad for the Compak tampon, from Tampax, 1990 ................................................................. Tampax from the beginning? Yes says a German girl. Ad, 1988 .............................................................. Tampax ad with um, er, OK OK, she's naked, France, 1991 ............................................................... Friend Larry W. Bryant has written and posted a petition for your signature to request Congress to investigate the menstrual products industry for possible contamination of its products at http://www.petition2congress.com/18901/investigate-menstrual-products-industrys-infusion-probable-carcin Larry worked with me at the Pentagon decades ago, where he listened to my ideas for the physical museum. He's the godfather of this site: in 1996 he suggested I create it. He's boosted my morale since the beginning. ............................................................ On Martin Luther's birthday, consider this (English translation follows): Ja, det er [Luther's] Storhed, at han var bange. En nerveløs raa Børste, en vild Landsknægstjael, en Fanatiker med Galskab luende i Øjene, sagtens træde op imod Kejser og Pave, men det er Stordaad af en Mand, der skælver af Frygt. (From "Ved Reformationsjubilæet," (1936) in Himmel og Jord - Heaven and Earth - writings by Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor, writer, and playwright opposed to the Nazi occupation of Denmark and murdered and dumped in a ditch in 1944.) My translation: Yes, that's Luther's greatness, that he was afraid. A nerveless crude fellow, a wild country bumpkin, a fanatic crazy in his eyes, can easily rise up against emperor and pope, but it's a great thing for a man who shakes with fear. ........................................................... Would you be embarrassed? Serena menstrual pad ad, and a clothing ad, both German, 1982, showing the same model. .......................................................... Recent MUM appearances in media (more media): The Sean Moncrieff Show (Newstalk, radio interview, Dublin, Ireland, October 2, 2015) "There Will Be Blood: The backlash to the man who founded the Museum of Menstruation raises the question: Is there a right way for men to talk about periods?" (The Atlantic online, Oct., 2015)) "How One Man Ran the World's Only Menstruation Museum from His Basement." (VICE Media, September 28, 2015) ......................................................... Do you think a deck of cards would convince stores to sell Modess menstrual pads? Deck of cards, possibly 1960s. .......................................................... Does menstruation make her female? Read Would you stop menstruating if you could? And her mother performed "When I was twelve years old, my step mother did brujería [Spanish for witchcraft] on me. She took my underwear to a black magic witch doctor, who then buried it in a cemetery. She put a ghost on me to make me go insane." MORE (October 2015 contribution). .............................................................. "‘Normal Barbie’ can now wear menstrual pads" Story about a menstrual pad kit from the Washington Post. See pads and tampons (and a douche apparatus!) made for a doll house. And see a doll, washable pads (but no tampons) and other material made to teach girls in rural India about menstruation. ............................................................. Stewardesses on the Kotex Magic Carpet pad Ad, Kotex, 1959 .............................................................. "Menstruation Innovation: Lessons from India" By Jennifer Weiss-Wolf,  September 1, 2015 New York Times More from and about India here and here and here and here. ................................................................... What's this? Without a doubt, it would be easier to figure out with more shadow. But this is a Kotex without-a-shadow-of-a-doubt ad! 1940s-1950s. .................................................................... Eyes away from that zone!! Zonite douche ad, 1932 ................................................... What a mysterious mess, huh? This Always ad will clarify it! ................................................... Flo makes poor girls' lives easier with "a kit that allows girls to wash, dry and carry reusable sanitary pads." More on reusable pads. ................................................... Dutch Kotex ad, 2000 ................................................... American Kotex ad, 1950. ..................................................... Ever wonder what the average person ate or how she got their clothing in an important era of English - and world - history? And, of course, what about menstruation and medicine? (There's a hint that a special group of women used tampons, just as stage performers [and here] did before commercial tampons.) Dr Read's book supplies in an easy, matter-of-fact way - that is, non-academic way - the countless nuts and bolts of these women's lives, often telling what came even earlier. And of some men's lives, too. Amazon sells only a Kindle edition ($10.99) although Dr Read sent me a hardbound copy with a cover price of $39.95 (or £19.99). Google advertises an ebook for $9.99. ................................................................... Dear Harry, I wondered if you might be interested in putting a link to a song and video I created 10 months ago, on your Museum of Menstruation website? It's called 'Let it flow' and is a menstrual positive version of Disney's 'Let it go' from the very popular Frozen film. It's not my finest singing ever, but I believe the lyrics are strong and the video powerful. It's proved to be quite popular on YouTube with almost 3,500 views. You can read the lyrics here http://redwisdom.co.uk/let-it-flow/ Best wishes, Karin www.redwisdom.co.uk ................................................................... Two more pad disposal bags, from Arizona .......................................................... A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? .......................................................... A Dutch girl chooses o.b tampons, probably the first native European 'pon. Ad, 2000. ........................................................... Period! magazine goes international The magazine's Paula wrote me, "In Holland they wondered why every possible topic has its own magazine, except the one and only thing that all women have in common. Exactly: menstruation. The result is Period! A feel-good magazine for menstrual off-days with new posts almost daily. A year after the launch of the Dutch online magazine there’s an international edition as well: www.period.media." Read its press release. ............................................................ Feeling alienated? Dutch ad, 1998 ............................................................ "Bloody Hell: Does Religion Punish Women for Menstruating?" Read the article at Vice. ........................................................... So infinitely sadder, er, finer A Nupak ad revisited, 1927. ...................................................... A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ............................................................... Is she feminine? Ad for Fems "feminine napkin," 1959 ............................................................ Are you looking at the stars? She sees Kotex blue. Kotex ad, June, 1929 ............................................................ THINX about it! See/buy the pad-in-panty back ups. ............................................................. Fashion? Menstrual pads? And a glove by the best? Modess pad ad from 1951. ............................................................. A woman replies to a researcher's question (11 items below) about free flow: "I do know this via a close Japanese friend. She told me that in the days when women wore kimono they did not wear underwear. So what did they do? They held it in until they went to the toilet and then let the blood out. She said it can be learned with practice." But look at ads for Japanese menstrual clothing in the late 19th to 20th centuries when women wore kimonos. ............................................................   Nothing Modes(s)t about this user: Take a relook at a Modess ad from 1928. .............................................................. Do you have a flair for the end? o.b. ad from Belgium, around 2000 ........................................................ From "This Is My Brain on PMS" "Most of my interpersonal conflicts happen just before my period — problems that would arise eventually anyway, but impaired by PMS, I’m intolerant. I’m impossible. I pick fights. I jump to damaging conclusions. Maybe that’s the worst of me. Or maybe that’s me. Roseanne Barr once noted, 'Women complain about PMS, but I think of it as the only time of the month when I can be myself.' ” Read the New York Times article by Diana Spechler ............................................................... Can you connect a traffic jam to menstruation? Always does in this 1998 Dutch ad. .......................................................... I wonder what those women in Nepal who use a menstrual hut do when an earthquake destroys it, don't you? ............................................................ A disappearing item earns a bare ad. Procter & Gamble sells a menstrual pad for the thong, 2001, in a magazine that disappears soon after the first World Trade Center crumbles. .............................................................. Check out Widening the Cycle: A Menstrual Cycle & Reproductive Justice Art Show (more art) ............................................................. A journalist interviewed me a couple weeks ago. It dawned on that I had photos of the original museum stashed away so I let her pick 3 to take. Now I'm going to show you some of the others. And with an appeal to YOU to start a new museum! ............................................ Help a researcher at the James Joyce Library, University College, Dublin, help another researcher look for scholarly or scientific research on 'free flow' or 'instinctual free flow' or 'le flux instinctif'?  (Women have almost certainly menstruated into their clothing or otherwise freely from the beginning. And do so today.) He could also mean a woman's ability to retain her flow until she finds a toilet or other place to release it. Can you help or make suggestions? ....................................................... Flux instinctif? No way! A stylish French woman adjusts her shoe, or something, in an ad for Tampax, November 1988. ........................................................ Two American additions to Words and expressions for menstruation from around the world: You're not a dad and Grandma's here ..................................... Australian help for eternal pain, 2 of 3 ingredients not revealed: Menstraleve, 1983 .................................................. See the creator of this museum (bottom of this page). ............................................... She contributes to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ............................................................ The mirror doesn't show the whole story. Kotex ad, July, 1925 ........................................................... One of the creators of the birth control pill dies at 91 Carl Djerassi, a penniless (after a New York cabdriver cheated him and his mother out of their last $20) Jewish immigrant to America, wrote Eleanor Roosevelt for help; she got him a college scholarship. "It was a little help that made a big difference," writes The New York Times about his many accomplishments. See an early example of that pill (1964) in this museum. ..................................................... A friend sent a link to an audio and visual tour through the Museum of Menstruation in my house so many years ago (mid 1990s). My computer sound doesn't work so I can't pass on how articulate (and informative) I was. I hope I was. ..................................................... A contribution to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: (an amplification to) Earning your red wings .................................................... "Sugary drinks linked to earlier onset of menstruation" Read the story from Oxford University Press at ScienceDaily. .................................................... Red?Just kidding, Kotex! See why. Kotex ad, June, 1934 ......................................................... Mighty Kotex marches across America! Map from 1923. ............................................... Dr Melissa Terras sends this link to the interesting The day I got my first period in The Guardian. ....................................................... "How Menstrual Cups Are Changing Lives in East Africa" Read the story in the Huffington Post. 21 years ago a writer from Seventeen magazine attending the opening of this museum asked me what I thought was the best menstruation "removal" technique. I told her a menstrual cup. ......................................................... Toilette vs um, Toilet Kotex ad, May, 1922 ........................................................ "Japan charges Tokyo 'vagina artist' with obscenity" "Correspondents say that opinion is split in Japan over whether Ms Igarashi's work is obscene, with some pointing out that images of penises are not seen as causing offence." -BBC. [Your MUM reddened the words. See related work on this Web site.] .............................. A Swiss woman answers Would you stop menstruating if you could? ................................................................ "Women's age at first menstrual cycle linked to heart disease risk ... "First menstrual cycle at the age of 13 posed the lowest risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure." Read the whole ScienceDaily article. ........................ OOPS! My period just started! Kotex to the rescue, ad, September, 1921 ................................................ A simple ad for German Carefree panty pads (1991) turns out to be not so simple with its second page. ...............................................................  What do you know about menstruation and tampons in ancient Greece? That's what I thought. Greatly expand that knowledge! .................................................................. "Why didn't the Great Creator tweak that whole process a bit so that nothing is lost?"  A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ................................................................. OMG! Do these women travel from ad to ad for different companies? You witness them betraying Kotex for Modess! Modess ad, 1934 ...................................................... I see London, I see France .... Always pads protect you know what! Dutch ad, 2002 ............................................. The notice of the 1971 annual meeting of shareholders where it's proposed to change the name to Tassaway, Inc., just in time for the menstrual cup company to fail! ......................................................   The book is a torrent of information, unique, about menstrual activism. The author inscribed the copy she sent me, in part, "For Harry, .... a rebel, & an inspiration to us all! THANK YOU!" Dr. Bobel is the incoming president of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research. ............................................................ What, you think there's a matriarchal society in Europe? NO WAY! WAY! Read the story and see great pictures on the French news site Le Monde. ..........................................   OMG, another annual report!! ............................................ Lost but now found: A friend send me the link to the Roadside America page about this museum when it was open in my house. See the video and photos! ......................................................... Like, this is a really short letter, isn't it? Mrs. Chalmers did fill in the center to goad women into buying her menstrual cup. And on pink paper! .............................................................. A menstrual cup company issues an annual report, 1970, Tassaway. ........................................................... Addition to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: #bloodcannon ........................................................... "Jenkins! Brandy Alexander for Mrs. Whitney-Morgan! And the usual for me - Kotex!" Ad for Kotex pads, 1927 ....................................................................... OMG, five years down the toilet! Ad for Modess pads, 1938. ........................................................................... Ah, the mystery of menstruation! What can this be? Modess pad ad, 1930 ............................................................................... "90-Year-Old Sex Columnist Shatters Taboos in India" Read the New York Times article and see some of India's problems with menstruation. ..................................................................................... Geen uitweg reads the Dutch menstrual pad ad: NO EXIT But is you-know-what exiting under her? Always pad ad, The Netherlands, 1997 ............................................................... The Duchess in the stall: Judith Thurman writes of the brilliant fashion designer Charles James and photographer Cecil Beaton and the Modess .... because (bottom of page) ads of mid-20th century America in The New Yorker, 5 May 2014. NEWS FLASH!: Read about and see pictures of the Metropolitan Museum's exhibit of James's dresses. ............................................. What was at The World's Busiest Corner in the 1920s? No, no, it looks like a tombstone for the traffic dead but isn't. It was a Kotex display! Well, next to it. See a kind of proof. ................................................................ Are you a smart, beautiful woman? Bright, full of life? Then you mustn't have a care in the world! Um, right. Anyway, Venus pads are - er, were - for you! Ad, 1931. .......................................................... appreciate Kotex! At least that's what this 1920s handwritten text for a Kotex ad says. .............................................. Oh, the irony! But stains on the seat of her pants would have been worse. Dutch Libresse Invisible ad, 1997 ..................................................................... This Dutch girl always carries one with her. Guess! It has wings and - no, not her parakeet. Well, see for yourself! ........................................................... Gosh, will you see the pad from outside? Dutch Libresse ad, 2002 ........................................................................ First Moon Party See this funny ad. ............................................................. "Judges With Daughters More Often Rule in Favor of Women’s Rights" More so with Republican appointees. Wonderful New York Times story. ............................................... Will you get depressed after childbirth? Read the great article in the New York Times. ................................................................ Are you a Doubting Lady? Or any kind of lady? Or a lady at all? Modess pads absorbed those concerns! Modess ad, 1933. ........................................................... Want to cheat your neighbor? The government squeezes another quack, in 1930. A package insert for Wampole's Antiseptic Vaginal Cones of Boroglyceride and the same stuff with ichthyol, With the FDA judgment. ................................................................ Taking a vacation? Pack your nice shoes and, of course, Kotex, but don't swim with one on! Kotex ad, 1921. ..................................................................... Guys, want to "experience" menstruation? No? Darn it, I was hoping you would say Yes. Go ahead, experience it (at second, third or fourth hand) with the Menstruation Machine! President elect of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research Dr. Christina Bobel, chair of women's and gender studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, sent me the link to her debate at New York's Museum of Modern Art about whether such empathy (even with this machine) is possible. I left my 1.5 cent's worth of comment on that site. She also reminds us that Menstrual Hygiene Day is right around the corner (28 May). (See the great series of photos by Navesh Chitrakar of having to use a menstrual hut - start here. See also hygiene efforts in India.) And Representative Carolyn Maloney reintroduces her effort to push Congress to investigate toxic shock syndrome and the safety of menstrual products with the The Robin Danielson Act. Read David Linton's discussion. ............................................................................ "Me? Part of the 99%?? DAHling!" Ad for Kotex, 1939 .................................................................. "Seven Ways To Beat PMS" Story at Intellihealth (Harvard) ....................................... Don't you think it's cool that a happy little man would give you a "thumbs up" for using his disposal bag correctly? And he's, like, standing right next to you!!! In the stall!!! And winking!!! 7 more pad disposal bags from the Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities at University College London, Professor Melissa Terras. ................................................................... Would you pole vault for a flexible Modess tampon? Actually, she's grabbing an inflexible fountain pen, of all things. You don't know what a fountain pen is?!! OMG!!! Like, both star in her newspaper ad, 30 November, 1956!!! ......................................................... Would she stop menstruating if she could? She sure would!!! And already has! ................................................................................ She writes that she's allergic to the latex in a menstrual cup - and gives her solution. ......................................................... "Don't hit me!!! I'll buy Camelia!" No, no, she's advising her to buy Camelia in a French ad from probably the late 1940s or 1950s. ........................................................................ Great advances for womankind!!! 1978 American Kotex ad showing the company's offerings. .............................................................. Files lost and found: The NERVE!!! Kotex wanted to put its pad dispenser where Tampax employees could use it! ........................................................ L O O K - I N T O - M Y - E Y E S!!! GET -  YOUR - HAND - AWAY - FROM - THAT - TAMPAX! BUY ME!!! Ad for Vania Ultra menstrual pads with sphagnum moss, 1994, France .......................................................... "Ni ceintures, Ni épingles, Ni odeur" That's the French Tampax slogan you'll see in this ad from the 1960s or 70s translating the American "No belts, No pins, No odor." But bébé, mais oui!!! ..................................................................... Do you think she can??? Tampax ad reassuring potential users, May 1989 ...................................................... Julia Kuck's poem "MUM's the Word" I'm flattered!! .................................................................................. 14-year-old Uttara Saud sits in a menstrual hut in Nepal during her period, below. See the great series of photos by Navesh Chitrakar (start here) in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of Germany's best newspapers. I translated the 19 photo captions into English here. A section of a photo by Navesh Chitrakar ................................ Read the amazing story about a man who invented a menstrual pad-making machine in India to supply poor women. "The Indian sanitary pad revolutionary" (BBC) From the article: "There are also myths and fears surrounding the use of sanitary pads [in India] - that women who use them will go blind, for example, or will never get married." See some other current Indian menstrual practices. ........................................................................ "Ovulation motivates women to outdo other women, research shows" Read the story. ............. Are you kidding??? White sheets??? Always Overnights Maxis with Wings ad, January 1998 ............................................................... A contribution to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Flying her colors with a scan of the part of the letter to a soldier in Europe that contained it, June 25, 1944 ............................................................ O dulcet breeze from the Indian Ocean!!! O crashing surf!!! O - Oh, wait!!! That was a tampon wrapper ripping open! A menstrual pad disposal wrapper from England ... and yet another one! Both from the learned Director of University College London Centre for Digital Humanities and Professor of Digital Humanities, UCL. .............................................................................................. Contribution to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.K.: Womb juice ............................................................... An e-mailer sends this query, I am transcribing a series of diaries from the 1890s well into the 20th century. In these diaries the women refer to getting their period as the C. R. C. (or CRC or C R C) called. I would like to know what C R C stands for. Send your replies to MUM. .................................. Liberté!!! Sororité!!! Tampaxité!!! Tampax display sits on French dealers' counter tops in 1938 - then Tampax disappears the next year? Plus 4 1938 French ads ........................................................................................................ OMG, they have lubricated tips?!? Do cats meow? Pursettes tampon ad, May 1974 .............................................................. Do you believe Tampax induces a religious experience!!?? Tampax's "Coming of Age" folder, 1940s-1950s? ........................................................................... Accidents in the office? 2 Kotex ads to the rescue in 1981! .......................................................................... Do you want to cause a fuss? American Apparel sells a T-shirt "with a simplistic line drawing depicting a masturbating, menstruating woman with pubic hair." The writer misuses the pejorative word "simplistic" - he should have said "simple" - and talks with the artist, Petra Collins, about the shirt. He makes the point that pictures of people killing one another are accepted and common in America but not menstruation. But for the past 15 years you could see related depictions on this site. By the way, during a nationwide tour related to women's health in the early 2000s one venue (I think the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore) put walls around the section containing the puberty booklets I lent to the exhibit. I know what a fuss is.  (Photo from American Apparel) ....................................................................................... "The Happy Baby" Pamphlet from the Lydia Pinkham drug mill, 1920s-1930s. I'm glad the baby's still happy because .... ... imagine my unhappiness when I discovered on the Web this exact booklet and article I had been working so diligently on the past few days - I had created and posted it five years ago! I had even written similar commentary and added similar pictures! Whatever. I made cosmetic changes to the article. That shows the evil of not indexing articles right after putting them on MUM. I'm digging through the server to find and make available more forgotten articles. Do you want to see what a wet basement can do to paper? See this booklet before and after 5 years. ................................................................... Indexing's not made easier when a 24-pound cat called Lunch Box can (without a warning meow) jump from the table behind me and collide with my lap. OOOOOF, he just did. .............................................................................. WASPish teens have fun. Kotex Are you in the know? ad, July, 1947. ............................................... I just received my copy of Dr Sara Read's latest, a Christmas present to myself. ........................................................................... Of course healthy Swedish women do not have yellow skin. But this is marginally relevant in the discussion of an ad for Carefree tampons, 1967. .......................................................... Carefree in the U.S. but in Germany? Two ads for Carefree, 1989 and 1991. ......................................................... Ancient Egypt in two 1980s German o.b. ads ............................................................................ New words and expressions for menstruation: Germany: Ölwechsel, Putzwolle, visitor A German student contributes her teacher's direct but indirect and memorable reply to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ...................................................................... Tricks of the menstrual (and other) trade: German ad for Carefree panty pads, 1991 ........................................................................................................................................... "Menstrual Cycle Influences Concussion Outcomes Nov. 13, 2013 — Researchers found that women injured during the two weeks leading up to their period (the premenstrual phase) had a slower recovery and poorer health one month after injury compared to women injured during the two weeks directly after their period or women taking birth control pills." Read the whole article at ScienceDaily. .............................................................................................. Kotex equalizes something in an ad, 1933. ....................................................................... Australian Steven Riley, of Veeda, asked me to post this about his tampon: "Veeda is a 100% natural feminine hygiene range of products. Veeda is the first widely available product in the USA in the natural range that is priced to compete with all the traditional brands. 100 % Cotton tampons are highly recommended by Dr. Tierno, expert microbiologist, to drastically reduce the risk of TSS. Traditional feminine hygiene products are commonly made from synthetics, rayon and polyester and these substances are then placed next to or inserted into one of the most absorbent places in your body. There are Options!! Veeda is 100% cotton, No Synthetics, No Chemicals, No Dyes and No Dioxins. The limited available organic options in the USA are normally 50% to 100% more expensive so we have developed a product great for your body and great for your pocket." ................................................................ "Pesticides Linked to Endometriosis Risk" Read the New York Times story .............................................................. Your MUM is taking a menstrual holiday to photograph a magnificent fall at Greenbelt Lake, near Washington, D.C.  What you see are pads - lily, not Lilia pads - reflecting the sky in water reflecting the colors of the trees. I've taken thousands of pictures in the past two weeks. The light show ends shortly. Back to mini, regular and maxi pads next week. ........................................................................... I hope you were right, lady! Modess pad ad, 15 February 1933 ....................................................... A frosty, fashionable, deep-pocketed Modess lady prepares for her vacation in a 1930 Modess ad. ..................................................................... Apply to the Lady Manager for a free sample of Southall's sanitary towel. Oops, you're too late but look at the ad halfway down the page.  ................................................................................................... The stock market crashes but the rich still need their Kotex! Kotex ad, July 1930.   ................................................................... Menstrual customs in India: A writer explains why things have improved for her. ..................................................................... "it's time you knew ... all about menstruation" An undated version of the 1966 Tampax booklet .................................................................. 50 years ago Civil rights reform in America Were menstrual products ads different for blacks and whites?  .................................................. Moss in menstrual pads? Yup! SFAG-NA-KINS, 1919, U.S.A. .............................................................. A menstrual cup that failed: Gynaeseal (Australia), 1980s-1990s ..................................................................................... Menopause links: The Daisy Network for premature menopause Herbalist A. Vogel More menopause and menstruation links (see also Art of Menopause by Coni Menecci) ......................................................................... Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Four-day fun time ............................................................... So, one Puritan man says to another, "Um, the custom of women...." You get ONE guess as to what he's talking about. Tick, tock, tick, tock .... BZZZZ! RIGHT! Your prize is the chance to buy - sorry, I can't afford to give you one free and anyway it hasn't appeared yet - Renaissance scholar Dr Sara Read's NEW BOOK Menstruation and the Female Body in Early Modern England (order UK, U.S.A. ) But I can offer you FREE teasers from Dr Read about how people discussed menstruation in that era! ...................................................... Speaking of which, A comment (from "celia," now mostly deleted) to a Gail Collins New York Times column produces this addition to Words and expressions for menstruation: Charlies [for tampons] Isn't it strange that in a column devoted to Mr. Wiener's ween-, er, penis, er, whatever, the paper should delete this more useful mention of a synonym for tampons based on Prince Charles's wish that he wanted to be his mistress's tampon? (See more humor.) Curious too that the length of the noses of both men resemble the objects they're associated with. Just sayin'. ....................................................... Lynn Dunning updates her Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome article ........................................................   Advertising Age writes about the criticism of Tassette menstrual cup's huge billboard in Times Square, 1961. .............................................. An Australian contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ................................................................... "Mammals Can 'Choose' Sex of Offspring, Study Finds" Read the ScienceDaily article. ................................................................................. "Delayed Puberty: First Estrogen Receptor Mutation Found in a Young Woman" Read the ScienceDaily article. .......................................................................................... In a (supposedly genuine) Russian Tampax ad a shark ... well, see for yourself. THEN read what your MUM has to say at the BOTTOM of this page. I thank the Russian artist Vladislav Shabalin, who sent the link! ............................................................................................... Germany's ancient pad recruits a new user. Ad for Camelia, 1990s ............................................................................................. Forgot your tampon? Find a panda! An interesting e-mailer sent the following: I'm a bookworm and a history lover, and came across your website in the past while researching historical products/methods used for menstruation. This was quite some time ago, but today I was researching China, and it's relationship to Giant Pandas of all things, when I came across a blip that said women in ancient China may have used Panda pelts as a sort of sanitary napkin. I tried to skim through the site to see if you'd mentioned this anywhere, but so far haven't seen it mentioned, so I thought I'd email you the info I found. The statement read: "The few known uses include the Szechuan tribal peoples' use of panda urine to melt accidentally swallowed needles, and the use of panda pelts to control menses as described in the Qin Dynasty encyclopedia Erya." And was cited as sourced from the book The Last Panda, by George B. Schaller; ISBN 0226736296, 9780226736297. It was cited as being on page 61, but as I don't know what edition they are referring to, it might not be exact. Anyhow, I just thought it might be of some interest to you. ............................................................................................................. "Menopause May Be an Unintended Outcome of Men's Preference for Younger Mates" "Over time, human males have shown a preference for younger women in selecting mates, stacking the Darwinian deck against continued fertility in older women, the researchers have found." Read the article from McMaster University in ScienceNews. .......................................................................................... "Accounts director tells menstruating human resources manager to 'fast while the sun is up and refrain from cooking, worship, and work-related email,'"according to The Onion. Wait, The Onion made this up?? Not everything! ......................................................................................... White, finally! Ad for Australian Kotex belt, 1956 .............................................................. Emmanuel Sala invites you to an EXHIBITION in Arles, France, 1-21 July, noon to 8. l'atelier cinq, 5 rue Augustin Tardieu "Our blood collective This is our blood introduces reflection about blood's confiscation, which is generally made by medicine, power or religion. "We propose an exhibition of photos, marks on canvas, installations, evoking alternately, life's mystery, menstruation and death penalty's abolition. This exhibition is open to the entire public." www.emmanuelsala.com (in French) www.thisisourblood.com (in English) http://www.myriambegue.com/ (in French) http://www.gillesmagninphotographie.com/ (in French) (See also the Art of Menstruation in MUM and some ancient art of menstruation) .......................................... Surprise inside for a woman who bought a box of tampons in Salt lake City, U.S.A.: cocaine! Read the fascinating story and a short history of the medical use of tampons (and cocaine) to treat women's health problems. In addition, the famous Johns Hopkins surgeon William Halsted became addicted to cocaine while testing it on himself as a local anesthetic. He substituted morphine to try to break his addiction but then became addicted to it. These drugs were not then illegal for general use in America (late 19th, early 20th century). Many know him as the creator of the radical mastectomy and the doctor who introduced rubber gloves to surgery. I thank MUM friend Melissa Terras, DPhil, Director, University College London Centre for Digital Humanities. ................................................................... So what's so funny? Menstruation? Tampona ad, Germany, 1989 .................................................................................................... "Hormone Levels May Provide Key to Understanding Psychological Disorders in Women" "May 24, 2013 — Women at a particular stage in their monthly menstrual cycle may be more vulnerable to some of the psychological side-effects associated with stressful experiences, according to a study from UCL." ....................................................................................... A stock-trade article on the trials and tribulations but hopes for the Tassette menstrual cup, 1969. ........................................................................................... "A POSITIVE CURE FOR All Female Diseases" that "works like a charm" Orange Blossom patent medicine booklet, 1885 ............................... "Women Altering Menstruation Cycles in Large Numbers" (news from the University of Oregon, U.S.A., via ScienceDaily.com) Excerpt: "In a survey of undergraduate and graduate students, 17 percent reported altering their scheduled bleeding pattern by deviating from the instructions of hormonal contraceptives, which include birth-control pills, vaginal contraceptive rings and transdermal contraceptive patches. "Half of these women reported that they did so for convenience or scheduling purposes. Others cited personal preference (28.9 percent) or reducing menstrual symptoms (16.7 percent) as reasons they altered menstruation patterns. "Among the women who delayed or skipped a scheduled bleeding for convenience or personal choice, a comparatively large number -- 53 percent -- indicated the knowledge was obtained from nonmedical sources, such as a family member or friend, researchers said."  Read the whole article. Would you stop menstruating if you could? ....................................................................................................... More words and expressions for menstruation from around the world: England: Manchester United are playing at home Trooping the colour U.S.A.: Out of practice Lailah's kicking me ..................................................................... A contribution to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ................................................................... Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby, late in her Stayfree maxi-pad career, in a 1983 ad. .................................................... A bird dipping into menstrual blood? Blue menstrual blood? Ad for Silhouettes, Germany, 1988. ........................................................................................... Now let me see your wallet. Pe-ru-na conquers America, then America conquers Pe-ru-na. Dr. Hartman's Lectures on Chronic Catarrh booklet, about 1895 ............................................................. A new store, The Period Store! The co-owner writes, "Our business and our blog, The Periodical http://theperiodstore.com/blog, is all about menstruation in culture, art, literature, business, and humor.  We send women their monthly supplies along with gourmet sweets and art from contemporary artists that change every month." .............................................................. That's a tampon?? You got rhythm? Then Menstro-Rhythm and Testamp are, er, were for you! ......................................................................................... TALK to each other, mothers and daughters! Kotex ad right before World War II. ................................................... Dr. Sara Read recommends Prof. Helen King's blog post The History of Menstruation. ................................................... Joke time! .................................................... Kotex wraps individual pads, 1966 .......................................................................... Two short articles about 17th century England by Dr. Sara Read: "John Freind, the number 7, and why women have periods" "Mrs King of Northfleet’s Menstruating Leg Ulcer" ........................................................  An e-mailer comments on my article about underwear ......................................................... A new edition of a girl's Kotex booklet, As one [sic] Girl to Another! Um, well, when 1943 was new, anyway. ......................................................................... A contribution from Spain to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ......................................... How they used to talk around contraception! Booklet Marriage Hygiene, 1942 .............................. Dr Sarah Read (4 items right below) adds two of her articles to the Bibliography of menstruation ............................................................................ A dying brand tells the truth Meds tampon ad, 1969 ................................................................ A company makes a Scensible addition to pad disposal bags .................................................................. Addition to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Fred, Sally ...................................... Read the interesting summary of menstrual beliefs and practices in today's India and efforts to improve them in the New York Times. See pictures on MUM (this site) of the cow shed mentioned in the Times story and a doll used to teach girls about menstruation as well as how to make their own cloth pads. ............................................................................................................................. Did many women intentionally menstruate into their clothing in 17th-century Britain? Dr Sara Read of Loughborough University (U.K.) writes (pdf in large gray box) that many might have considered that normal. She kindly sent me her article, which also discusses the origins of the menstrual taboo and other fascinating cultural details, including religious. And I believe that many - most? - women of later eras might have also done so. A reader responded with this: "Hi, Just read your article about menstruating and devices used when menstruating in earlier times. My mother was from England and i know that going back to her great grandmothers they made pads with cotton or wool in them to absorb the blood. They attached them to their underwear with safety pins or straight pins that they blunted and bent under. She showed me a couple that she had saved when i started. They would boil them clean." ............................................................................................ A contribution from Russia to Would you stop menstruating if you could? ...................................................................... What do Betty Kay and the Mad Hatter have in common? Huh, who's Betty Kay? ..................................................................... Menstrual Veil The Penn Museum, of the University of Pennsylvania, has something called a menstrual veil from the Naskapi culture in Labrador, Canada, collected in 1933. Its description on the museum's Web site says "Hide, fringed, and painted with red, blue, and white pigment. Ties are sewn on at eitehr [sic] end. Note on tag accompanying object, perhaps typed by Pennypacker: 'New style Menstruation vale [sic]. The vale is not worn after its first use. Worn during her first period. Collected by F.G. Speck 1933...' " No picture. ........................................................................... Oh, no, Mom! Modess for Christmas AGAIN? Ad, probably 1950s, U.S.A. ..................................................................... Yet MORE additions to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Antietam, [the] Badger is angry ..................................................... Additions to Words and expressions for menstruation,   USA (I had earlier mistakenly ascribed these to the U.K.): Aunt Irma, courses, inauguration, and icky (the last from the contributor's husband) ..................................... Comparing the Endometrium and the Breasts, or, The Breasts Don't Menstruate!!! by Dr. Nelson Soucasaux, Brazilian gynecologist ............................................................................ PANIC! Modess ad, June 1935 .................................................. Pads as big as pillows? Not Always! Ad, 1991. ............................................................................................... Modess battles Kotex! 2 Modess ads, 1937 & 1971 .......................................................... OLD JOKE about women' being able to do amazing things during their periods IF they use a certain tampon or pad is now a NEW JOKE but still old. Scroll way down this page for the many old versions. ....................................................................... A folder for the early American menstrual cup Tassette, probably early 1950s ...................................................................................... Kotex stuck with it: Ad for the Kotex stick tampon, 1973, right before the Arab oil embargo ................................................................................... The perfect Kotex hostess Ad, June 1962 ...................................................... Two contributions to Would you stop menstruating if you could? .............................................................................................. Oh, those nutty ads for pads! Always, Norway, probably 1990s ............................................................. She won the 1994 Always pads/Sassy ad contest!! Um, she did?? ............................................................... See a German tampon that absorbs your flow and claims to buzz away menstrual pain. The company writes that tests indicate it is at least as effective as ibuprofen. Vipon (its Web site, in German) .............................................................................. Beautiful French Kotex ad, part of a trend, 1994 .................................................................................. You'll laugh! You'll cry! Read Gail Collins's The Sexual Spirit of '76 in today's (23 August) New York Times. I'm about to read Sinclair Lewis's Main Street partly in response to the column. ......................................................... "When I was young, about 13, we were not allowed to use tampons as my parents felt we were too young to use them when we first got our periods. My first experience ... " (continued) ................................................................................ Addition to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Scarlet fever ................................................................. Haiku about menstruation from an anonymous contributor .................................................................................................................... Is menstruation a laughing matter? Ads for Tampons tampons and Kotex maxi pads. ............................................................ What do you think about toxic shock syndrome (TSS)? Sharra Vostral, Ph.D., associate professor of gender and women's studies and history at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, wants your opinion at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/toxicshock Dr. Vostral visited MUM when it was a REAL museum in my house in the 1990s. TSS, of course, got huge publicity when Rely and some other menstrual products caused some women to lose their lives and limbs. The industry afterwards eliminated questionable materials and changed standards for use. TSS was and is not limited to these products or to women. ................................................................................ Uh, oh! Can Kotex solve this problem? Like, did a man start this museum? Kotex ad, October 1953 ........................................................ Famous Edward Steichen contributes to 1932 Kotex ad ................................................................ Art of Menstruation Additions to Dr. Nelson Soucasaux's art ........................................................... "Study Says Meeting Contraception Needs Could Cut Maternal Deaths by a Third [in the World]" Read the New York Times story. See Little Doozee, an old contraceptive douche. ..................................................................... Two Kotex travel ads from 1922 ..................................................................... Artist Peter Max influences an ad for Pursettes, the tampon with a lubricated tip and no applicator, 1976 ................................................................................................. India's "Right to Pee" campaign Men pee for free in public toilets but women have to pay. Read the gruesome New York Times story. BTW, except temporary ones for parades and the like, as far as I know Washington, D.C., which I live near, has no public toilets except in restaurants, museums, etc., typical for America. ...................................................................................................................... A kit to explain menstruation to visually impaired girls in India: Kahani Her Mahine Ki... by Sadhvi Thukral ................................................................................................... Regarding “Just Love: a Framework for Christian Sexual Ethics,” by Sister Margaret Farley, the book the Vatican criticizes for its openness to masturbation, homosexuality and other practices, consider this article about a discovery, published on a Norwegian science site in 2010 (I followed the recent link in a Danish newspaper, Berlingske): "Swedish Stone Age Dildo?," my translation of "Svensk steinalderdildo?" Read the article (in Norwegian but with an amazing photo.) ................................................................................................... "The Most Effective Form of Birth Control" Read the New York Times story. ........................................................................ Get rid of vaginal odor (and sperm) with Lysol!  Ad, 1928 "Now I know...! .............................................................. A Sears catalog advertises menstrual-pad belts and underwear from the late 1930s or early 1940s. ........................................................................................ Additions to Words and expressions for menstruation: Sweden: Amerikafrämmat, Det månatliga, Grejjerna, Jag har mens, Jag kan inte bada, Lignonvecka (and read how pad use in her family changed through the generations under Jag har mens) USA: Regular ........................................................ Turkey not only imitated Tampax tampons but also American movies like The Wizard of Oz as a great Spiegel online series of movie posters shows. ....................................................... "Early Menopause Linked to Bone Fracture Risk" Read the New York Tiimes story. .............................................................................................. Ads for Assure panty liners, 1980s ......................................................................................... Evidence in a Mexican village that some women did not use anything to absorb menstrual discharge. (Scroll down to: Some e-mail supporting the idea that women used nothing, and other topics: In a Mexican village ......................................... 3 ads for Sears menstrual pad belts, late 19th century ...................................................................... New book on menopause and mid-life The Tao of Turning Fifty: What Every Woman in Her Forties Needs to Know. The author writes, "There's a free excerpt on my website, also new. And my next project will be for young women." See some of her poems on the MUM poetry link page. www.jenniferboire.com ................................................................................................................. Right before the Mad Men decade the booze flows in this Kotex ad. .............................................................................................................. From Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times, 18 March 2012: "Mormon feminists got upset this winter when they found that young women in some temples had not been allowed to do proxy baptisms while they were menstruating." ...................................................................... "'Brain Fog' of Menopause Confirmed" Read the story in ScienceDaily ......................................................................... Women develop menstrual cup for Kenya and later the world, win top prize 3 Danish students at the Copenhagen Business School won the grand prize of the Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition of the University of Washington. (Announcement, story in a Danish newspaper site and Ruby Cup site.) The newspaper story recounts how Kenyan women who can't afford pads use mud, bark or a piece of cloth. They've had little or no information about menstruation from their mothers or other sources; sounds like stories I heard in the museum from Americans. Many miss school or work, lacking adequate protection. The cup will cost from $6-9 and last 10 years. The students are Maxie Matthiessen, Julie Weigaard Kjær og Veronica D´Souza. See 2 similar stories about pads in India (here and here). See some older cups. ........................................................................................ An e-mailer writes about Jewish menstrual practices. ...................................................................................... Busy, rich illustrator Jon Whitcomb paints Kotex ad, 1958 E-mail to MUM: Hi. Just wanted to let you know that we've launched a drive to collect tote bags with tampons/pads   to help women at the food pantries. More details here.  http://tote4pgh.com/special-drives/sister-supplies/ Thank you,  Sue -- *The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project* *"Helping our neighbors and our environment, one tote bag at a time." .............................................................................................................................. "Be a giggle" Fun-loving Kotex cartwheels for Soft Impressions menstrual pads, 1972 ....................................................................... "Scientists Use Stem Cells to Generate Human Eggs" (New York Times story) "The advance, if confirmed, might provide a new source of eggs for treating infertility, though scientists say it is far too early to tell if the work holds such promise." Aunt Flo humor Additions to Words and expressions for menstruation: India: Chums, MC, M Seal, ST Sears advertises 2 defunct tampons and the remaining champion, Tampax, in its late 1930s-early 1940s catalog. ................................................................................................................. From the Tampax donation: Ad for Pursettes lubricated tampon, November 1965 ........................................................... Abortion through the mail: Four 1933 American ads for (illegal) birth control .............................................................................................. An emailer writes about her useful mini pads: "In 1992 when I was in basic training with the US Navy. We had to do drills with fake rifles. Most of us women did not have a lot of muscle and padding on our shoulders to carry the fake rifles. So we used stick-on mini pads on our shoulders. It is funny that a someone with a man's name is mantaining [a clever slip of the finger] the site. Got a link to it from wisewomenhood.com" [This is your MUM, the man just mentioned: Years ago, when I developed a painful hand while working as a graphic designer, I wrapped panty pads around my pencils to enable my hand to better grasp them and reduce the pain. A woman co-worker asked me, "What's THAT?!" It confirmed her view that artists were, well, wacky. And a few years later I started this museum in my house. Point well taken!] ................................................................................................... "A smaller dose of the 'morning after' birth control pill may help to control fibroids in the uterus as well. That's the conclusion of two new studies. They were done in Europe, where the pill is awaiting approval. Fibroids are growths that can cause heavy bleeding, pain and fertility problems." Read the whole article from Harvard Medical School. ........................................................................... See Gregory Scaff's menstrual art at the MOCADC gallery (http://www.mocadc.org) in Washington, D.C. Reception at 6 pm, Friday, 3 February 2012. More Art of menstruation (and ancient art of menstruation). .......................................................... How is a menstrual pad like a grapefruit? Find out in 3 ads for the defunct Modess pad, 1970s. An addition to Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Full stop ............................................................ Your MUM curator puts his 2 cents into an article, Perspective: The Lady Problem, on ADWEEK ................................................................................. A Kotex lamp chases shadows of doubt, even today. .................................................................. Womanstruation? Of course! ................................................... "Females May Be More Susceptible to Infection During Ovulation" Read the story. A Canadian menstrual pad holder and pad from the 1930s-40s ................................................................................................... Now that I don't have to worry about Google's retaliation - it's already booted your MUM and me out of its AdSense program for featuring menstruation and its naughty facts and words in all their g[l]ory and is putting me on the street - read Sandra Tsing Loh's "The Bitch is Back" in The Atlantic magazine online. It's about how menopause makes women normal, just as angry and lazy, etc., as men. Like me. The woman can write. "The Biology Behind Severe PMS" Read the story on ScienceDaily Man in India goes through (somewhat) what women do, invents cheap menstrual pad. See some other solutions for India here and here. 1850s American menstrual pad & belt ....................................................................... "The Little Red Book About Having Your Period" ("HET RODE BOEKJE OVER ONGESTELD ZIJN") By Renate van der Bas I translate a chapter from the just published Dutch book. Google just  declared this site "adult,"not something a family could look at together and not be embarrassed and withdrew the ads it had placed here for 8 years up to December 2011. So, I need permission slips from Google employees' mothers before these employees peek at this site. NO FAKE SIGNATURES OR I'LL SEND YOU TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE!! Author Renate van der Bas, above,  by the way, had harsh words about Google's action and American Puritanism. ................... A lubricated tampon lures girls into trying it Pursettes ad, 1975 What do Chinese women use? E-mail from Hong Kong A cat and dog show why Kleinert's Sani-Scants panties are better than wearing a belt in this 1950s ad. ................................................ Sanitary padding makes no hips into sticky, er, nice ones. Read about the prize-winning idea! Thanks to the contributor of many items to MUM! .................................................................................. Certain "Kotex Tampons Recalled Over Bacterial Contamination." "For a list of the specific lots that were recalled and the stores that received them, go to the Kimberly-Clark website." Full story. Some of you remember another tampon recall involving deaths and illness. ................... "Contraceptive Pill Associated With Increased Prostate Cancer Risk Worldwide, Study Finds" ......................................... Ad for New Freedom towel (sanitary napkin) and pantie set, U. K., 1973 ............................................ Oldest painted object in central Europe (Germany's Swabian Alps) found, about 15, 000 years old; possibly a menstrual calendar. See the red dots and read the story (in German) ...................... Ad for the Kotex puberty booklet "As One Girl To Another" probably early 1940s, U.S.A. "They're cute, mother-- a cotton nightie is primitive" #9 in a series of ads for Modess menstrual pads called Modernizing Mother, November 1929 ................................................................ "[I]t must be the earliest representation of childbirth in Western art" Piece of ceramic jar found in Italy, 2,700 years old, shows woman having baby; (look hard & long in the center, top to bottom). Read the story and see the image. ......................................................... Ad for Quest menstrual pad powder from Kotex, 1940s-1950s .......................................... Battle between father (placenta) and mother, and PP13, threatens the pregnant woman according to a new theory More in the fascinating story ................................................ Modess flexible tampons, ads, 1956 & 1958 ............................. Being fat preserves your mind after menopause? Read the encouraging finding. .................................................. French Meds tampons, 1969 ................................................................. Menstruation might reduce brain disease risk. Read the interesting story. ............................................. "Four Young Men Go In Search Of A Profit!" In 1957, the president of Kimberly-Clark (maker of Kotex) told his company history to the Newcomen Society.  ........................................................................... "Do Women's Voices Really Allow Men to Detect Ovulation? No, Says New Study" Read the article. .......................... Healthline.com recently launched a free interactive “Human Female Chest in 3D” tool. ....................................... Recent (2011) instructions for the Japanese Elldy tampon, which has finger protectors. I thank the Hispanic woman in Japan! ................ Two new Words and expressions for menstruation: Germany: Eine Strafe Gottes (A punishment of God) USA: It's Tuesday ................................ "Bruce Dan, Who Helped Link Toxic Shock and Tampons, Is Dead at 64" Read the New York Times story Read about a key player in the story. Rely tampon. ............................. Early Tampax tampon booklet for girls: it's natural[,] it's normal[,] it has a purpose . . . ................................ Birth control pills affect memory in interesting ways (Article) ................................................................ Evax menstrual pads ad, 1972, from Chile NEW Words and expressions for menstruation: U.S.A.: Pip (see last part of the entry) The word seems to come only from Virginia. Beach reading: Effie by Suzanne Cooper It has it all, folks! Science marches on! Arcross tampons, 1960 Menstruation news CONTINUED Leer la versión en español por María García de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - El Punto Gräfenberg (Punto G) - Los riesgos de las duchas vaginales - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación - Sincronía menstrual y suspensión - Aspectos arquetípicos de los genitales femeninos CONTRIBUTE to Humor and Words and expressions for menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site LINKS: E-mail the museum | privacy on this site | Who runs this museum?? Age at menarche (first menstruation), changes (secular trend) Amazing women! Art of menstruation (and awesome ancient art of menstruation) Art of Harry Finley, MUM's creator (you'll leave this MUM site) The (former) ACTUAL MUSEUM Artists (non-menstrual) Asbestos & menstrual products Belts, menstrual (to hold pads in place) Bidets Birth control douche & sponges Birth control drugs, old Birth control and religion Founder of MUM bio Bly , Nellie MUM board Books: menstruation & menopause (& reviews) Cats Comic strip about a future MUM Company booklets for girls (mostly) directory Contraception and religion Contraceptive drugs, old Contraceptive douche & sponges Costumes Cups, menstrual and their ads | cup usage Cuts, and why I started this museum Dispensers, menstrual products Disposal bags for menstrual pads Douches, pain, sprays & their ads Egypt (ancient) Essay directory Examination , gynecological (pelvic) (short history) Extraction, menstrual Facts-of-life booklets Famous women in menstrual hygiene ads FAQ | founder/director biography Feminine napkins, pads, towels & ads directory Former (physical) museum in my house Future of the museum Germany: "A note from Germany" Gynecological examination of a woman's pelvis (short history) Gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux Humor Huts India, menstruation in Japan, many articles, start here Links Media coverage of MUM Menarche age (first menstruation), changes (secular trend) Menarche booklets for girls & parents Menotoxin, menstrual poison Menstrual napkins, pads, towels & their ads directory Mikvah ritual bath after menstruation for Orthodox Jews Miscellaneous : myths, menstrual wave, comic strips, advertising, etc. Museum's future as a public building open to all Museum (former physical menstruation) in my house Norwegian menstruation exhibit Odor & the origin of menstrual odor Olor Pads, towels, napkin & their ads directory Panties (women's underpants) & underwear directory Past American & European customs Patent medicine & ads Poetry directory Poison, menstrual (menotoxin) Products , a very few current Puberty booklets for girls and parents Religion | Religión y menstruación Remedies for menstrual discomfort, your Safety of products | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación Sanitary napkins, pads, towels & their ads directory Science Shame Slapping , menstrual Sponges Stop menstruating comments, your Synchrony Tampons & their ads directory | some early tampons Teen ads directory Towels, pads, napkins & their ads directory Tour the former museum in Harry Finley's house - Another tour Underwear & 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 cloth pads © 2016 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 Harry Finley is the founder and director, and he created, writes and maintains this site.