Period.

It hangs, ignored and empty, on the restroom wall. Locked tight. The labels remind me of a time when Modess and Kotex meant pads and Tampax was the only tampon. Modess, now part of Johnson & Johnson, and Tampax, were both created and run by women.

Things have certainly changed since the 1890’s, when Lister’s Towels were sold by Johnson & Johnson so that women no longer needed to make their period protection from rags, and the 1910’s when women purchased special rubber aprons from catalogs to wear under their dresses to protect clothing and upholstery!

The vending machine above was likely installed in the 1960’s, when GARDS feminine napkins were sold via machine and restroom matrons.

In the 1960's

Period education, such as the one that I had in the 60’s and 70’s, was NOT co-ed. Sometime around the beginning of fifth grade the boys were shepherded out of the room (presumably to enjoy an extra gym class) while the AV cart was brought in and loaded with a ‘special movie’ for just the girls.

This is the movie I saw, created by Disney in conjunction with Kotex, it’s about 10 minutes long and has some amazing advice, such as ‘twinges’ and ‘not feeling sorry for yourself’:

What it DOESN’T include is any mention of the need for period protection. That came from the teacher who handed out a bag filled with a booklet and a box that we were told to take home to our mothers.

Inside the box was a sanitary belt (which was created by a woman) and pad. The theory was that Mother would finish the explanation at home, and show how to attached the pad to the belt. What wasn’t discussed was how an egg might become fertilized, what were the boys doing(?), or ANY word about tampons.

For a ‘normal’ process there certainly was a LOT of secrecy involved.

In the 70's

We were too early for the amazing development of 1969, when the first adhesive pads that didn’t require a belt came to market, and far from the excitement of the 80’s when pads sprouted wings that wrapped around the edges of panties to hold them even more firmly in place.

The 70’s also publicized period sponges, reusable menstrual cups (patented by Leona Chalmers in 1937) , and reinforced that non-sexually active girls could also wear tampons; mainly through teen and women’s magazines.

For those women brave enough to read Cosmopolitan, though, they would have received reassurance as early as 1966 that tampons could be worn by ‘single girls’.

The other, less cosmopolitan girls, relied on word of mouth and teen magazines because menstrual pads and tampons could be advertised on the television or radio until 1972, when the National Association of Broadcasters lifted the existing ban on products for this natural and nothing to be ashamed of process that no one talked about.

In the 1980's

In 1981 the word ‘tampon’ hit commercials- but didn’t really explain why is should be used, even though it was through the supervised by doctors testing that they offer both ‘comfort’ and ‘protection’.

We found out more in 1985 when, for the first time on television, the word ‘period’ was HEARD prime time by before-she-was-a-friend, 21 year old Courteney Cox in Tampax’s first-ever period commercial.

Tampons had come under fire in the early 1980’s due to toxic shock syndrome, brought to light in 1980 with the Rely ultra-absorbent tampon. The down to earth, open, and friend-ly commercials were a start to making tampons less frightening.

1990’s brought more changes

Vaginas come in all sizes and in 1997 so did tampons, which now could change to expand widthwise to fit the dimensions of the vagina and minimize leaks.

Also in the 90’s, high tech gels were introduced to pads, reducing the bulk and ‘locking’ away the blood. When combined with the ever-popular wings that protected panties, blood-locking technology was reassuring to women still reeling from the threat of TSS (Toxic Shock Syndrome).

2000’s brought change, too

Tampons, which by 2015 were worn by 80% of menstruating people (often along with pads), are no longer a shameful secret that cast doubt on the virginity of the wearer.

Menstruation and bleeding were brought into the public eyes, quite literally, through free-bleeding proponents such as Kiran Ghandi who ran the London marathon and posted her bloody leggings on Instagram, also in 2015.

Period underwear is also on the rise. No, not the red pair that won’t show stains on heavy days, but those designed to hold pads in place and also wicking designs to absorb and contain the blood.

Out of many companies I like the Period Company best; it’s for ‘people who period’ and the line includes many styles and sizes (up to 6X) including boxers and an adaptive bikini.

Starting in 2004 some countries such as Kenya, Canada, India, Colombia, Australia, Germany and Rwanda reduced or stopped taxes on period protection.

In the United States, as of 2022, 22 states still have a ‘pink tax’ on period products which range from 4% to 8.25% in Texas, which implies not using rags or rubber aprons for menstrual blood is a luxury.

However, some states now make menstrual products available for free in schools, and some Universities such as Stanford and the University of Michigan have converted their vending machines to dispense products for free.

Back to the Photo

The photo in the beginning of this article was taken in a restroom of an Ann Arbor business office. It’s where Ann Arbor was in the 1960s and a stark contrast to the city today where no quarter is needed for period protection, since in 2021 Ann Arbor became the first city to require free menstrual products in all public restrooms, regardless of gender designation. In fact, Ann Arbor requires all items needed to maintain sanitation and cleanliness are required including toilet paper, soap, water, and paper towels are available.

Now this machine, like the mention of a restroom matron, is simply a memory of times past.

Read and watch more about the history of period protection:

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