See the Wix tampon, instructions, patent, The Fascinating Story of Wix (and another version) and store instruction sheet. And read an ad in the Sears catalog for Wix and see a Wix tampon store display ad.
See early tampons and a list of tampon on this site - at least the ones I've cataloged.
CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could?
Some MUM site links:
homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? |
Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads
Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación.

Secret menstrual tampons (1930s-1940s?, U.S.A.)
Instructions

The odd-looking - is it her haircut? - "shushing" woman embodies one of the two main things most women seek in menstrual products: concealment (the other is comfort; just my opinion. Read about a 1927 survey about this). (And see the consequences of letting a male, especially, know that you are menstruating in a Kotex ad.)

See the tampon and box.

Procter & Gamble kindly donated the box and contents as part of a gift of scores of menstrual products.

One side of the instructions. The type is blue on white paper, now yellowed.
Below: the other side of the instructions.
I rate "Secrets offer you a means of retaining always your youthful loveliness" as one of the most wonderful promises, and lies, in advertising I've read!
"Lady Modern" and "personal daintiness" are other weapons in these instructions' arsenal.
See the tampon and box.
See the Wix tampon, instructions, patent, The Fascinating Story of Wix (and another version) and
store instruction sheet. And read an ad in the Sears catalog for Wix and see a Wix tampon store display ad.
© 2001 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to hfinley@mum.org