As lara freidenfelds relates in her book the modern period, advertisements for kotex appeared in ladies home journal once its editors secretary declared the ads to be in good taste and of great benefit to women. Kotex caught on and acquired leftover cellulose from the war to introduce a new, highlyabsorbent disposable sanitary napkin. This message about sanitary napkins and tampons would have been appropriate to hear from a woman. Sanitary napkins and menstrual pads of the past and. The national association of broadcasters lifted its ban on television advertising of sanitary napkins, tampons, and douches. These sanitary napkins are lotionfree and fragrancefree. What did women do before disposable menstrual pads. Dr lauren rosewarne is a senior lecturer at the university of melbourne.
One of kotexs marketing innovations was meant to help women avoid the embarrassment of asking a male clerk for the product. The surprising origins of kotex pads before the first disposable sanitary napkin hit the mass market, periods were thought of in a much different way. But it was the first to get a hardwon advertising campaign, which began in 1921. Kotex is owned and managed by kimberlyclark, a consumer products corporation active in more than 80 countries. Kleenex, trademarked in 1925, contributed heavily to the firms preeminence in consumer nondurables. Always radiant feminine pads for women, size 2, heavy flow absorbency, with flexfoam wings, light clean scent, 26 count pack of 3 78 total count artwork may vary 252. The company asked gilbreths firm to analyze market and consumer data related to menstrual products and the use of sanitary napkins. Most women in history would not recognize the pads and tampons we use, which. Inventions that flourished thanks to wwi war history online.
Most recently, the company has added u by kotex to its line of feminine hygiene products. The caption for this ad is introducing beltless kotex maxi pads for heavy days the ad is in great condition. Continued from part 2 stephanies minihistory of feminine hygiene products. With the invention of more absorbent materials and better designs. For a nighttime period pad solution, check out u by kotex allnighter ultra thin overnight pads with wings. The dirt on clean in an oversanitized world in her new book, the dirt on clean. Solving womans oldest hygienic problem in a new way. During world war i the material in kotex sanitary napkins was first used, seeing as its made from processed wood, kotex is twice as absorbent as cotton at half the cost.
In the book, authors elissa stein and susan kim also recount how women. A glimpse at womens periods in the roaring twenties jstor daily. I wore an oldfashioned sanitary belt for my entire period. The surprising origins of kotex pads before the first disposable sanitary napkin hit the mass market, periods were thought of in a much different way cellucotton, the material used to make kotex. Kotex is a brand of feminine hygiene products, which includes the kotex maxi, thin and ultra thin pads, the security tampons. A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear when menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina. Everybody is different so please make sure to consult your physician if youre having issues. A sanitary napkin, sanitary towel, sanitary pad, menstrual pad, or pad is an absorbent item worn in the underwear by women and girls who are menstruating, bleeding after giving birth, recovering from gynecologic surgery, experiencing a miscarriage or abortion, or in any other situation where it is necessary to absorb a flow of blood from the vagina. The surprising origins of kotex pads innovation smithsonian. Kotex caught on and acquired leftover cellulose from the war to. A longrunning series of cartoonstyle ads for kotex sanitary napkins alerted me to the impressive horrors of menstrual blood, which apparently could announce its presence to an entire high school. Over the last twenty years, the sanitary pad industry has advanced by leaps and bounds.
This inspired the first cellulose kotex sanitary napkin, made from surplus highabsorption. The british did a mini series called 1900 house, where a typical modern family was sent back in time to a house made up to have all the modern conveniences of a 1900s home. Decades before two of her children wrote that book, gilbreth. How the boll weevil and world war i led to the acceptance of disposable sanitary pads. If you are looking for a specific antique item please email as i. During the 1930s executives also learned from their mistakes, notably the debilitating price war in sanitary napkins, return. Each pad is individually folded in an easyopen wrapper with four colorful designs. Very little is known about pre20th century methods, but. If you thought tampons were a pain, wait until you see what women used in the 1920s. By the 1930s, less than ten years after launching its kotex campaigns, sanitary napkins were considered basic necessities of life p. Hence, menstruating women wear them during their periods.
These pads are more absorbent than the regular ultra thin maxis thanks to their duallayer core. In honor of womens history month, we wanted to take a look back at the history of sanitary napkins and tampons. In actual fact, no two periods are exactly the same. A sanitary napkin is a form of a porous item that has the capability of soaking the flow of blood. The history of the sanitary pad femme international.
When was the material in kotex sanitary napkins first used. Using rags and then kotex with the belt, i mean it could only have been hell. Kotexs major competitor in a field of literally hundreds of sanitary pad manufacturers. With a longstanding brand heritage of more than 90 years, kotex continues to drive growth through strong product innovation today.
Get the best deals on kotex feminine sanitary napkins and stay healthy at home while you shop our large selection of health care products. Disposable feminine sanitary pads story kotex pads were kcs first consumer product, and they were nothing short of. Just like listers towels, these napkins were disposable but not selfadhesive. Feminine hygiene products stephanies maxihistory part. And kotex, the first commercially available pad, was decried as too. The origin if we trail back to history, we will see that women have used a variety of menstrual protection, over the years. I was listing some pages from a 1924 home health book on etsy this week, and put aside a few to offer up here for use as clip art. Gone are the days of bulky belts and diaperlike thickness. An unsanitized history, katherine ashenburg looks at the fascinating history of cleanliness or the lack.
Stop using commercial tampons and sanitary napkins. Cellucotton, the material used to make kotex sanitary pads, was used in. Bullough throughout history women have used different methods for dealing with menstrual discharge. The advances of the 1920s and 1930s still impact our lives, as sanitary napkins, tampons, and cups remain go. But what did people use before the era of special undies, tampons, pads, and cups. Ahhhhhhh so, let us take a look at the history of the sanitary napkin, from modess to kotex and stayfree and beyond. Kimberlyclark, which started to market sanitary napkins in 1919, provided a remedy with the artificial word kotex a combination of cotton and texture and inserted it into the consumer lexicon with a multimilliondollar. Kotex sanitary napkins were launched in the 1920s to make use of. The first work was done in a small wooden shed in neenah, wisconsin with female workers doing making of the napkins by hand.
As a chinese olympic swimmer talks publicly about periods, one expert asks. Dmi sanitary belts with adjustable hook and eye closure, 22 to 42 inches, white, 6 dozen. Now you are kotex menarche booklet at the museum of menstruation and womens health. Take a bizarre look back at period products used throughout history. Kotex, a kimberlyclarks feminine care brand trusted by millions of women in more than 100 countries.
Feminine hygiene products stephanies maxihistory part 3 posted by stephanie lehmann. The resulting product was first marketed as cellunap, a contraction of cellucotton napkins. After the war, kimberlyclark developed cellucotton into kotex, introducing the product in 1920. I started writing this book because i was so fascinated by how we.
Immediately upon hire, kimberlyclarks first marketing agency charles f. According to the book, everything you must know about tampons 1981, tampons have been around for centuries. Whereas now you can grab a pad or tampon and go, women in the. I wore an oldfashioned sanitary belt for my entire period, and here are the gory details. Kotex is a brand of feminine hygiene products, which includes the kotex maxi, thin and ultra thin pads, the security tampons, and the lightdays pantiliners. Vintage kotex feminine napkins search these are in open box. It was created by kotex company in it was very helpful to a young girl. The museum of menstruation, located on the suburbs of washington dc, offers some interesting insights. Nichols company suggested changing the name to kotex, short for cotton textile. They are an undeniable part of music history but i always thought of them as a joke. When and how did they become a readily available product. The belted sanitary napkin quickly disappeared during the early 1980s, thank goodness. Known as sanitary pads, sanitary towels or maxi pads, sanitary napkins form an important part of the gynecological hygiene of every woman.
With features like natural cotton, aloe, and vitamin e, the kotex regular maxi pads provide you with fresh, clean protection. This vintage ad would look great framed and displayed. I started writing this book because i was so fascinated by how we got to this negative. During world war i the material in kotex sanitary napkins was. From superinformative articles to real answers from three perspectives a peer, a mom, and a health expert youll find everything you need to know about periods. A longrunning series of cartoonstyle ads for kotex sanitary napkins alerted me to the impressive. Kimberleyclarks new invention, the sanitary napkins, were branded kotex which stood for cotton texture and became available to the public october of.
A brief history of pads and tampons maxim hygiene blog. In 1926 montgomery ward advertised kotex in its catalogue and millions of women began to use and accept sanitary napkins as a way of life. They have employed such aids as sponges, tampons, and rags, inserting them into the vagina, putting them into pouches, attaching them to belts, or even tying them around. Kotex feminine sanitary napkins for sale in stock ebay. Sanitary napkins and menstrual pads of the past and present. Why do most women choose sanitary pads over tampons. When i was almost 9 and going through puberty, my mom gave me this book. On medium to heavy flow days, consider the kotex natural balance regular maxi pads your new best friend.
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