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Site guide for books, pamplets & booklets
promoting patent medicine, douching, hygiene,
cups and/or explaining puberty,
menstruation, the facts of life, sex companies & nonprofits made
for girls, teens, and their parents, women - and sometimes boys
(Pad [towel, napkin] directory - Tampon
directory)
Companies (and other organizations) making menstrual products sometimes
produced, and produce, literature for women and girls - and boys, for sex
education - to explain menstruation, menarche, "the
facts of life," and company products.
As far as I know the first booklets appeared in the 1920s, at least
in America. Professor Joan Brumberg, of Cornell University, has written
about how the teaching of the facts of menstruation passed from the family
in the early 19th century to the schools and then to the companies, which
sent its information to the schools. And girls
who start with the product supplied by a company in school seldom change
their brand. So it's an important step for companies to interest the schools
in their teaching material. (See "Something Happens
to Girls': Menarche and the Emergence of the Modern American Hygienic Imperative"
by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, of Cornell University, in the Journal of the
History of Sexuality, 1993, vol. 4, no. 1.; see also Lynn
Peril's essay on this MUM Web site.)
You can find the following on this Web site.
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Menstruation & sex education booklets for
and about girls, women & boys
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Accent on you (complete
booklets, 1970s-1980s?, 1980
& 1983, Tampax, U.S.A.)
Always Changing (complete
booklet, 1995, Always pads, Procter & Gamble, U.S.A.)
Always in Style: Your Personal Guide to Choosing Feminine
Protection Products (complete folder, 1993,
Always pads, Procter & Gamble, U.S.A.) For teenagers.
Are you in the know? Great
BOOKLET collection of the etiquette ads Kotex ran for decades
(U.S.A., Kotex napkins and belts, 1956)
As One Girl to Another (complete
booklet, 1940, Kotex, U.S.A.)
Becoming Aware Educational Kit (Complete
kit, Kotex, 1992?) Contains booklets for girls and their mothers &
sample pads and tampons. Donation from kind site visitor!
See many more kits at the bottom of this page.
Boys: Have you wondered what happens when girls grow
up? (complete pamphlet, Personal Products Co., 1973) Quick lessons
for probably only mildly interested boys.
Congratulations! You're growing up! menstruation:
a guide for maturing young women (complete booklet,
1978, Midol pain medication, Glenbrook Laboratories, U.S.A.)
Discovered and overheard secrets in the area of women's
hygiene and rejuvenation by Nurse Thekla Buckeley
(Dutch, 1928, selections about menstrual hygiene,
partly translated into English. Dutch title: Ontdekte
en afgeluisterde geheimen op het gebied van dames-hygiene en -verjonging.) Booklet for women about menstrual hygiene among
other things. Great picture of the woman of ill repute who represented Camelia menstrual pads. A Dutchman generously
sent these scans of his booklet.
Es geht um die besten Jahre Ihres Lebens ! ("It's
About the Best Years of Your Life!" 1956?, complete
booklet translated, Tampax, Germany). A Dutchman generously donated
the scans of his booklet.
Essence of Womanhood (complete
booklet, 1959, Personal Products Corp., Modess tampons, U.S.A.)
Getting to Know Yourself (complete booklet, 1962, Pursettes lubricated tampons,
U.S.A.)
Growing Up and Liking It (complete booklets:
1944, 1949, 1957, 1963, 1964,
1970, 1972, 1976, 1978, 1991.
The Personal Products Company, U.S.A.) (many covers,
1944-1991)
Having Your Period (complete
booklet, 1985, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc., U.S.A.)
Text and pictures are to the point; there's no product to sell.
Health Facts on Menstruation, by Lloyd Arnold,
M.D. (here, 1933, Kotex, U.S.A.)
How Can We Teach About Sex? by Benjamin C. Gruenberg,
Public Affairs Pamphlet No. 122, 1946, Public Affairs
Committee, Inc, New York City, U.S.A. A prominent sex educator discusses
sex education in schools, venereal disease, doctors, religion, the Catholic
Church, marriage, divorce, children, character, moral training, parents.
How shall I tell my daughter? [How
Shall I Tell My Daughter? in the 1954 edition & Daughter in 1969] (complete booklets, 1954,
1963, 1968, 1969,
1973, 1981, Personal
Products Co.) See covers of Modess booklets.
Excerpt about how to fasten a pad to a belt and
about sanitary panties & a funny story from the 1969 booklet.
Hvordan Kroppen Din Forandrer Seg ("How
Your Body Changes," complete booklet, Tampax
tampons, Norway, 1990; my translation) A Norwegian kindly donated the booklet.
It's a Woman's World (complete booklet, [1980s?] Tampax, U.S.A.)
it's time you knew . . . [all about menstruation]
(complete booklet, 1966, Tampax, U.S.A.)
Just Between Us . . . 1950
edition - (1961 edition, cover & several pages
about menstrual belts and panties, Beltx)
[The] Life Cycle Library: The Miracle of You, Your Years of Self-Discovery and You
and Your Daughter (covers and excerpts,
1968, Kotex, U.S.A.)
(The) Life Cycle Library
Kotex): The Miracle of You (complete booklet, 1968)
[The] Life Cycle Library for Young People, Book I
(Parent and Child Institute, U.S.A., 1969), Chapter
4, Book I: A Girl Becomes a Woman. In contrast to the Kotex
series with a similar name (above), this one is hard cover. It's odd that
the two apparently independent series appeared in consecutive years.
Marjorie May Learns About Life (complete
booklet, 1936, Kotex, Canada)
Photo of Mary Pauline Collender, author of
the Marjorie May stories (biographical information)
Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday (almost
complete booklet, 1928, Kotex, Australia)(complete
booklet, 1935, Canada)(cover, mid-1930s, U.S.A.)(complete booklet, 1938, U.S.A). Photo of Mary Pauline Callender, author of the Marjorie May stories.
Biographical information for Mrs. Callender.
Marriage Hygiene: The important part
it plays in the ideal marriage (complete booklet,
1932, Lehn & Fink, Inc., distributor of Lysol vaginal douche). Promotional
booklet for Lysol & douching.
[Die] Menstruation (excerpts,
1977, o.b. tampons, Germany) Photographer David Hamilton contributed many
photographs to this explicit and beautiful booklet. By the way, "Die"
in the title means "the," not to lose life.
Nancy's Biggest Day at Camp (complete
booklet, 1941, Modess menstrual pads, U.S.A.) Nancy's biggest day was
learning about menstruation at summer camp, not having her first period
there unless the company just didn't want to discuss that. No discussion
of tampons, which Modess also made, probably because many people thought
they would turn a virgin into a fallen wom-, er, girl, a problem Tampax
discussed in an ad. Black and white. Generous
gift from an anonymous donor!
now you are 10 (complete
booklet, 1958, Kotex, U.S.A.)
Omdat de lijnen van je lichaam veranderen (Dutch;
English: As the lines of your body change), 2007, The Netherlands, Libresse pads & puberty booklet
Ontdekte en afgeluisterde geheimen op het gebied van
dames-hygiene en -verjonging (by Nurse Thekla Buckeley, 1928?, The
Netherlands, selections about menstrual hygiene partly
translated into English. English: Discovered and overheard
secrets in the area of women's hygiene and rejuvenation) Booklet
for women about menstrual hygiene among other things. Great picture of the
woman of ill repute who represented Camelia
menstrual pads. A Dutchman generously sent these scans of his booklet.
Parent's Guide (complete
tri-fold, 1992, Kotex) part of Becoming Aware Educational
Kit
[The] Periodic Cycle (complete
booklet, 1938, The Personal Products Corp., U.S.A., maker of Modess
pads) The booklet states that this is for older teenage girls, and is probably
a companion to What a trained nurse wrote to her young
sister, below.
periods and puberty: a practical guide for girls (complete booklet, 1987, Procter & Gamble, Always pads, U.S.A.)
Personal Hygiene for Women
(complete booklet, 1928, Kotex) How to
flush Kotex down the toilet, physiology, etc. Contemporary with Kotex's
booklet for girls Marjorie May's Twelfth Birthday,
almost complete booklet, 1928, Australia.
Preparing for Womanhood (almost
complete booklet, 1920s, Kotex, Australia)
Q girls & boys A (complete
booklet, 1987, Tambrands, U.S.A.) Puberty booklet
for girl & boy teens. Explains menstruation, adolescence, personal care,
exercise, tampons, menstrual pads, nutrition, TSS, skin care & it promotes
Tampax Maxithins, panty shields, & tampons
Sally and Mary and Kate Wondered . . . (complete booklet, cover,
1956, Personal Products Corp., U.S.A.)
Sarah's Story (complete
booklet, 1990, Kotex) part of Becoming Aware Educational
Kit
Small Wonder: How Tambrands began, prospered and grew
(1986, 50th anniversary of the company) history of
Tampax Inc. and Tambrands that the company probably commissioned. Tambrands
generously donated the beautiful book.
Strictly Feminine (complete
booklet with an actual letter from a mother to her daughter's doctor
- 1969, Personal Products Co. [Modess], U.S.A.)
Tampax Satin Learner's Kit, 2001, in 3 languages:
English. Booklet, pads & tampons
Trousse de l'étudiante French
Estuche de Aprendizaje Spanish
Tell it like it is: Straight talk about tampons (complete booklet, 1968, Kotex stick tampons, U.S.A.,
revised 1974; complete booklet, 1981, although
the title lacks the subtitle "Straight talk about tampons"). I
wonder if "straight" alludes to the
shape of tampons.
That day is here again . . . (That
day is here again . . ., 1944, Kotex, International Cellucotton Products
Co., U.S.A.) World War II influences this booklet in drawings and text.
A frequest Dutch contributor generously sent the scans.
Very Personally Yours (complete booklets, 1948, 1961, & 1981, Kotex, U.S.A.) The 1948
booklet praises Allah,
something Muslims might be as puzzled about as believers in other religions.
Volwassen worden ("Growing up," the
Netherlands, excerpts, 2004, o.b. tampons)
What a trained nurse wrote to her young sister
(complete booklet, probably late 1930s-early 1940s,
The Personal Products Corp., U.S.A., maker of Modess pads). Probably a companion
to The Periodic Cycle (1938), above, written for
older teenage girls.
What a Young Woman Ought to Know,
Self and Sex series, 1913, U.K.
Mrs. Mary Wood-Allen, M.D. Selections
World of a Girl (complete
booklet, 1963, Scott Paper Co., U.S.A., Confidets menstrual pads) Colorful,
beautiful illustrations.
You and Your Daughter: Asked & Unasked Questions
Every Mother Should Answer (complete booklet)
Kimberly-Clark, U.S.A., 1968, Kotex: The Life Cycle
Library, Volume III (3)
Your Personal Guide to Menstruation and Tampon Usage
(complete booklet, U.S.A., 1988, o.b. tampons)
"You're a young lady now" (complete
booklet, 1952, Kotex, U.S.A.) The first owner
might have printed her named on the back of the booklet. Complete booklet,
1959, apparently with the owner's name cut out.
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The Intimate Side of a Woman's Life by Leona
Chalmers, 1937, book, 128 pp. Cleanliness! Douching, bathing, , etc., and
the author discusses the menstrual cup, possibly the first in the U.S.A.
Also: how to get a man by stayong very clean.
Home Treatment of Female Diseases (1894, complete),
mostly about how Cardui patent medicine effects cures. With sections on
douching.
Mon Docteur vaginal douche set (complete?),
with (separate?) documents, American, 1928-29?
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Criticism of menstrual cups, U.S.A., 1930s.
Daintette cup: See instructions for the cup;
information about
the Dainty Maid douche apparatus (and see a set); and covers of Mon Docteur and Daintette booklets; items the company sold (sells?); "unsolicited
testimonial letters," and ads in newspapers seeking women
to sell the product at parties.
The Intimate Side of a Woman's Life by Leona
Chalmers, 1937, book, 128 pp. Cleanliness! Douching, bathing, , etc., and
the author discusses the menstrual cup, possibly the first in the U.S.A.
Also: how to get a man by staying very clean.
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Patent medicine booklets, mainly for women
(see more patent medicine here)
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Portfolios and guides for teachers
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"A Teaching Guide for Menstrual Hygiene"
(cover, 1962, Personal Products Corp.,
U.S.A.)
"A Teacher's Guide to Feminine Hygiene"
(cover, 1973, Personal Products Corp.,
U.S.A.)
"Becoming Aware Educational Kit "(Complete kit, Kotex, 1992?) Contains booklets for
girls and their mothers & sample pads and tampons. Donation from kind
site visitor!
"Educational Material on Menstruation furnished
by the makers of Tampax" (1966) U.S.A.
Folder with huge number of information sheets, etc.
"Educational Portfolio on Menstrual Hygiene"
(1968) U.S.A. Teacher's
kit for Modess sanitary napkins, menstrual tampons
and panties (mostly complete)
"From Fiction to Fact: a teaching guide about
puberty, menstruation and the human reproductive system" (complete 1966, 1986, Tambrands, U.S.A. The 1966 version is part of the
huge "Educational Material on Menstruation furnished
by the makers of Tampax," 1966)
"Teacher's kit" (complete,
early 1950s, Personal Products Corp., U.S.A.)
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See also . . .
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Sex Facts for Women, by Richard L. Lambert,
Ph.G. [Graduate Pharmacist], M.D., 1936, New York
Walt Disney film for Kotex, excerpts
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