ON THE RAG
The American history of menstrual products + new show announced!
Hi Everyone,
Happy hump day and thanks so much for reading the ADULT SEX ED newsletter!
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Tickets are on sale for the next ADULT SEX ED live show in New York City, on June 22nd at 7PM at the Midnight Theatre. GET TICKETS. Special guests include Dylan Adler, Katie Haller, & more — you won’t want to miss it!
This is a weekly newsletter from me, Dani Faith Leonard, a comedian and film producer (you can follow me on instagram). It’s an extension of the live comedy show ADULT SEX ED that I’ve hosted since 2018. The show and this newsletter is about plugging the holes in our education as adults (if you want to know more, here’s a description on substack).
Ready to get a little smarter? Okay, let’s go!
Dani
ON THE RAG
On the blob. That time of the month. The curse. Code red. Pink Floyd. The Red Army. Ketchup week. Sailing the Red Sea. Checking into the Red Roof Inn. Riding the cotton pony. Getting the hoo hoo flu. I wonder if the number of euphemisms for a topic correlates with how taboo that topic still is? Fun fact: The word "taboo" comes from the Polynesian term "tapu," which was often spoken in reference to—you guessed it—surfing the crimson wave.
When I got my first period, I immediately went to tell my mother. She smacked me in the face. Apparently, it’s a Jewish tradition and nobody knows how it started, but it goes back many generations. If you don’t believe me, here’s a clip from the 1999 movie A Walk on the Moon. I think it’s supposed to bring the color to your face (to match the color elsewhere?). She called my grandma to deliver the news and I was mortified.
The truth is, I had already absorbed the information from society that periods are shameful, embarrassing, something to hide. Women with periods were historically seen as weak with unreliable emotions. Throughout history and still in many parts of the world today, girls were kept from going to school, barred from religious roles and customs, and discriminated against in the workplace. I always wondered how things could be different if boys learned about periods in sex ed, but the kids are usually separated by sex. I know what probably wouldn’t have happened: that moment in 1983 when NASA suggested sending astronaut Sally Ride with 100 tampons for a week-long trip. “No,” she later recalled responding, “that would not be the right number.”
Menstrual products have evolved over time. By the time tampons were invented, people who had access to them had the privileged ability to pass through the world like they didn’t have a period at all. Some of the period products invented throughout history in America were less conspicuous. Let’s take a look!
Native American women often used moss for pads, which was extra absorbent and inspired menstrual products well into the 20th century. Before the 1800s, many women used cotton or sheep's wool. Rags were also stuffed into underwear, which is how the term “on the rag” originated. A friend recently told me of the British term “on the blob,” which I prefer.
From the 1800s to the early 1900s, product development was mixed. One of the notable products created in the 1850s was a rubber sanitary apron with a strip that ran between the legs. Most patents were owned by men and I guess they tried. The Rubberized Sheeting and Specialty Company in New York created the 1920s improvement on the apron: “Protecto” Sanitary Bloomers, full rubber pants that offer ventilation on the sides, and make you look like you’re in the cast of Hamilton. I’ve always wanted blood pooling around my knees!
The first disposable pads to hit the market during this time were from Johnson & Johnson in 1897, but they were poorly advertised and women were too embarrassed to purchase them. Then, nurses discovered they could use the cellulose bandages used during World War I as sanitary napkins. Kotex’s cellulose sanitary pad became the first mass-marketed pad in the 1920s. Pads didn’t have adhesive yet, so they had to be attached to a sanitary belt. So many layers of complication!
The menstrual cup was also introduced during this time, initially patented in 1867 by S.L. Hockert, but brought to the market in the 1930s by actress Leona Chalmers. It didn’t find popularity because it was messy and more complicated to use.
Tampons were invented in 1931 by Earl Haas, but had a stigma and were only advertised to married women (for fear that single ladies would lose their virginity to a tampon, a rumor that still persists in some religious circles today). Pads continued to be the focus of innovation and took a leap forward when African American inventor Mary Kenner patented the idea for adhesive pads in 1956. Discrimination prevented her product from taking off and she was overtaken in the market by Stayfree adhesive pads. She’s often left out of history books despite continuing to be a prolific inventor for the rest of her life, and I recommend reading more about her.
By the 60s, more women were using tampons, despite the stigma. Tampons and adhesive pads opened the possibilities of what activities someone could perform on their period, and tampon and pad advertisements at the time showcased stupidly happy women doing equally stupid things. Going to space? Riding in the Kentucky Derby? She’s just trying to be a person with a period, isn’t that enough?
The word "period" wasn’t actually spoken on TV until actress Courteney Cox said it in a 1985 Tampax commercial. What a friend! However, blue liquid and euphemisms are still used in advertisements today.
Cut to today. There are more options on the market, like period underwear, more advanced menstrual cups, organic tampons, and more. Advertising is starting to reflect that all different kinds of people get periods. Due to increased conversations around sustainability, reusable cloth pads are on the rise (we can all be “on the rag” again!). We still have a long way to go to remove shame through education and make products affordable for all. Period.
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Thanks for reading! Hope to see you at the live show on the 22nd in NYC.
