Wonderfully informative post Carl! Being male, I had never before considered the liberating potential of tampons. I hope your post provokes a wider discussion...
Thanks for the feedback. I do hope that this article does engage others into a discussion that explores not only the topic of female cycles, but how most commercial products are not marketed specifically to the small population of nudists. In 1938, women were wearing long dresses, block heels, hats, and regularly had bulky pads strapped between their legs, all of which greatly hobbled their capacity for recreation and movement. I would think that a product like Tampax would be a quantum leap in liberating women, not unlike the impact of the birth control pill in the 1960s.
Not sure if you're aware of this one: https://youtu.be/rxiSQdyfUAI?si=OcHfSxoNAdR7ShMj It's not specifically marketed to naturists but thought it was quite interesting in associating freedom between the service offering and the creative.
Tampons are being exposed and rejected by many women nowadays because they feel they have been exploited by them. For many, many years, there was no regulations that stated explicitly that the composition of tampons had to be shared. Now, that is changing, and there are studies that show that tampons contain lead, arsenic and potentially toxic chemicals. https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/07/11/health/tampons-lead-arsenic-plastics-wellness
At the same time that the tampons was patented, the menstrual cup was also patented. However, since that product was a single-use item, there wasn't as large an incentive corporately to manufacture and distribute it widely. Even now, with more women being aware of it, it still receives far less shelf space and is lesser used because of the false claims that tampons are somehow "cleaner." Even though they are dirty with chemicals and it should be criminal to sell a product with that in them that is placed inside the body.
Nowadays, more younger people are using period panties that allow them to move freely without having to deal with either the inconvenience of a cup or the other downsides of tampons or pads. It is extremely important that naturist places that are not clothing optional update their policies to be inclusive of this and for long-time naturists to educate themselves on what they are so they easily adjust. (Note that there are also swimming versions of them, too.)
Ultimately, while I find it fascinating that this was targeted to nudists, it used shaming tactics that set women back. Women shouldn't need to be ashamed of having their period. Naturists should work harder to be inclusive of all bodies and all experiences.
M.M. Thanks for your two messages. The first I was not aware of, but fits into the use of nudists' bare bodies to get an audience's attention. It is cute with all of its puns, but is not targeted specifically to nudists. The second is more about how menstruation is and has been addressed since 1938. The original patient was for a sanitary product. Yes it was a one time use product and was a specifically designed item to reduce putting an unsanitary sponge or menstrual cup in place with the fingers. The issue of sanitary versus containing trace amounts of potentially toxic elements or chemicals is one our modern technology has brought to the world's attention. I reviewed the ad and there is no mention of shame. It does mention invisible protection. I agree with you that women should not be ashamed of having their periods. I was impressed that the Tampax corporation was so positive about menstruation as to prepare an ad specifically for naturist women nearly 90 years ago.
Hey Carl, I'm proud to have provided the hi-res scan of the tampon ad (to Evan) for this article. I happened to be at WNRL when he requested it and was glad to help. Now I see where it fits in this fascinating big picture you painted.
Here is one more interesting one. It is very rare to see an image like this on LinkedIn. Jim Riswold from W+K. A reminder of how advertising that pushes the boundaries emerges from people who push the boundaries.
I enjoyed this article, thank you. I wrote a little bit about exactly this advertisement in my book Nudism in a Cold Climate as I had seen exactly that issue of Sun Bathing Review. I was particularly interested in that research in nudism’s historic appeal (or otherwise) to women.
The same magazines carried advertisements for menstrual pain relief for women. But menstruation was discussed surprisingly rarely in historic nudist literature. I found a couple of mentions in the 1920s and 1930s - one male author in 1933 saying that it prevented women from attending camps, and Maurice Parmelee, author of Nudism in Modern Life, 1929, suggested that menstruating women could wear a short loin cloth or breech cloth (presumably to conceal the sanitary belt and pads that were commonly used before tampons). Dr Annebella Pollen
Dr. Pollen, Thank you for your comments. While Edward Carpenter in the UK and Bernarr Macfadden in the USA were promoting more physical activities and less restrictive clothing for greater movement c1900, there was no open discussion of menstrual pain or how to better address the discharge. While sponges had been used, I have not seen ads for them. This topic was just not openly discussed, let alone written about. The menstrual cup was patented about the same time as the Tampax tampon, and yet it too was not marketed in the materials targeted to those who might be physical active and / or want to be without clothing. I have been working my way through a number of Havelock Ellis books and have been surprised at the lack of mention of menstruation. He does write about the equal energy expended by males and females for their different roles, but then assigns a type of "weakness" or need to stay close to the home or "nest" which keeps women from being active in public life. These are all factors that make this 1938 Tampax ad so remarkable. It would be great to know if Gertrude Tenderich had experience with nudism in Germany or if someone from the advertising firm was similarly experienced to know to specifically market in Sun Bathing Review. The ad brings forward the topic of menstruation, the potential to deal with it in a way that allows freedom from pads and clothing, and puts it in a positive light of being able to enjoy every hour of sunshine. It is a unique ad in nudist publications from my research.
Yes, it stood out to me too. I didn’t see a similar advertisement before it or after it. (On the question of Germany, many of nudism’s leaders in England had been to German nudist camps before and after the Great War, including Barford). Mostly nudist magazines in the interwar years, however, were edited and written by men for a male readership, although there were a significant minority of prominent feminist women who wrote for Sun Bathing Review (eg Dora Russell and Naomi Michison) but not on menstruation matters. If you are looking for wider discussion of ‘feminine hygiene’ in the era, I think you are much more likely to find it in periodicals written by women and aimed at a female readership than in health books authored by men. There’s some good examples of early 20th century guides published in England here: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10590&context=etd
Dr. Pollen, Thank you again for your comments. I am researching the earliest days of social nakedness so was not thinking about digging further into how menstruation was addressed at that time. The Tampax ad was so different and so targeted, I wanted to write about it. I am very glad to hear that you too have not found anything similar. Finding a unique item is a treasure. It is thus far the earliest such ad that might have promoted discussion about feminine hygiene among nudists that I have found. I am investigating two early female naturists, both from c1900. One in Europe and one in the USA. I have been able to track down and am working with family members of the one here in the USA who are digging through basements, attics, boxes in the backs of closets looking for her writings as well as photographs, some of which they know that one prudish aunt actively attempted to destroy all traces of decades ago, but believe a few glass negatives survived. Ah the joy of the search and re-searching.
Wonderfully informative post Carl! Being male, I had never before considered the liberating potential of tampons. I hope your post provokes a wider discussion...
Thanks for the feedback. I do hope that this article does engage others into a discussion that explores not only the topic of female cycles, but how most commercial products are not marketed specifically to the small population of nudists. In 1938, women were wearing long dresses, block heels, hats, and regularly had bulky pads strapped between their legs, all of which greatly hobbled their capacity for recreation and movement. I would think that a product like Tampax would be a quantum leap in liberating women, not unlike the impact of the birth control pill in the 1960s.
Not sure if you're aware of this one: https://youtu.be/rxiSQdyfUAI?si=OcHfSxoNAdR7ShMj It's not specifically marketed to naturists but thought it was quite interesting in associating freedom between the service offering and the creative.
Tampons are being exposed and rejected by many women nowadays because they feel they have been exploited by them. For many, many years, there was no regulations that stated explicitly that the composition of tampons had to be shared. Now, that is changing, and there are studies that show that tampons contain lead, arsenic and potentially toxic chemicals. https://amp-cnn-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/07/11/health/tampons-lead-arsenic-plastics-wellness
At the same time that the tampons was patented, the menstrual cup was also patented. However, since that product was a single-use item, there wasn't as large an incentive corporately to manufacture and distribute it widely. Even now, with more women being aware of it, it still receives far less shelf space and is lesser used because of the false claims that tampons are somehow "cleaner." Even though they are dirty with chemicals and it should be criminal to sell a product with that in them that is placed inside the body.
Nowadays, more younger people are using period panties that allow them to move freely without having to deal with either the inconvenience of a cup or the other downsides of tampons or pads. It is extremely important that naturist places that are not clothing optional update their policies to be inclusive of this and for long-time naturists to educate themselves on what they are so they easily adjust. (Note that there are also swimming versions of them, too.)
Ultimately, while I find it fascinating that this was targeted to nudists, it used shaming tactics that set women back. Women shouldn't need to be ashamed of having their period. Naturists should work harder to be inclusive of all bodies and all experiences.
M.M. Thanks for your two messages. The first I was not aware of, but fits into the use of nudists' bare bodies to get an audience's attention. It is cute with all of its puns, but is not targeted specifically to nudists. The second is more about how menstruation is and has been addressed since 1938. The original patient was for a sanitary product. Yes it was a one time use product and was a specifically designed item to reduce putting an unsanitary sponge or menstrual cup in place with the fingers. The issue of sanitary versus containing trace amounts of potentially toxic elements or chemicals is one our modern technology has brought to the world's attention. I reviewed the ad and there is no mention of shame. It does mention invisible protection. I agree with you that women should not be ashamed of having their periods. I was impressed that the Tampax corporation was so positive about menstruation as to prepare an ad specifically for naturist women nearly 90 years ago.
Hey Carl, I'm proud to have provided the hi-res scan of the tampon ad (to Evan) for this article. I happened to be at WNRL when he requested it and was glad to help. Now I see where it fits in this fascinating big picture you painted.
Thank you for your help bringing this piece home, Mark!
Here is one more interesting one. It is very rare to see an image like this on LinkedIn. Jim Riswold from W+K. A reminder of how advertising that pushes the boundaries emerges from people who push the boundaries.
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ernestlupinacci_ladolcemorte-activity-7228777993836343296-EmpI?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android
I enjoyed this article, thank you. I wrote a little bit about exactly this advertisement in my book Nudism in a Cold Climate as I had seen exactly that issue of Sun Bathing Review. I was particularly interested in that research in nudism’s historic appeal (or otherwise) to women.
The same magazines carried advertisements for menstrual pain relief for women. But menstruation was discussed surprisingly rarely in historic nudist literature. I found a couple of mentions in the 1920s and 1930s - one male author in 1933 saying that it prevented women from attending camps, and Maurice Parmelee, author of Nudism in Modern Life, 1929, suggested that menstruating women could wear a short loin cloth or breech cloth (presumably to conceal the sanitary belt and pads that were commonly used before tampons). Dr Annebella Pollen
Dr. Pollen, Thank you for your comments. While Edward Carpenter in the UK and Bernarr Macfadden in the USA were promoting more physical activities and less restrictive clothing for greater movement c1900, there was no open discussion of menstrual pain or how to better address the discharge. While sponges had been used, I have not seen ads for them. This topic was just not openly discussed, let alone written about. The menstrual cup was patented about the same time as the Tampax tampon, and yet it too was not marketed in the materials targeted to those who might be physical active and / or want to be without clothing. I have been working my way through a number of Havelock Ellis books and have been surprised at the lack of mention of menstruation. He does write about the equal energy expended by males and females for their different roles, but then assigns a type of "weakness" or need to stay close to the home or "nest" which keeps women from being active in public life. These are all factors that make this 1938 Tampax ad so remarkable. It would be great to know if Gertrude Tenderich had experience with nudism in Germany or if someone from the advertising firm was similarly experienced to know to specifically market in Sun Bathing Review. The ad brings forward the topic of menstruation, the potential to deal with it in a way that allows freedom from pads and clothing, and puts it in a positive light of being able to enjoy every hour of sunshine. It is a unique ad in nudist publications from my research.
Yes, it stood out to me too. I didn’t see a similar advertisement before it or after it. (On the question of Germany, many of nudism’s leaders in England had been to German nudist camps before and after the Great War, including Barford). Mostly nudist magazines in the interwar years, however, were edited and written by men for a male readership, although there were a significant minority of prominent feminist women who wrote for Sun Bathing Review (eg Dora Russell and Naomi Michison) but not on menstruation matters. If you are looking for wider discussion of ‘feminine hygiene’ in the era, I think you are much more likely to find it in periodicals written by women and aimed at a female readership than in health books authored by men. There’s some good examples of early 20th century guides published in England here: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10590&context=etd
Dr. Pollen, Thank you again for your comments. I am researching the earliest days of social nakedness so was not thinking about digging further into how menstruation was addressed at that time. The Tampax ad was so different and so targeted, I wanted to write about it. I am very glad to hear that you too have not found anything similar. Finding a unique item is a treasure. It is thus far the earliest such ad that might have promoted discussion about feminine hygiene among nudists that I have found. I am investigating two early female naturists, both from c1900. One in Europe and one in the USA. I have been able to track down and am working with family members of the one here in the USA who are digging through basements, attics, boxes in the backs of closets looking for her writings as well as photographs, some of which they know that one prudish aunt actively attempted to destroy all traces of decades ago, but believe a few glass negatives survived. Ah the joy of the search and re-searching.
Sounds great! I look forward to reading what you discover, Dr Hild!