More from Modess: 1927
Gilbreth report
to Johnson & Johnson about Modess -
newspaper ads 1927-28
- "Silent Purchase"
ad, June 1928 - ad, 1928
- "Modernizing Mother" ads: #1, February
1929 ("Mother . . .
don't be quaint"); #3 April 1929 ("Don't weaken, Mother");
#5, June 1929 ("Never
mind, Mother, you'll learn") - ad about concealing
pad, 1930 - ad
compared with Kotex ad, 1931 - ad, 1931 - wrapped Modess pad
for dispenser, 1930s? - Ad, U.K., 1936 - True or False? ad
in The American Girl magazine, January 1947
- actress Carol
Lynley in "How shall I tell my
daughter?" booklet ad (1955) - Australian ad,
1957 - ad (1956)
with "Modess . . . . because" ad
incorporated into it - ad for "Growing Up
and Liking It" booklet (1963, Modess) - - Modess . . . . because
ads (many dates) - French
ad, 1970s? - ad,
French, 1972, photo by David Hamilton - Personal Digest
leaflets (7), 1966-67: describe Modess
products - How Modess
Sanitary Napkins Began: excerpts
from"A Company That Cares: One Hundred Year
Illustrated History of Johnson and Johnson"
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MUSEUM OF MENSTRUATION AND WOMEN'S
HEALTH
Modess menstrual
napkin (pad) ads, 1937 & 1971,
U.S.A.
Modess and Kotex fight it out
The second ad, below, snidely
refers to "the other napkin" -
take that, Kotex! The
battle lasted until Modess gave up
in the U.S.A. but not in other
parts of the world, where some
women still sought its "hospital
pad." (See an earlier Modess ad in
Australia.)
I'm repeating below most of
what I wrote about another
Modess ad, one from
1971, which also reflected the
rivalry between the two brands.
The toxic
shock syndrome (TSS) crisis
of the late 1970s and early 1980s
was probably the first time most
women paid attention to what was
in their menstrual pads and
tampons. Chances are, most women
wanted to forget about
menstruation, um, PERIOD. This ad
tried to yank their attention back
to what was between their legs, to
its construction, not that they
could forget about these wads of
absorbent material. One of the
contributors to this site -
thanks again! - believes that
Modess was the best pad in its
era.
By the way, comedian Tina Fey
points out women's personal
awareness of pads and men's
obliviousness of their discomfort
in "Lessons from Late Night" in
the 14 March 2011 The New
Yorker magazine in
describing the making of the fake
"Kotex
Classic" commercial for
the Saturday Night Live television
program. She discusses the
fictional reintroduction of Kotex
belts and
huge pads but doesn't mention that
earlier pads
were even larger,
Modess's filler in the 1920s being
2 feet long.
The ad text refers to many Kotex features;
the battle between the two brands
lasted for decades as you can see
here.
I thank
the donor!
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Below: From
February, 1937, Good Housekeeping
magazine.
#4, below, illustrates
the common phenomenon of a woman
sticking with
what she bought - or her
mother bought - when she
started her period.
How
many women got out the
scissors and examined a pad
(#5)? Probably close
to zero.
The point was to show in the
ad what supposedly its virtues
were.
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Below:
From August, 1971, Woman's Day
magazine.
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More Modess: wrapped Modess pad
for dispenser, 1930s? - Ad, U.K., 1936 -
True or False? ad
in The American Girl magazine, January 1947
-
actress Carol Lynley
in "How shall I tell my daughter?" booklet
ad (1955)
"Silent Purchase"
ad, June 1928
Many more pad ads
Tampon directory
- Panties directory
© 2012 Harry Finley. It is illegal to
reproduce or distribute any of the work on
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in any manner or medium without written
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