1929
corporate sponsorship of your period
In the early 19th century, Victorian shame about the body and sexuality made it difficult for young women to obtain accurate information about menstruation. In 1929, Kotex took advantage of this informational void to instill brand loyalty in young consumers by publishing free "scientific information" booklets targeted at young girls starting their periods.
For the next fifty years, many other menstrual product companies targeted new consumers with informational books and pamphlets. The publications, Marjorie's 12th Birthday, As One Girl to Another, Growing Up and Liking It and From Fiction to Fact, advertised name brand menstrual products, yet contained questionable scientific health information. For example, one booklet advised "most of us find [roller-skating] too strenuous for the first few days of the period. " Nowadays, companies still advertise with free booklets but thankfully most of them--such as Kotex's Becoming Aware published in 1992--contain more accurate and straightforward information.
