Ads for teenagers - See another Modess True or False? ad (October 1949, from Seventeen magazine) See more skating ads - Read the booklet the ad promotes, Growing Up and Liking It A discussion of the letter testimonials of the Lydia Pinkham Medicine Company, and their authenticity (in a discussion of a Pursettes ad with a letter testimonial) CONTRIBUTE to Humor, Words and expressions about menstruation and Would you stop menstruating if you could? Some MUM site links: homepage | MUM address & What does MUM mean? | e-mail the museum | privacy on this site | who runs this museum?? | Amazing women! | the art of menstruation | artists (non-menstrual) | asbestos | belts | bidets | founder bio | Bly, Nellie | MUM board | books: menstruation and menopause (and reviews) | cats | company booklets for girls (mostly) directory | contraception and religion | costumes | menstrual cups | cup usage | dispensers | douches, pain, sprays | essay directory | extraction | facts-of-life booklets for girls | famous women in menstrual hygiene ads | FAQ | founder/director biography | gynecological topics by Dr. Soucasaux | humor | huts | links | masturbation | media coverage of MUM | menarche booklets for girls and parents | miscellaneous | museum future | Norwegian menstruation exhibit | odor | olor | pad directory | patent medicine | poetry directory | products, current | puberty booklets for girls and parents | religion | Religión y menstruación | your remedies for menstrual discomfort | menstrual products safety | science | Seguridad de productos para la menstruación | shame | slapping, menstrual | sponges | synchrony | tampon directory | early tampons | teen ads directory | tour of the former museum (video) | underpants & panties directory | videos, films directory | Words and expressions about menstruation | Would you stop menstruating if you could? | What did women do about menstruation in the past? | washable pads Leer la versión en español de los siguientes temas: Anticoncepción y religión, Breve reseña - Olor - Religión y menstruación - Seguridad de productos para la menstruación. Modess Snipes at Kotex (U.S.A.), October 1949 In the same month, October 1949, Modess and Kotex published cartoon ads. The Kotex ad, below, part of a long series of advice-to-teenager ads (see here for more), speaks in a wise-guy teenage slang, supposedly appealing to teens of the time and reflecting their speech. It brings to mind Frank Sinatra songs, fast and tough. But the Modess ad scoffs at this speech and advice and cattily advises kids that tactfulness is the key. Note that in the ad and in the booklet it promotes - Growing Up and Liking It - there's little slang and cutesiness. The booklet even uses drawings like the Kotex ad's, which are much better than the drawing in their ad. The two companies were the main producers of pads at this time, which probably explains the static. I broke the ad into three parts to make it download faster in an era of slow connections.   Isn't "fizzician" great? Corny, but great. By the way, apparently people weren't allowed to drink soft drinks with "fizz" - carbonation - on Sunday in certain parts of America (it was thought immoral) so someone invented the sundae, which had no carbonation. Such is America. Look how dressed up everyone is!    I haven't deciphered "come y'aout" yet (third line in the left paragraph) - is it "come out" or "come you all out"?, which is strange in itself. "(Boo coo welcome feature - n'est-ce pas?)" is priceless (last line at right), boo coo being the French "beaucoup," meaning "much," and n'est-ce pas being "right?" I guess you had to be bilingual to fit in in high school in 1949, which is becoming true today.   See how a belt looked when worn, and some other belts.  Ads for teenagers © 1999 Harry Finley. It is illegal to reproduce or distribute any of the work on this Web site in any manner or medium without written permission of the author. Please report suspected violations to [email protected]