10 Feminine Hygiene Retro Ads

In 1928, Modess produced this ad of a happy and carefree woman holding a club, fresh from a round of golfing. This surprisingly modern ad was a reflection of the so-called "Roaring Twenties", a time of great cultural change marked by more progressive attitudes.

In 1972, Playtex produced this "groovy" ad representing a cross-section of its customer base, which included women of different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, professions, and ages.

In the late '50s and early '60s, Kotex started marketing its feminine hygiene products towards the so-called "modern woman", a sophisticated young woman who was no longer content to simply settle down into boring, conventional life of child-rearing and domestication. She was often portrayed as a traveler, a person "on the go." This ad is a typical example.

This refreshing 1941 ad telling its customers to "feel as good as you look" almost seems contemporary in its marketing approach.

Tampax has put out a lot of great ads over the years, but this to me its best one. The picture perfectly captures just what it is women want the most during their periods-- a nice, fresh clean shower or bath.

It's amazing to me how contemporary a lot of ads from the past seem when it comes to feminine hygiene. Here you can see a woman having a blast at the beach, keeping in line with a popular pitch that feminine hygiene products often used-- periods didn't mean having to restrain from your most enjoyable activities.

Tampax and Kotex weren't the only companies that had a modernistic approach to selling feminine hygiene products. There was also Fems, which showed many of their models taking part of everyday activities with not a care in the world. In this ad, a young woman hangs out with a date.

While companies like Tampax and Kotex had their women jetsetting around the world or engaging in athletic activities, Fems took a more down-to-earth approach to appeal to the typical housewife.

Over the years, Modess started taking a more strange approach to selling its product-- it started mimicking high fashion photography. Was it to appeal to a more affluent customer base or suggest to average women that they could be as glamorous as the women in the ads if they used Modess? Maybe both!

This is another example of the "Hollywood glamour"/ high fashion approach to advertising that Modess took in the 50s and 60s. Why did it? Perhaps to set itself apart from all the other feminine hygiene companies, which tended to use the same tactic of appealing to the so-called "modern" woman.