 Imagine getting your period and not being able to use any of these. Up until pretty recently, that was normal. So, how did we go from a BDSM-looking invention from the 1800s to having Monica Geller playing a key part in changing the way we talk about periods? Hi, I'm Natalie, and today we're talking about the bizarre history of period products. Peggy, of course I can't go swimming. You know I've got the courage. Let's start with wool, paper, and other itchy things to shove up your vagina. Period products are now a $30 billion industry, but they started out as homemade. What is that? It's a homemade tampon. In ancient Rome, wool tampons, ancient Japan, paper, grass in parts of Africa, even papyrus in Egypt. Everything changes by the mid-1800s. Between 1854 and 1921, the U.S. granted 185 patents for menstrual devices. Some of them were kind of useful, like rubber aprons that protected clothes from getting bloodstained. But some were just plain intimidating. Like fars and proved, flexible uterine supporters. You insert the rubber cup into your vagina and blood flows into a receptacle. Eureka! Brilliant in concept, scary in execution. Then, hallelujah, pads and tampons finally arrive in the 1920s with Kotex. It's about damn time. Their sanitary napkins were made of a high-tech material that started out as a bandage for wounded soldiers in World War I. It's a soft, absorbent pad, and it's made to fit over the opening of the vagina. They knew the value in their product was in its discretion. And their ads encouraged women to ask for Kotex at the store, rather than daring to say sanitary napkin. Excuse me, can I, can I have a sanitary napkin? They also removed the need to interact with salespeople. At stores, women could leave a nickel in a jar and take a pad from a box. So as not to call attention to themselves. Now we're in the 1930s and period products were coming at us like The heavy flow and a wide-set vagina. In 1933, Eureka, Dr. Earl Cleveland Haas invented Tampax, the first modern tampon. Jesus Christ, I don't know what we did without those. The real game changer here was the cardboard applicator. At the time, women found it kind of gross to get that up close and personal with their own blood and vagina. But with the applicator, you could insert the tampon without having to touch anywhere near there. Ew, it's gross. As World War II came along and women got more physically active, tampons became unessential. I need a tampon. This is despite the many rumors that they take away your virginity, a completely false idea that is still around even today. It makes no sense. It makes zero sense. Damn straight. In 1935, the first menstrual cup is invented, but doesn't really catch on. It turns out menstrual cups are actually way more effective than any other method, but we'll get to that later. In 1969, the company Stay Free brings an end to menstrual belts with their invention of pads with adhesive strips. But do they stay secure? Sure, the adhesive strip is extra wide. The next major technological advancement wouldn't hit until the late 2000s, but the 1970s ushered in a cultural shift in how period products were advertised. Ads got a little less discreet and capitalized on the women's rights movement by featuring strong independent women. I never thought a tampon could be so great. They help you feel fresh and feminine. It's really different and better. But it took until the mid-80s for advertisers to get over one more cultural taboo. There's a feeling with tampax. It can actually change the way you feel about your period. Period. Period. Did Courtney Cox just say period? Yes. It took until 1985 for period to be set on air. Are you serious? And thanks to that one commercial, companies finally felt comfortable showing actual products on screen, rather than just boxes. But how to show the absorbent quality of pads without grossing out audiences with blood? Blue liquid. It was seen as clinical and reminds people of cleaning products, all of which are sanitary and hygienic, unlike women's bodies. It would take until 2011 for a period ad to actually use the color red to represent blood. Other companies have since gone even further. Finally, we reach the modern day period product. Over the past 15 years or so, changes have included innovations like period underwear, which acts like a super absorbent pad. And attitudes are also changing. Reusable menstrual cups are experiencing a surge in popularity. Women are more comfortable touching their vagina. And menstrual cups can hold a lot of blood and stay in for longer than tampons or pads. It works so well. That's not to mention the changing attitudes towards the environmental effects of disposable period products and how much it all costs over a lifetime. I can't afford that. Gone are the days of meekly putting a coin in a jar to get your pad. Today, you can loudly and proudly get period products, just about anywhere. And it's not a huge deal. What are you getting? Oh, just these. But we still have a long way to go in accepting menstruation everywhere. In parts of the developing world, periods still carry a deep stigma. There's a huge lack of education on how to deal with them, and many women don't have regular access to period products. The bottom line is, periods aren't unclean or strange. In fact, they're one of the most natural things in the world. And we should be teaching all women and men about them. I think it's great. I mean, you know, I like being a woman and I'm always looking forward to it. Hey guys, thank you so much for watching this video. I had a lot of fun making it. And if you'd like to see more, subscribe to attention on YouTube. And if you have any other ideas for bizarre history of topics, just comment below. I'd love to hear from you. Thank you.