I was just today reminiscing with my 26 year old daughter how much she missed. We had no tampons, only those archaic belts and skateboard pads. Self stick wasn't even invented yet. "On the rag" was a literal term. In the 80's, I actually serged flannel sanitary pads out of red flannel on top of flowery flannel print for a bunch of hippie throw back mothers I knew. They were "going green" before that was a fad. I can't tell you how many of those flannel pads were accidentally flushed. The RN who lived across the street when I was little came over one day to show my mother these new-fangled devices called tampons. She cautioned her not to let us girls use them, or we wouldn't be virgins anymore. Ever the eavesdripper, I later asked what a virgin was during dinner. (That, looking back, is HILARIOUS, but at the time I was made to feel dirty for asking).
And whoever invented the self-adhesive pads must have also foreseen females shaving themselves clean as well. Because if you've ever had one of those pads flip over on you during, say, step aerobics class? You shave that shit off so it never happens again.
Ah, the memories.
