Take a look at how feminine hygiene has improved over the decades and how the future of feminine hygiene is being redefined by the innovation and fit of the Softcup menstrual cup.

The evolution of feminine hygiene  

Not so long ago, being ‘on the rag’ meant pretty much just that. Early feminine hygiene products to manage menstruation were primitive and multitudes of early women managed by either using lint wrapped around a piece of wood or squares of folded cotton pieces or sheep skin, which were washed and used again.

Thanks to Johnson & Johnson in the very late 1800s, women got their own, very-first feminine hygiene product developed and marketed specifically for their menstruation needs. Unfortunately, social morals were stricter back then and women were too embarrassed to be seen purchasing the all-new Lister’s Towels which led to listless sales and still lots of listless menstruating women.

With fashion to the rescue, sanitary aprons and bloomers held up the side of women, creating a barrier to leak-proof menstruating women and protect their clothing from being stained.

Undaunted by the less than popular initial marketing drive of Johnson & Johnson, in 1929, Dr Earle Haas invented the first applicator tampon to go on sale. Called Tampax, the brand name has stood the test of time and women around the globe can still purchase it off store shelves since the product’s initial launch back in 1936.

With the advent of the menstrual cup, as early as 1937, women were still only warming up to the modern lifestyle of disposable products and the moon cup didn’t peak or trend, being thought to be just a little too old-fashioned when compared to the disposable fad of the time.

With tampons well in the highway’s fast lane of menstrual cycles and speeding ahead into the future, it was a company called Pursettes which started to compete with Tampax with the development of a tampon that didn’t feature an applicator. Realising that they would have to capture women’s hearts as well as minds, the company appealed to women’s fashion sense, packaging their product in a sleek black carrying case and giving it some star appeal.

Adding their own blend of ‘sticky’ appeal, the 70s era saw the rise of the first pads featuring an adhesive stripe which attached the pad directly to a lady’s panty gusset, doing away with long, bulky pads which had to be fastened with belts or pins to secure it in place.  Soon thereafter, the pad saw the addition of sticky wings (no pun intended) and the placement of the pad in underwear became more secure, with some products adding a scented, feel-good touch to menstruation.

Taking up the Aunt Flo challenge, which millions of women around the world faced daily, Proctor and Gamble produced an extra absorbent tampon made from fabric which – largely untested at that stage – led to the initial cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome in the 1980s. Since then, thankfully, standards have been set for stricter women’s hygiene product testing.

In the decade of the 90s, the world saw women get more active and menstrual protection went through a series of upgrades and the addition of new productions, feminine hygiene materials and updates in more appealing packaging. New moms and heavy flow days were also taken into account with the addition of maternity and night time pads.

Today, it is with some relief, that we can marvel at just how far feminine hygiene has improved over the years.  Sanitary belts, surfboard size pads, and plastic gusset knickers are only a nightmare of women past.

Enter the 21st Century and the next generation and future of feminine hygiene is defined by the innovation and fit of the Softcup menstrual disc.

A present-future perspective on feminine hygiene

If you are women of today, your relationship with your monthly menstruation cycle is likely to be more relaxed and open about what is essentially a natural and rather miraculous internal organ function. Thankfully the days of period shaming are past and even men are less icky about ‘that time of the month’.

Together with new generations of open-minded womanhood and a range of product innovations and marketing speak which appeals to women’s physical and sexual wellness, we have travelled far in dispelling the many myths and taboos associated with a woman’s period and our reproductive health.

Today’s young girls entering puberty are more informed and confident and studies show that women who are able to talk to someone about their period feel more mature, interested and feminine regarding menstruation.

Young women are leaving the outdated taboos of the 50s, 60s and 70s behind and learning that it is okay to have sex while menstruating (period sex), and enjoying the confidence of products available on the market – such as the disc-like Softcup – which make a period so discreet. Softcup’s unique one of a kind design keeps the vaginal canal free of any obstruction when inserted so she can even enjoy love-making while on her period without her partner even having to know.

With modern choices today, women are supported in choosing feminine hygiene products that ensure her monthly period is pain-free, mess-free, active and economical on her budget.

It’s never been so easy to have a period than today. Finding and using the right product will ensure you have a carefree and happy period.

Download our free guide to a happier period where we give you tips and advice on that time of the month!