Prudish 60s

This made me think back to the early 80s when I was working at a residential centre for women with disabilities. They kept a supply of STs for the women to buy from them. The male auditor was doing his annual visit and asked the finance manager - an older rather prim single lady - what the entry in the books for "STs" was. Quick as a flash my colleague told him "Sundry Toiletries"!! Which he was happy with.

While we're in this subject I have a memory of my son when he was 3. He'd asked what my tampons were and I told him they were for nose bleeds. Roll on a few weeks and we had my husband's nan and grandad visiting. My son strolls in the room with two tampons up his nose saying 'mummy does it look like I'm having a nose bleed?' My husband's grandparents faces were a picture ?

Goodness me I thought I was the only one, but how interesting to read your stories. I could never understand why in Boots, my mother would ask me, under 10, to go and buy a packet of maslin - I think that was the word she used. She kept a discreet distance. This would have been in the late 50's early 60's.

My MIL was very prudish, and always referred to periods as 'being unwell'. When DD was in her early teens, MIL would regularly pull me aside and whisper, 'Has she started to be unwell yet?'. I didn't think that it was anything to do with her (unless DD told her) and always replied, 'She's fine thanks Mom' on principle...

We used to have a shop in my village that was run by a lady who had never married. It was a bit like Open All Hours as she seemed to sell most things . A woman came in that lived a few doors away (I think she did most of her shopping there!) the shop owner just said "you want your usual?" from under the shelf she produced a pack of STs and proceeded to wrap them in brown paper, complete with a string bow! A few years ago I was in Boots, buying my own supply - young lad on the till blushed crimson when he saw them and was made even worse when he had to ring and ask someone to check the price - and the female staff member shouted from the end of the row of tills - "what is it for?" he just waved the pack in the air and I pretended it was nothing to do with me !!!

As well as making you walk like John Wayne, Dr White's used to make a creaking noise as you walked! I thought everybody could hear it and would not go to my friend's house as I had a huge crush on her older brother and was so embarrassed. Was also told not to have a bath at that time of month, as the blood would rush back up to the head causing 'mental problems'.

This information came from my mum, who was given a long strip of material, which was pinned to the front and back of her vest and her mum told her, "You'll be like that till you're 50 and don't go with boys!"

My mum also believed that men had only one working testicle - the other was just for balance!

My mum told me about periods before I went off to boarding school, aged 11. She never mentioned sex or how to conceive babies; we learned about that in biology class at school but it was purely technical with no mention of emotions or relationships.

The Republic of Ireland was very Roman Catholic in the 60s and contraception was illegal. However, Protestants could go to a Protestant GP and get The Pill to "regulate their cycle" & that's what my Mum did. Everyone else had to go up to Northern Ireland and buy supplies of condoms!
By the way, I used to get sent with the notes to buy STs when I was primary school age as well, not knowing what it was about but feeling embarrassed nevertheless. What were all our mothers thinking?!

When I was little I remember I used to use my mums STs as a mask ( putting the loops over my ears) when pretending to be a nurse.
Years later I was a casualty nurse, and often when puting a mask on I thought with a smile of those STs

Bluebell it was the same in our house, we had to hide them then when my dad was out burn them on the open fire. It was such a taboo subject.

This thread has reminded me of the time I wrapped a used ST in toilet paper and tucked it up my sleeve to dispose of downstairs - I had been tearing them up and flushing them down the toilet but was told this could block it.
Later on whilst out in the car - waiting for my husband to fill up with petrol - I waived to a friend and, to my horror, realised I still the wrapped ST up my sleeve!! .

DanniRae

You can bet your life if that had been me, the ST would have flown out like a missle with the momentum !

My husband, when he was a film/photography student at what was then Oxford Poly, was commissioned by the Family Planning Association and made a short film (along with others from his course) called "Have you got a male assistant, please miss". It was a fun little item about a young couple who wanted to have sex but realised they needed condoms and the lead boy was trying to overcome the embarrassment of buying them. This was back in 1972-3 or so. Strangely, about 5 years ago the film somehow surfaced again for a TV prog about changing sexual mores over the past few decades. Kirsty Young came to our house with a film crew and interviewed us both. How much times have changed, thank goodness! I also remember buying what my mother called 'things' at the local wool shop. It was all whispers and brown paper bags.

Bohemian, that is so funny???
Tricia x

boheminan your story reminds me of one my friend told me years ago.
Her sister was about 3 and was in their garden wearing her mums ST in exactly the same way. Unfortunately the local vicar chose that moment to call on them, saw the child with the ST on her head and whether he was short sighted or just trying to cover his embarrassment said “That’s a lovely hairband you’ve got on”.

Cue ? and ??‍♀️??‍♂️ all round.

Only got to page 2 and I was wondering if anybody else's mum did what my mum did! Thank you Fennel and Daisyma. My mum used old sheets torn up into rags, she would boil them up in a galvanised bucket on the Gas cooker and hang them on the little line outside the back door- couldn't put them on main line neighbours might see! And they were always off the line before dad came home from work, dry and wrapped in a brown paper bag tucked in the peg bag in the cupboard. I knew what they were for and was so afraid that I'd be expected to do the same but when the time came she gave me a sanitary belt and hook on pads. I guess we must have been quite poor for her to still be doing that in the 60s. My big sister introduced me to tampons later thank goodness.

Love these funny lines. My friend used to get her wee brother to go into the shop to buy the necessary. Years later he was furious about it. Rotten thing to do.

I once had a boss ( who was also a friend)- a good bit younger then me- who asked me to get him some condoms when I was in supermarket as he was too shy to buy them. He had split up with his wife some months before & was just starting a new relationship.
I got them & took them back to office where I lobbed them across the room at him & said 'here are your condoms as requested' in a loud voice. He never asked me again. (& we are still friends! And he is still married to the new lady)

It doesn't bear thinking about does it: Our poor mothers and grandmas, except perhaps they didn't have so many periods because they were always pregnant.

I was mortified staying in a house in France, au famille, when I had my period (how many euphemisms are there?).
My Hostess knocked on my bedroom door and brought me something I'd tried to flush down the loo. It was a used tampon. I got quite a telling off for blocking her drains but she didn't seem at all embarrassed.

We were surprised when in training the Cpl started appeared in our bedroom with a load of what looked like small mattresses but were giant sized STs and started doling them out. We tried to refuse them by saying we had our own, but she explained we must use them for cleaning duties as no one wanted them.

KatyK that is the funniest thing I heard all week ! Only just managed to swallow my coffee before roaring with giggles.

STs made good bike cleaners lol

Joke: A boy is starting a new job in sales at a department store. Manager says ‘here’s a customer watch me!’ ‘Hello can I help you ? Oh yes we have grass seed and can I interest you in a lawn mower?’ He sells him grass seed and a lawn mower. Manager says ‘see lad, that’s how it’s done, instead of just a £1 for grass seed I sold him a £100 mower. Here’s a customer you try’. Boys says ‘ Can I help you ? Oh a packet of ST’s , ofcourse and can I interest you in a lawn mower? ‘. The man replies ‘what on earth do I want a lawn mower for?’ The lad say ‘well you’re in for a lousy weekend you might as well mow the grass!’

Pad and belt for me and then later the plastic pants with poppers. I remember mum getting hers from under the counter in the drapers. All quite hush hush. I am sure they were called Meme or similar and possibly had a pink and white stripe on the packet. I wonder if anyone can tell me if my memory is correct with this?

KatyK, your story about your husband made me laugh out loud. I have a couple about my husband. When he was a little boy Dr Kildare was very popular and he gave his mother a terrible shock to see him in the garden with his friends pretending to be Dr Kildare by putting an ST over his mouth and looping the ends over his ears. Years later, in 1991 when our first born was a new baby, I was unable to feed him so he had to be bottle fed. My husband accidentally mispronounced the word test, asking the poor young assistant in a very large branch of Boots where she kept her t*ts!

Teat not test