Prudish 60s

I've got two stories about STs.

1. My aunt has still not got over the mortification of her brother (my father) and his friends putting chloroform on one of her STs to anaesthetise a cat (Neither of them can remember why they were trying to do that, or thinks that part of the story at all strange!)

2. An ex boyfriend told me that when he was little his mum sent he and his brother to the shop to get STs. They went to the chemist and asked for a packet of jam butties (which were seemingly how they were referred to in their house!)

Well yes, Paddyann things have gone to the other extreme which definitely isn't good either.
But we shouldn't have been made to feel so embarrassed.

I dont think it was prudish ,people were just more private then .Sometimes I'd quite like folk to keep things to themselves instead of platering health issues and bodily functions all over social media .

I don't suppose I shall ever truly escape my very prudish Northern upbringing - even reading this thread made me wiggle a bit with remembered embarrassments.
(Thanks Mum !! )
I must have grown out of some of the inhibitions though because I once looped an ST on each knob of the attic door to stop it banging in the wind and wakening everyone.
Got into BIG trouble for that one.

My mother would have died rather than discuss anything even vaguely personal, let alone 'the curse'.
We wore knickers to bed and by the time I was 3 it was well ingrained in me never to show my bottom (such as in a somersaults or horsing around).

By contrast, when I had a friend who worked for the Prostitutes Collective (https://www.nzpc.org.nz/) and had free access to all manner of protectives, I was able to get boxes which I presented to my younger son, still in high school.

We've always had a close relationship and it didn't faze me to say, 'just in case you need them'. He thought I was the only Mum who gave a teenaged son condoms but when you have to be both Mum and Dad to growing boys, you take over Dad's role as well.

'

I remember going to the doctor in 1972 and he told me I could go to the health clinic and get some condoms. The lady there filled my hands with a large assortment all free.. I sent my friend to her as well. Happy days ?

As my mum had a drapery/haberdashery shop we sold ST's so when it was time for me to use them I didn't suffer the embarrassment of buying them. I had a choice of the belt and loop Dr Whites and the one with the stud fastening which I seem to remember were called Nikita. I was never allowed to use Tampax though being told they were only for married women. Consequently when I was desperate to try them like my friends I had to sneak down to the shop and put a packet up my jumper! Everything had to be wrapped in paper and put in the fire (or the dustbin in the summer).

On another subject being married so young and pregnant we'd never had to buy condoms until after the baby was born. My husband saw an advert in the paper and sent for some - when the box arrived it had a gross (144) in it - we never did live that one down with friends who thought it was hilarious

When we were little I remember my mother putting these white rolled up things into the open fire, holding them there with the poker until they burned... Acouple of times I saw blood on them and thought that when you get to be a grown up you must have too much blood..... Hahaha wrong!

When my turn came she bought me like a plastic knicker contraption , with press studs that linked through the holes in the pad.... as soon as I considered my self old enough I bought tampons, when my sister started her period there was only us two in the house at the time so I threw her a few tampons and the leaflet....

My Italian doctor told me that when she was an innocent, fresh-faced 16 year old she had visited London on holiday. One day she went into Harrods looking for small gifts to take back to Italy. Everything was so expensive! Then she saw some dear little cardboard packages with the Harrods logo - I think she thought they contained chocolate. She dumped a pile of these at the cash desk but the male cashier looked very puzzled. He looked from her to the packages and then back at her and asked "Are you SURE you want these?" "Oh, yes!" she replied proudly.....They were condoms!

Was Doctor White a real person I wonder??‍⚕️
Remember seeing the adverts in magazines for Tampax-
No belts, no pins, no pads, no odour.
Being young and naive had no idea what belts and pins had to do with odour. What a puzzle.

My mother kept her boxes of Tampax in the bathroom cupboard.
I used to get the box out and read the leaflet and look at the diagram of how you inserted one.
When my turn came and I was given a packet of Dr Whites and a belt I was pretty confused.

I was 15, well used to sanitary towels which my mum used to buy for me, but when my neighbour asked me to buy a box of Tampax for her, I was horribly embarrassed. I wasn't quite sure how they worked! My mum was embarrassed on my behalf too. Oh dear! Do I miss the 1950s? Frankly, no!

I was the youngest of us 4 girl cousins. The eldest wanted to show me something in her room. It was a frilly suspender belt for holding up stockings, but being ignorant as well as easily embarrassed I thought it was something to do with sanitary towels and wondered why would she be showing me!
I was longing to grow up and be mysterious like her. It's strange how the bits of information are acquired.
In my case, sister and cousins were the best source but there were few boys around. There's probably a lot I still don't know.

I remember my mum asking me to collect ST's for her friend and neighbour, auntie Edie. I was horrified and embarrassed, but went, as you didn't disobey your mum, did you?

The time mum showed me ST's and the little belt, I wasn't sure how it all went together, and thought, " how on earth do I get my legs through those tiny loops?"

Didn't the ubiquitous Dr White write a little pamphlet on growing up and feeling different ( or words to that effect).

I suppose he have to be Dr inclusive/non binary/heritage neutral now.

When I was about 11 my mother handed me a book about The Facts Of Life. It was very vague, I don't think periods were mentioned at all. Conception explained about an egg and a sperm joining together but no actual detail about how this might happen. I didn't bother to ask my mother about because I took it for granted that she wouldn't know either!

ninathenana - as far as I remember, we always had a coal fire going in our living room/kitchen and just chucked them into that.
Later in life we had some Russian girls staying with us who just used rags, They were rinsed and laundered and re-used.

In my first year at secondary school, a friend lent me a little book belonging to her older sister which explained not only periods, but also how babies were made. What an eye opener! Can remember thinking, “Oh, so THAT’S what happens!
Mum had never told me anything, but somehow we were always expected to “behave”.

Worth sharing agnurse

OP, contrast that with something my father's colleague did. He wanted to get something to use to collect the vaginal secretions from cows (veterinary researcher). He decided tampons would work. So he went to the store and bought the biggest box of tampons he could find - and opted not to get a bag! There he was, walking down the street, with this ginormous box of tampons.

From what I understand, his wife was about ready to kill him.

Sorry, off-topic, but the contrast was too funny not to share!

Not as bad as the time I came home from school and saw 2 lil-lets pinned to the back kitchen ceiling. Mum had put DDT powder on them to deter the flies.
She hadn't known what they were as only used to seeing the ST's, except these were what I'd bought to use during PE lessons.

I was the oldest girl in my primary school. We had a male teacher whose wife took another class. One break time she sent me to the local village chemist with a note for some sanitary towels.I was chuffed to have been chosen but I don't think any teacher would dare to do that now and my mother certainly was not worried.

Not STs Bluebelle but when I'd had DS1 and my milk was coming in, I sent the poor man into Mothercare to buy me an enormous bra. By the time he brought it in to the nursing home, my boobs had shrunk back so much he had to return it. I'll bet there were giggles.

I love your story Bohemian about Not to be taken

These stories are hilarious. If my husband wasn't napping I'd be laughing out loud.?

What a strange time we lived in.

Bluebelle my mum would leave hers wrapped in newspaper in the grate in the bedroom (unused fire) she told me to add mine. Dad would take them to the bottom of the garden and burn them. Nothing secret about it in our house.
Did anyones DH go and buy STs for them ? Mine sometimes had to (very heavy periods) and he was fine with it.

What a responsible boy you have there JackyB .

I wouldn't have been able to contain my laughter .