Prudish 60s

I honestly can't remember how we managed for sanitary towels and the like when I was gel living at home. Recently however I was shopping and DS3 happened to be with me and he unself-consciously threw a packet of condoms into the trolley as we passed them.

I suppose it was cheaper getting Mum to pay for those than the possible alternative!

My mother used to send me for STs with a note too, but always told me to ask if they were cotton wool.

Periods were never mentioned, only 'what every woman has'. I thought she meant babies!

Going off topic a bit here (but it's interesting to relive memories of childhood shopping). Mum sent me to the chemist with a note to pick up an embrocation prescription for her legs. The chemist made it up, sat it on the counter and left. It must have been about the time I was learning to read because I felt so proud of myself to have read 'NOT TO BE TAKEN' on the label - so I left it. Mother was not amused.

I worked in a large chemist and condoms were kept under the counter,they started to display them on the counter in the 70s, we had loads of letters of complaints after that.

We had a visit from a nurse at school in 1st or 2nd year high school who talked about intimate things such as periods. We were not advised to use tampons until we were married! True.
Luckily even my DM was a bit more liberated than that.

When I was nursing in the 60s sanitary towels were always referred to as 'bunnies' Nanabilly

Ridiculous, isn't it? Periods were a dirty secret in the 1960s - let's pretend they don't happen.
Mum used to go to Jane's wool shop and request, 'a packet of Dr White's please,' and my sister and I being curious would ask what they were.
'I don't know,' was the puzzling answer.
'How can you buy something if you don't know what it is?' we asked innocently.
'You'll find out when you're a big girl' was added.
Jane the wool shop lady would say, 'and when you find out you'll wish you hadn't.'
Men don't know they're born do they?

I used to buy tampons in a local Spar, many moons ago. There was a more mature lady on the tills She'd been there forever. Every time I purchased these 'offensive' little items, her lips would purse up and she'd frantically reach down for a brown paper bag. Then make a massive deal about putting the box in the bag.

I did say once that I didn't really need the brown paper bag. The look she gave me. I think she had me down as a brazen hussy.

And she never stopped putting them in a bag

I wish I had the courage to buy condoms in 1979....or maybe I don't.

I remember gathering courage to buy condoms.....in the70s!

She also gave me a little booklet about the birds and bees before I started my periods but she had carefully sellotaped the chapters after the period bit and I was so obedient I never even tried to undo it
I never did get shown the rest of the booklet

When my son went to university he lived in a unisex hall and I was pleased to see a huge box of Tampax on display in the toilets. Nowadays my DIL has the same in their otherwise male household. Much healthier than pretending it doesn't happen!

My mum showed me how to wrap my used STs in newspaper and said ‘whatever you do you must never let your Dad see these’
Seems so funny nowadays

Bless him gilly He said he thought they were towels for the bathroom.

I can remember squirming with embarrassment having to buy my own sanitary towels from our local chemist. I always hoped I'd be served by the other, less intimidating man.
There were no women serving in that shop. I hoped I could buy other things and just add the personal items on as an afterthought.
Wasn't I silly! I am so glad our DC and DGC are not like I was. Maybe they have their own hangups and fears.
I think you had to pin the sts with safety pins unless you had a special belt or knickers!
Women's underwear were a taboo subject growing up which my DS and I would speculate about.
The idea of a thong sounds painful to me.

Oh that's priceless KatyK

My DH had seen his mum buying sanitary towels in Woolworths. He had no idea what they were, he just knew his mum bought them. So he bought her some, wrapped them and gave them to her for her birthday.

boheminan I did the same thing but I played doctors and nurses when I found them lol. I was send with a note to the shops with ST written on it too, just the way things were in those days. We are far more liberated now a days but not sure if we are far to liberated, well maybe the younger generation are. A lot of these things stay with you as you grow older.

My little grandson opened the bathroom door, just as I was taking my pants down, ready for a wee. He was so shocked. He said "Nan, you've got BIG knickers, my mum has teeny knickers". She wears thongs.

My dad once sent me to the local Chemist with a note which had ANUSOL written in massive block capital letters (he was always a terrible writer). Thinking I as far too big to hand over the note I proudly read it out to the girl behind the counter.

Happily skipping home with the box in hand thinking how clever I was , I read some of the blurb on the box and was mortified !

When I worked in a supermarket a small boy came to me with a note from his mummy with some money wrapped up inside the note. The note read " can you send my little boy home with some bunny rabbits please"
I sent him home with a pack of "Always " sanitary towels.. She never came back so I probably guessed correctly.

Boheminan ?

Brings back a memory to me of when I found my mothers box of ST's, didn't know what they were - thought they must be something to do with dressing up, so looped one over my ears like a little hat and spent the afternoon playing mummies & daddies with it on. Mother was mortified!!