She held up a modern invention called a "Combination" which is a chemise (top) and the pantelettes (bottom) sewn together. This was the later Victorian Era I have also seen them with a drop seat flap with buttons for closure. When repairing very old dolls, it was useful to know all this stuff to stay acurate. Doll Doctor here, lol !.
About 25 years ago there was a website called the menstrual museum. It was run by a man. And that’s the first time that I discovered menstrual cups. In addition to sanitary belts with pads, they used to use those like 100 years ago. They were made out of rubber.
The cups have made a comeback. I know a few women who use them. You just empty them into the toilet, rinse and reinsert. No waste to go in a bin to landfill.
@@fionaanderson5796 When? They came back into fashion in the '90s! Washable pads and underwear are the newest, "fads," but there's always some kind of trend in ladies' sanitary wear. lol
@@katherinewilson1853 I guess we're always looking for better solutions, but our ideas of "better" keep changing - easier, less washing, less waste, nothing to clean up, more comfortable, less leakage... It's like we can get some but never all the things we need.
I go commando so often that I can say that never seems to be a problem. You may notice some on the inside of a skirt where you sit down if it's close to your period or if you've just had a "romantic encounter" but otherwise it stays put (as intended) until you visit a bathroom to wipe. My theory is that since there's no fabric or panty liner up against it and rubbing it simply has no reason to be a nuisance.
One of my cancan dancers came to me with eyes like saucers when she learned about split drawers. I assured her that was where I drew the line on historical accuracy…
During the dance they swirled the petticoats so that nothing is could _really_ be seen - it was just teasing. But in the end they turn around and lift all the layers, showing everything...
@@TP-gm6hx Think the way they danced in Moulin Rouge in Paris (haven't seen the film named after it, but the place is internationally known), or also in taverns in the wild wild west. Girls in a row, raising legs and swirling the skirts. What not everyone knows they indeed showed their bare buttocks to the audience in the end. I think it was not just the end of the dance, but end of the show.
Your grandmother in the 70’s. Yikes, that ages me. I had a sanitary belt when I was 13 (1977) - well thinks me watching this - that’s ridiculous, grandmothers from the 1970’s…but wait…I am almost 60 and am, in fact, a grandmother, so she’s right. How did I get so old so quickly!
my mum is older than you and shes not a grandmother nor will she be one any time soon. Don't worry, pretty much no one watching this video has a grandmother your age lol. i dont know why she thinks people would.
@@lunaskisses eat LOTS of pastries. dont spend tons of money on skincare or worrying about wrinkles or whatever it rots your soul. wear that ball gown to the supermarket. dont smoke dont vape wear a mask
@@Levacque yes. But they took less baths so their whole body would get sweaty and dirty. So they basically had a full body gown underneath to keep their dirt and sweat and natural oils off of their clothes. Then you could wash the clothes a lot less, and just wash the under wear
@@amberv9424 their outer garments were also less washable so even when bathing became a lot more common chemises stayed in fashion until clothes became super washable & washing machines were invented
I mean that IS way dirtier than any dirty dancing we do today I don't see anyone taking tit or other bits out for moves but cancan was the era of free the bush I spose
Sanitary belts made in the 1950s we're essentially thick elastic with a middle-clasp hanging down in front and a metal clasp hanging in back. Sanitary pads of the day did not have adhesive. They had wings in the front and the back that looped through the metal pieces. Unfortunately the pads could move while you were wearing them and the metal pieces could be cold in the winter. Also, your pubic hair could get stuck in the metal clasp. Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun till daddy took the T-bird away
@@StrawberryAquathis is like 70% of why I fully switched to fabric pads, once you have the no-adhesive experience it makes some of the fabric-pad drawbacks seem less problematic.
@@fionaanderson5796the pads i used to use had some insane adhesive, which was nice because they stuck to even slippery undies but also it was like getting waxed but worse
I made myself a set for the renaissance fest because the SKIRTS. The thing she didn't mention is that these things help avoid the chafing that comes with wearing long skirts/heat. Wiping isn't remotely a problem, as I had originally feared. 10/10 would recommend for when giant skirts and corsetry are involved.
Lucky pig. I love that style myself, but in my historical family photos, none of the women are dressed like that. It's possible that in the past we were poor farmers, where the women also had to help with the animal husbandry and thus did not dress like the nobel women.
My great-grandmother used a sanitary belt in the 1870s. The improvement was the development of the disposable sanitary pad -- my grandmother told me in 1970 she had to use rags when she was my age. So, while complaining about the pads I found out why the monthly flow was referred to as being "on the rag" 😲🤯
My mother introduced me to the belt in the 1980s. I became aware that friends had adhesive pads and said they were better but my mother refused to get them for me. It wasn't til my late teens when the belt pads were discontinued that I got to swap. And the adhesive were sooo much better. Way less messy as they stay in place much better, although a belt that fitted me rather than my much larger mother might have helped that.
Same here, I was born in 1978! And maybe my grandma used sanitary belts, she was also born in the 30'. Really, girl, you're so young that you think the 70' are pre-historic?
Also, underwear were meant to keep your clothes separated from your body. Washing the outer dress/garments wasn't a regular thing; normally it'd be a spot-clean. The closer the clothes were to your body, the more often they'd need to be washed thanks to sweat, body oils, etc. so underclothes were meant to be that first, most-washed layer. With how small our underclothes are now and how tight our clothes are, it kind of misses the point lol the only things modern underwear do are save the most sensitive skin from chafing against the rougher seams/fabrics of our outer garments, and save the outer garments from the worst of our sweat/discharge/etc.
Evaporation. Do it the modern way by cramming a gusset right up against the body, layer it with tight clothing made of polyester, and remove the moisture-wicking pubic hair, and BAM, swamp crotch and crusty undies! But have no fabric squeezed between the legs, have the fabric that is there be super thin and breathable, keep the moisture -wicking hair, and POOF most of it evaporates! Then you just need to wash off the little bit dried leftover with a basin and rag regularly, and it's all good. 😊
No....most undies have a breathable cotton crotch. There are pros and cons to pubic hair. You still have the problem of discharge, tiny bladder leaks, etc....that's not going to magically evaporate before it goes all over your upper thighs. Gross, especially if you're not bathing every day.
I don't think they had as much worry over discharge specifically because of how voluminous all the lower garments were. Not only was there more fabric to the drawers than modern underwear, serving to more effectively wick away moisture rather than keep that moisture right next to your bits, but the excess petticoats mean you have little to no fear of anybody getting an embarrassing glimpse of any stains. In addition to that, before pads and panty liners, there is ample evidence that individual women had all sorts of individual approaches to heavy discharge or spotting. Just doing what they had to do, especially since sanitary belts were a bit of a taboo for decades and difficult to find if you didn't know a woman who sold them like Tupperware.
Yeah, I remember that sanitary belt from the 1970s. Big, clunky, pain in my butt. When tampons came out I was so nervous about using them because I thought I would lose my virginity.
For anyone wanting to find out more on how women managed menstruation back in the day, Abby Cox made a great video about how they handled it in the 18th century. She even tries it out herself 😊
My grandma was way past that on the 70s. But great to know my great grandmother had crotchless bloomers. She was born in 1887 but as a kid I never thought to ask about Victorian underwear.
I wear sari every day and let me tell you I’m not a a big fan of underpants (they always hurt some way or another. Though because of the length and petticoat etc. I am not flashing ANYBODY ANYTHING. For the curious: the petticoat is changed every day, similarly to how drawers or combinations would be changed every day :) Also, now imagine the famous Can-can girls throwing their legs up in open crotch drawers and you may understand WHY this dance was and for THAT matter is so scandalous
@@fakefakefake7952 ok, very simply: you grab everything from the bottom up as if you were wearing a skirt, lift it up, gather it in the front, do your business and good. You just lift everything out of the way. That’s all. Don’t overthink it :)
I had the belts in the 80s. Flimsy elastic, oversize (my mother was convinced I was bigger than her, despite what the tape measure said), pads moved around, twisted sideways, pulled my knickers down, mess everywhere... Thank goodness they eventually stopped manufacturing the pads with the tails on and mother was forced to swap to buying adhesives.
Bahahahaha! My mom (your grandma probably) was already wearing Kotex and using tampons in the 70s. However…in 1979, MY grandma (your great grandma, probably) pulled out her sanitary belt and napkins and showed me how it worked. So yeah, sticky pads and tampons looked a lot more appealing than those contraptions with buckles and what not on them! 😂
They have those pants still in China for the kids, though maybe less in the bigger cities now. Even in winter, you will see small kids, that are wearing multiply layers of thick clothes, but nothing on the private parts 😂
And usually boys wear them more, because they are "boys" lol my mum used to tell me that in the country side. Ducks and geese oftens tries to peck on the little boys thinking they are worms 😂
As someone replied in another comment, it’s actually not good for vaginal health that underwear and clothes are basically attached to the body, because there’s no breathing room and ofc modern fabrics are basically plastic. I assume that with the amazing airflow that those drawers allowed, the discharge would not end up on the clothes because everything would be less humid. Also makes it much easier to not get a yeast infection
@@lfior thats my issue, i try to wear as much cotton underwear as I can, but they just never fit correctly! no matter the shape I get, I always get wedgies, so I often cave and use my polyester ones that have that tape on the ends that help keep them in place. great for coverage and non -moving, but bad for the body. But i try to compensate by wearing dresses or loose pants.
Well I would think it offered an environment that didn’t promote yeast infections like I’ve heard pantyhose did. Wow! Ouch! Grandmothers of the 1970s. But it was also the time when a feminine hygiene product came out that was uptight, out of sight and in the groove, aka, tampons. It’s also the lyrics to a song.
The point of all underwear is to eliminate friction between the skin and the outer layer of clothing; that, and to create a barrier between the sweat-emitting skin and the heavy, hard-to-wash outer layers. It is the same exact reason that people use bedsheets.
As fir the can can dance- men weren’t simply looking at women’s nether parts, they were looking at STRANGERS’ nether parts. They were often married men looking. Ok, resume gagging.
I was with you until you said grandma in the 1970s 😂 My grandma was born in the 20s; I was born in the 70s. My one grandchild is more interested in Pokémon than Victorian drawers - he’s 6. Totally not offended - just a glimpse into how old my kids think I am.
Okay we're gonna clear this Up, There were sanitary pads that had the glue stripe thing that you put in your pants about the mid to late 60s we weren't wearing. Sanitary belts through the whole 60s, but the 70s. You weren't wearing the belts at all.🎉
“The exact same device your gramma was using in the 1970” um you mean my mom or big sister?! Girl my gramma was a gramma in the 70’s . Im only a millennial but you just made me feel old in 10 different ways 💀💀💀
This is referenced In the Victorian publication The Pearl, pt. 2 of that story about SUB-UMBRA, OR SPORT AMONG THE SHE-NOODLES. Please don't look it up
1970’s???? LOL We were using peel and stick pads and fancy plastic covered tampons in the 70’s!!! I think you mean “it’s what your grandma used in the 60s and prior”.
They had toilets in every room, lived boyars life. You cant comprehend, it was taboo and numbing joyous desire to engage in going to toilet so it was private as this was so people thought less to it and more to actual relationship, love , morals. It was also shameful not cleaning your personal room toilet. No waiting, no loitering, no conversing with devious people like today in toilets...You knew it was yours and didnt have to think to your stomach reflexes much and would have stomach delays
My pantalettes are my FAV undergarment! It is so comfy and very easy to use the "facilities. I once had a reenactment in December that called for an Edwardian Dress, so I DEFINITELY wore my pantalettes. Suffice to say, I was the only guest wearing them (even some of the Period actors weren't wearing them!). I had another guest ask me how I managed to get in and out of the bathroom in under 5 minutes wearing historical clothing. I looked at her confused until I realised what she wasn't wearing, lol So I lifted my skirt and showed her my pantalettes (to the knees). She gasped "Is that Victorian Underwear?" "Yep indeed, and with my pantalettes I can pull up my skirt and go to the bathroom without removing my gown. Toodles" She was stunned
And THAT'S why the cancan was so risque. In modern times, we look at the dance and think, "people would really get that excited over girls flashing their legs"? Nah, son. They had different underwear, back then. They were getting flashed way more than that. (^o^)
Sanitary belts were out by the 1970s. Think 1960s and earlier. The drawers .. it helps to spread them apart as you do your business. Depending on torso length the combinations do not touch the nether area when worn. Actually, with the long skirts and esp corset, no way modern panties make sense. Combinations allow complete access without exposing your entire bottom like modern. Would be great on hikes.
Thank you. Love history. I'm one generation away from the 30s insanity. My mother talked about her childhood . People make fun of the honor people went through the war time and didn't realize the show thing was real. They gave up important things for the war!!! They were heroes. Now how about how the people handled WW1 and how it changed dress, food , housing. What was available to people or not available.
To be fair, it's best for our feminine parts not to be smothered by layers of fabric. So basically, the 18th century and earlier underwear which consisted of just skirts (no pants at all) is much, mich healthier than underwear + tight trousers like we often do today. Less air means more sweat and more bacteria, more sweat and bacteria means more smell and more chance of infection. That's why it's best not to wear pads when you're not actually on your period - the synthetic material doesn't allow any air to go through.
"Well, Vicar. May I say that it was such a frightfully good service you performed today? My husband has invited you round for tea and scones at our house for twelve o'clock. I do hope you can make it." "Thank you, Mrs Moffat. I shall be gracious enough to acce...p...t?? I say. Are the drains stopped up again?" "Oh never fear. I just went. If you know what I mean. Anyway, see you then, Vicar. Toodle do. And er... Sorry for the mess."
![Lets redesign Marinette!! [this took 3 years to make]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cgXLx4jklZU/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lets redesign Marinette!! [this took 3 years to make]](/img/tr.png)
The whole "only riding sidesaddle" thing makes a lot more sense now
Oh yeah
Chapped legs riding aside would suck!
Haha, I never thought of that!😂
She held up a modern invention called a "Combination" which is a chemise (top) and the pantelettes (bottom) sewn together. This was the later Victorian Era
I have also seen them with a drop seat flap with buttons for closure. When repairing very old dolls, it was useful to know all this stuff to stay acurate. Doll Doctor here, lol !.
Hoo eww ohh umm yo
About 25 years ago there was a website called the menstrual museum. It was run by a man. And that’s the first time that I discovered menstrual cups. In addition to sanitary belts with pads, they used to use those like 100 years ago. They were made out of rubber.
Women also used sea sponges in Polynesian cultures
Oh yes, natural sea sponges work quite well@@ah5721
The cups have made a comeback. I know a few women who use them. You just empty them into the toilet, rinse and reinsert. No waste to go in a bin to landfill.
@@fionaanderson5796 When? They came back into fashion in the '90s! Washable pads and underwear are the newest, "fads," but there's always some kind of trend in ladies' sanitary wear. lol
@@katherinewilson1853 I guess we're always looking for better solutions, but our ideas of "better" keep changing - easier, less washing, less waste, nothing to clean up, more comfortable, less leakage... It's like we can get some but never all the things we need.
Can attest to all of this from plenty of direct experience 😊
Makes complete sense
SHE IS A OLD SOUL LOOK AT THOSE BEAUTIFUL EYES
Your grandma in the 1970's hit different... made me think... 🤔
Great 👍🏾 🙋🏽♀️
There’s prolly no real answer to this, but what would they do about discharge?
I go commando so often that I can say that never seems to be a problem. You may notice some on the inside of a skirt where you sit down if it's close to your period or if you've just had a "romantic encounter" but otherwise it stays put (as intended) until you visit a bathroom to wipe. My theory is that since there's no fabric or panty liner up against it and rubbing it simply has no reason to be a nuisance.
Yeah, evaporation. If it's not caught in a gusset, and if you have hair, it will be wicked away and dried, just like sweat!
@@beckywszalek726. Some people have a lot of discharge… so that doesn’t fully answer the question tbh.
@@SlavaZone. That’s not always the case. Some people have a lot of discharge.
@@junebunny0712or just different textures depending on where in your cycle you are.
How did they "attend to their needs" with a sanitary belt on?
Like your Gramma in the 70’s?!?!
Yikes! Gramma? Me?!?
And now you might understand the "can can dance"
One of my cancan dancers came to me with eyes like saucers when she learned about split drawers. I assured her that was where I drew the line on historical accuracy…
omg 😂
Lol I just posted the same
I always thought they were just really excited to see women's long bloomers 😂
@@tiffanygattis1980 “ankles…” 🤣
These are also the reason the can-can was so risqué it wasnt just seeing up the skirt you could see their whole business
Except for “Nini of the Beautiful Thighs” whom I believe wasn’t wearing any bloomers when she walked on her hands…and earned her nickname.
During the dance they swirled the petticoats so that nothing is could _really_ be seen - it was just teasing. But in the end they turn around and lift all the layers, showing everything...
What is can can dance?
@@TP-gm6hx Think the way they danced in Moulin Rouge in Paris (haven't seen the film named after it, but the place is internationally known), or also in taverns in the wild wild west. Girls in a row, raising legs and swirling the skirts. What not everyone knows they indeed showed their bare buttocks to the audience in the end. I think it was not just the end of the dance, but end of the show.
As my mother said, “you could see their tonsils”
Your grandmother in the 70’s. Yikes, that ages me. I had a sanitary belt when I was 13 (1977) - well thinks me watching this - that’s ridiculous, grandmothers from the 1970’s…but wait…I am almost 60 and am, in fact, a grandmother, so she’s right. How did I get so old so quickly!
I just turned 66 last week and am wondering HOW in the he'll that happened!
this scares me. I'm already 22, almost 23. any advice?
my mum is older than you and shes not a grandmother nor will she be one any time soon. Don't worry, pretty much no one watching this video has a grandmother your age lol. i dont know why she thinks people would.
@@lunaskisses eat LOTS of pastries. dont spend tons of money on skincare or worrying about wrinkles or whatever it rots your soul. wear that ball gown to the supermarket. dont smoke dont vape wear a mask
I started menstruating in 1976 and by then (thankfully!) sanitary pads had just started having adhesive strips. But, wow, did they leak!
A lot of it was also to keep a layer between you and your clothes. Keeping your clothes protected from sweat or dirty on your body
Yeah exactly, and what do people think modern underwear accomplishes, if not to protect your pants from your dirtiest bits?
@@LevacqueWell also support for your junk/your chest
@@Levacque yes. But they took less baths so their whole body would get sweaty and dirty. So they basically had a full body gown underneath to keep their dirt and sweat and natural oils off of their clothes. Then you could wash the clothes a lot less, and just wash the under wear
Ohhh lolz right Ahh
@@amberv9424 their outer garments were also less washable so even when bathing became a lot more common chemises stayed in fashion until clothes became super washable & washing machines were invented
And I believe you mentioned earlier that this shows why dancing the CanCan was considered so racy
OOOOOHHH it all makes sense now 😂😂
I mean that IS way dirtier than any dirty dancing we do today
I don't see anyone taking tit or other bits out for moves but cancan was the era of free the bush I spose
Oh yes! This is a total game changer in understanding that
@@username-unavailableIt was done only in a very few selected places that were morally condemned by the majority, though
Sanitary belts made in the 1950s we're essentially thick elastic with a middle-clasp hanging down in front and a metal clasp hanging in back. Sanitary pads of the day did not have adhesive. They had wings in the front and the back that looped through the metal pieces. Unfortunately the pads could move while you were wearing them and the metal pieces could be cold in the winter. Also, your pubic hair could get stuck in the metal clasp. Fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun till daddy took the T-bird away
Pubic hair can get caught in adhesive too.
@@StrawberryAquaYeah and it isnt pleasant
@@StrawberryAquathis is like 70% of why I fully switched to fabric pads, once you have the no-adhesive experience it makes some of the fabric-pad drawbacks seem less problematic.
@@StrawberryAqua I've had hairs caught in adhesive and in the metal loops. The metal grips like crazy and will actually pluck hairs out.
@@fionaanderson5796the pads i used to use had some insane adhesive, which was nice because they stuck to even slippery undies but also it was like getting waxed but worse
I made myself a set for the renaissance fest because the SKIRTS.
The thing she didn't mention is that these things help avoid the chafing that comes with wearing long skirts/heat.
Wiping isn't remotely a problem, as I had originally feared. 10/10 would recommend for when giant skirts and corsetry are involved.
Huh
Imagine wiping and not washing
@@aliveslice They were at a ren fest. Those toilets don't typically come with bidets
My brain short-circuited at the words "grandmother" and "1970's" next to each other 😅
Yes, grandmother to me means 1910.
My mom is only 53, born in 1970. Even her mom, my grandma, did not wear those belts 😂
@hopeflynn3930 my mom was also born in 70' lol
Mine was born in the 1930s lol
@AlmaVasquezjr you had a grandma who was menstruating in 1910?
I love the Victorian era. Being the family historian, I found a lot of beautiful pictures of the women in my family dressed in these outfits.
the class people held, the outfits were nearly always Sundays best, and the architecture. just. awesome.
Lucky pig.
I love that style myself, but in my historical family photos, none of the women are dressed like that.
It's possible that in the past we were poor farmers,
where the women also had to help with the animal husbandry and thus did not dress like the nobel women.
@@SushiiiFish people definitely put on the best clothes they had when they took a picture.
I’m also in LOVE with the Victorian era so much, the clothes and architecture was insane 😍
Running water 🌊💦 was not 🚫🚫🚫 available neither was air-conditioning. 😅😅😅😅 neither was a refrigerator full of food 🥝🥑. 😅😅😅
My great-grandmother used a sanitary belt in the 1870s. The improvement was the development of the disposable sanitary pad -- my grandmother told me in 1970 she had to use rags when she was my age. So, while complaining about the pads I found out why the monthly flow was referred to as being "on the rag" 😲🤯
and now we "ride the cotton pony"
"Your grandmother was probably using in the 1970s." Ahem. 1960s. Beltless bads came out in 1972. Which is about when I went beltless. SUCH a relief.
I remember those. And no pantyhose yet. Gawd. How we survived I'll never know.
I started tampons around 1967. That was a life changer!
My mother introduced me to the belt in the 1980s. I became aware that friends had adhesive pads and said they were better but my mother refused to get them for me. It wasn't til my late teens when the belt pads were discontinued that I got to swap. And the adhesive were sooo much better. Way less messy as they stay in place much better, although a belt that fitted me rather than my much larger mother might have helped that.
I was born in the 1970s 😭 You’ve wounded me! (For the record, my mom didn’t even use a sanitary belt, but HER mom, who was born in the 30s, did!)
I used one of those belts when I hit puberty in the '70's. Clearly she's directing her videos toward the youngsters in the audience. :)
She said Grandma, which is what your mum's mum is, so not sure why you're 'wounded' by this?
@@owiepronenot sure, but I think she was just kidding around. 😊
Same here, I was born in 1978! And maybe my grandma used sanitary belts, she was also born in the 30'.
Really, girl, you're so young that you think the 70' are pre-historic?
My mom is a Boomer (born 1953) , and used a sanitary belt, but was relieved when self-adhering pads became widely available.
Also, underwear were meant to keep your clothes separated from your body. Washing the outer dress/garments wasn't a regular thing; normally it'd be a spot-clean. The closer the clothes were to your body, the more often they'd need to be washed thanks to sweat, body oils, etc. so underclothes were meant to be that first, most-washed layer.
With how small our underclothes are now and how tight our clothes are, it kind of misses the point lol the only things modern underwear do are save the most sensitive skin from chafing against the rougher seams/fabrics of our outer garments, and save the outer garments from the worst of our sweat/discharge/etc.
Chinese toddlers wear Split Pants (If I recall the term.) that allow them to just squat and go. Similar design.
For those too embarrassed to ask, I will ask. What about discharge and ovulation tho?!? Period blood isn’t the only thing that comes out of us lol
Evaporation.
Do it the modern way by cramming a gusset right up against the body, layer it with tight clothing made of polyester, and remove the moisture-wicking pubic hair, and BAM, swamp crotch and crusty undies!
But have no fabric squeezed between the legs, have the fabric that is there be super thin and breathable, keep the moisture -wicking hair, and POOF most of it evaporates!
Then you just need to wash off the little bit dried leftover with a basin and rag regularly, and it's all good. 😊
Most modern undies are honestly terrible for letting the bits breathe!! 😂
No....most undies have a breathable cotton crotch. There are pros and cons to pubic hair. You still have the problem of discharge, tiny bladder leaks, etc....that's not going to magically evaporate before it goes all over your upper thighs. Gross, especially if you're not bathing every day.
It's overlapped so probably mostly absorbed.
I don't think they had as much worry over discharge specifically because of how voluminous all the lower garments were. Not only was there more fabric to the drawers than modern underwear, serving to more effectively wick away moisture rather than keep that moisture right next to your bits, but the excess petticoats mean you have little to no fear of anybody getting an embarrassing glimpse of any stains.
In addition to that, before pads and panty liners, there is ample evidence that individual women had all sorts of individual approaches to heavy discharge or spotting. Just doing what they had to do, especially since sanitary belts were a bit of a taboo for decades and difficult to find if you didn't know a woman who sold them like Tupperware.
Yeah, I remember that sanitary belt from the 1970s. Big, clunky, pain in my butt. When tampons came out I was so nervous about using them because I thought I would lose my virginity.
For anyone wanting to find out more on how women managed menstruation back in the day, Abby Cox made a great video about how they handled it in the 18th century. She even tries it out herself 😊
Do you have a link to this? Abby Cox sounds very informative! LOL 🤣
My mum did use a sanitary belt. She was born in 59.
I did, too, and I was born in ‘53.
My grandma was way past that on the 70s.
But great to know my great grandmother had crotchless bloomers. She was born in 1887 but as a kid I never thought to ask about Victorian underwear.
I wear sari every day and let me tell you I’m not a a big fan of underpants (they always hurt some way or another. Though because of the length and petticoat etc. I am not flashing ANYBODY ANYTHING. For the curious: the petticoat is changed every day, similarly to how drawers or combinations would be changed every day :)
Also, now imagine the famous Can-can girls throwing their legs up in open crotch drawers and you may understand WHY this dance was and for THAT matter is so scandalous
@@fakefakefake7952 ok, very simply: you grab everything from the bottom up as if you were wearing a skirt, lift it up, gather it in the front, do your business and good. You just lift everything out of the way. That’s all. Don’t overthink it :)
I from the 1970s era; I personally never used a sanitary belt, but I knew of girls that did. Not the most comfortable things to have to wear.
I had the belts in the 80s. Flimsy elastic, oversize (my mother was convinced I was bigger than her, despite what the tape measure said), pads moved around, twisted sideways, pulled my knickers down, mess everywhere...
Thank goodness they eventually stopped manufacturing the pads with the tails on and mother was forced to swap to buying adhesives.
Bahahahaha! My mom (your grandma probably) was already wearing Kotex and using tampons in the 70s. However…in 1979, MY grandma (your great grandma, probably) pulled out her sanitary belt and napkins and showed me how it worked. So yeah, sticky pads and tampons looked a lot more appealing than those contraptions with buckles and what not on them! 😂
And the next evolution, menstrual cups, disks, and reusable pads.
not every country had access to them
Those belts were still being sold ing the 80s in the uk.
In Canada too
They are still needed, for post childbirth.
I wish I knew about this with my wedding dress !
ufff glad there was poke who asked that because i had the same questionnn, how victorians wiped????????
I'm never going to complain about my underwear again.
They have those pants still in China for the kids, though maybe less in the bigger cities now. Even in winter, you will see small kids, that are wearing multiply layers of thick clothes, but nothing on the private parts 😂
And usually boys wear them more, because they are "boys" lol my mum used to tell me that in the country side. Ducks and geese oftens tries to peck on the little boys thinking they are worms 😂
As someone who basically lives in panty liners due to monthly discharge, how did these ladies do it? Lol.
Same here, it's so annoying! How would you keep yourself dry down there?
@gravyz2cute4u just casually walk like one of those cowboys 🤣 to get the airflow lol.
As someone replied in another comment, it’s actually not good for vaginal health that underwear and clothes are basically attached to the body, because there’s no breathing room and ofc modern fabrics are basically plastic. I assume that with the amazing airflow that those drawers allowed, the discharge would not end up on the clothes because everything would be less humid. Also makes it much easier to not get a yeast infection
@@lfior thats my issue, i try to wear as much cotton underwear as I can, but they just never fit correctly! no matter the shape I get, I always get wedgies, so I often cave and use my polyester ones that have that tape on the ends that help keep them in place. great for coverage and non -moving, but bad for the body. But i try to compensate by wearing dresses or loose pants.
You probably wouldn't have that if the ole girl got some fresh air
Ok gang..,my grandmother's lifespan was 1890-1963.....she used rags and belt. We used pads and belts until mid 1970s, when adhesive pads came out.
That dress is gorgeous! ❤ those belts were still around in the 70s! I guess I'm dating myself, lol! 😂
They were still around in the 80s!
Ok but…do they prevent chub rub? What did my thunder thighed sisters of yore do to protect their delicate inner thighs?
Well I would think it offered an environment that didn’t promote yeast infections like I’ve heard pantyhose did. Wow! Ouch! Grandmothers of the 1970s. But it was also the time when a feminine hygiene product came out that was uptight, out of sight and in the groove, aka, tampons. It’s also the lyrics to a song.
And they just soak up sweat, so the petticoats etc stay clean longer. This underwear is surprisingly, light, airy and still orotectiv. comfortable
It's so weird to have you say, "That your gramma was probably using in the 1970s." And to realize you're talking about me.
Also, it would have been impossible to get out of your clothes once that "girdle" was over top your under clothes
My mother may have worn a "belt" in the 70s ... But so did I ... I was so glad the "belt" disappeared and now we have what we have .. progress?
The point of all underwear is to eliminate friction between the skin and the outer layer of clothing; that, and to create a barrier between the sweat-emitting skin and the heavy, hard-to-wash outer layers.
It is the same exact reason that people use bedsheets.
Excellent comparison.
But what about when they sit down, or when they have discharge?
The pettycoats takes care of that....and you wash the inner one, most often🎉
Love the outfit!
As fir the can can dance- men weren’t simply looking at women’s nether parts, they were looking at STRANGERS’ nether parts. They were often married men looking. Ok, resume gagging.
No 🤸🏻♂️. I don't know how my great grandma kept it together. 🤷🏻♂️
I was with you until you said grandma in the 1970s 😂
My grandma was born in the 20s; I was born in the 70s. My one grandchild is more interested in Pokémon than Victorian drawers - he’s 6. Totally not offended - just a glimpse into how old my kids think I am.
My grandma in the 70s 'I' am from the 70s....LOL
Practical and yet somehow kinda hot! 🔥
You know... If you just cut it down a little, in the right places...😘👍
Poor women.... it still going on with burqas, hijabs, etc
Okay we're gonna clear this Up, There were sanitary pads that had the glue stripe thing that you put in your pants about the mid to late 60s we weren't wearing.
Sanitary belts through the whole 60s, but the 70s. You weren't wearing the belts at all.🎉
We had belted sanitary pads well into the Eighties as well as the adhesive ones here in Canada
My grandma in the 1970s I'm so old lmao
Men's first thought easier access
“Your grandma probably used” my mom used the sanitary belts in the 80’s 😅
That is also how our Civil War Era clothing is.
I love what you're wearing in this video, & your hair looks great, too!😁👍
Get a Sewing dummy or whatever and set it in front of an industrial fan!
Victorian Marlene Monroe lol
FYI...I graduated in 1970 & we all used tampons!!
Sanitary belts were still being used in 1987.
In what country, in Afghanistan?
Canada, for one (altho we had the adhesive ones too)
And horses were drawn in 1955
That's why "pants" is plural
My great auntie told me they called them “picnic pants”. 😂
Also this was obviously no barrier to a quickie out back of the summerhouse.
"...grandma...in the 1970s."
I'm so old.
“The exact same device your gramma was using in the 1970” um you mean my mom or big sister?! Girl my gramma was a gramma in the 70’s . Im only a millennial but you just made me feel old in 10 different ways 💀💀💀
This is referenced In the Victorian publication The Pearl, pt. 2 of that story about SUB-UMBRA, OR SPORT AMONG THE SHE-NOODLES. Please don't look it up
GRANDMA?! 1970???!! My mom was born 1964 and their parents were children in the second world war!!!
No sanitary belts in the 1970ties; pads and tampongs….
Sanitary belts must have been used much earlier, probably by my grandmother (borne year 1900)
😢OMG. My grandmother in the 1970's? My sister in the 1970's. My grandmother retired in 1966. At 65.
I hit puberty in the mid-1970’s and we had regular stick-on sanitary pads and tampons had been available for a while.
It’s also to prevent rubbing of the thighs which can cause quite a lot of pain.
Oh man, that "...the exact same device your grandma was probably using in the 1970s" line kinda hurt. The 1970s weren't that long ago 😂😂😂
Your grandma used in the 1970's...😮 I feel old...🤦
1970’s???? LOL
We were using peel and stick pads and fancy plastic covered tampons in the 70’s!!!
I think you mean “it’s what your grandma used in the 60s and prior”.
Now discussed ladies underwear and can-can🌹.
They had toilets in every room, lived boyars life. You cant comprehend, it was taboo and numbing joyous desire to engage in going to toilet so it was private as this was so people thought less to it and more to actual relationship, love , morals. It was also shameful not cleaning your personal room toilet. No waiting, no loitering, no conversing with devious people like today in toilets...You knew it was yours and didnt have to think to your stomach reflexes much and would have stomach delays
You just look especially beautiful in this! Amazing!
Thank you for clarifying this......" So that a woman can attend to her needs." Hmmmm.........
I'm not confused about the coverage in general, I'm confused about nothing covering openings themselves. All the discharge...??!
But if I AM doing cartwheels... 🤔
My pantalettes are my FAV undergarment! It is so comfy and very easy to use the "facilities. I once had a reenactment in December that called for an Edwardian Dress, so I DEFINITELY wore my pantalettes. Suffice to say, I was the only guest wearing them (even some of the Period actors weren't wearing them!). I had another guest ask me how I managed to get in and out of the bathroom in under 5 minutes wearing historical clothing. I looked at her confused until I realised what she wasn't wearing, lol So I lifted my skirt and showed her my pantalettes (to the knees). She gasped "Is that Victorian Underwear?" "Yep indeed, and with my pantalettes I can pull up my skirt and go to the bathroom without removing my gown. Toodles" She was stunned
We had tampons in the 1970s
And THAT'S why the cancan was so risque.
In modern times, we look at the dance and think, "people would really get that excited over girls flashing their legs"?
Nah, son. They had different underwear, back then. They were getting flashed way more than that. (^o^)
Women had pads and tampons in the 1970's. Wow. I am old
not everyone used them, they preferred the belts, they were still sold back then.
Sanitary belts were out by the 1970s. Think 1960s and earlier.
The drawers .. it helps to spread them apart as you do your business. Depending on torso length the combinations do not touch the nether area when worn. Actually, with the long skirts and esp corset, no way modern panties make sense. Combinations allow complete access without exposing your entire bottom like modern. Would be great on hikes.
What about the moon cycle Week? Did they switch it up? How did they accommodate that horrible week of a woman’s life?
They cover the top 🤦🏻♀️😂😂my mother was born in 1925. Imagine my grandma who I never met
Instead of pinning them shut, you could wear a pair of brightly colored bike shorts under them.
My grandmas were born in 1931 and 1932 respectively. Were they still menstruating in the 70s? Maybe
I now feel old.......I used a belt when I first started as stick-on pads didn't show up til about 1975
The 1970s?! My grandma was born in 1924. Smh. Grandparents way too young these days. 😊❤
{Laughs at the “sanitary belt” reference in 1970s-tampon-user}
Don't wave your hands about very distracting.
Thank you. Love history. I'm one generation away from the 30s insanity. My mother talked about her childhood . People make fun of the honor people went through the war time and didn't realize the show thing was real. They gave up important things for the war!!! They were heroes. Now how about how the people handled WW1 and how it changed dress, food , housing. What was available to people or not available.
To be fair, it's best for our feminine parts not to be smothered by layers of fabric. So basically, the 18th century and earlier underwear which consisted of just skirts (no pants at all) is much, mich healthier than underwear + tight trousers like we often do today. Less air means more sweat and more bacteria, more sweat and bacteria means more smell and more chance of infection. That's why it's best not to wear pads when you're not actually on your period - the synthetic material doesn't allow any air to go through.
"Well, Vicar. May I say that it was such a frightfully good service you performed today? My husband has invited you round for tea and scones at our house for twelve o'clock. I do hope you can make it."
"Thank you, Mrs Moffat. I shall be gracious enough to acce...p...t?? I say. Are the drains stopped up again?"
"Oh never fear. I just went. If you know what I mean. Anyway, see you then, Vicar. Toodle do. And er... Sorry for the mess."