I’ve got a new column to tell you about: it’s called The History of Sex and it’ll run on Monday evenings at the EdenFantasys blog. The first installment is called Lysol: Household Cleaner and Feminine Hygiene Product. Here’s a snippet, click through for the rest:
You might not know that Lysol – yes, the household disinfectant – has a significant place in the history of women’s sexual health. From the 1930s through the 1960s Lysol was sold and recommended as a douche for women that would not only clean and deodorize the vagina, but could also prevent pregnancy. Ads like the one pictured preyed on women’s insecurities about the smell of their vaginas and the potential for inspiring their husbands’ disgust and rejection.
7:37 am
Heh. Here’s another good one.
9:43 am
I debated between those two images – the one you posted is the one I use in my class at Rutgers. They’re both good though, especially the fear on the woman’s face. Jeez.
8:26 pm
Unbefuckinglievable!! I’m so disturbed that Lysol — and the chemicals therein — was used as douche.
Congrats on the column, by the way!!
10:51 am
I had heard before that Lysol started off as a douching product but I had never seen ads for it before. What’s truly disturbing to me is that we still have douching products like Summer’s Eve even though it’s been proven time and time again that the vagina cleans itself out just fine. I get even more pissed off when I see current ads that try to make women feel uncomfortable about “smell”.