"You never have period talk in Brontë" video "How Did Victorian Women Deal With Their Periods?"

[MoleSmokes]

Karolina Żebrowska is a funny and engaging Polish (English speaking) YouTuber with a wry, feminist vibe.

She mostly posts about vintage and historical fashion and clothing, with researched insights into the context of women's lives at the time - and the often bizarre and ill-informed "official" versions that were promulgated by male "experts".

Her video "How Did Victorian Women Deal With Their Periods?" has some good links in her Pinned Post and even more in viewer comments, such as this one to MUM

The Museum of Menstruation: www.mum.org

ps. Don't be deterred by this standard link in her video descriptions:
"My nudes: bit.ly/2Dvakv0 "

Seeing as "menstrual history" is of interest at the mo - BUMP!

Do check out the links in the OP - they will not disappoint

I remember my Mum (born 1920s) talking about the new pads and how they were better than the 'rags' that were held in place by pins and which were washed and dried in front of the fire.

You need to watch one of them "period dramas" on the BBC.

Ha. Seen quite a few 'period dramas' where you find out the woman is pregnant by the neighbour looking at the washing line and realising there are no rags up.

The eponimous Victorian herself took Laudanum, 10% morphine, to ease the pain.

I'm watching her video about corsets now - not a patriarchal torture device!

@MoleSmokes thanks looks very interesting 👍

Ooh thank you, will take a look later

Ha, how bizarre that it never occurred to them to make underwear with crotches before dreaming up a belt..

They did have underwear with crotches - I have some, but it wasn't so fitted - there were no stretch fabrics, only cotton or (later) silk - when knicker elastic came in, it was used on the waist and the legs but the knickers themselves were baggier and the crotch wouldn't hold something in place the way modern knickers do, I think.

I thought earlier knickers were made of wool? Makes me itch just writing that ...

Wool smells like wet dog when its wet too doesnt it?

How things changed when they burnt the witches and men took over medicine.

There is a cool scene in Anna Karenina where Anna explains contraception to her sister in law.

Not telling you which page -you have to read it all :)

whatcolourisyourwednesday

Meanie!

Pre Victorian e.g. during Jane Austen's time, they didn't wear any underwear or knickers. I think they just didn't go anywhere during a period. Married women were often continuously pregnant, so I guess it was less of an issue for them. Victorians introduced knickers, although they were made as 2 'legs' which were attached using ribbons around the waist. Having 2 legs made for a gap between. I think they may have also confined women during periods, unless they wore washable 'rags'. Disposable sanitary pads weren't available until 1888, although they were originally invented to stop soldiers from bleeding from wounds!

Jaxhog,

So when people have sex during period dramas and the women just hoik up their skirts then make that "I've been penetrated" face.... that's how it would have happened?

I'd always been annoyed at the lack of knicker removal....

Ha, how bizarre that it never occurred to them to make underwear with crotches

I suspect the reason was that if you are female 'crotched' underwear needs to be removed when you urinate, and also washed regularly.

Similarly, I don't think its coincidence that trousers became fashionable for women as indoor toilets became common.

I thought women bled on their clothes, which they then washed. Hence wearing shifts and multiple underlayers

onthetudortrail.com/Blog/2015/02/10/the-lady-in-red-medieval-menstruation/

The comments in here are fascinating....plus, thread wrapped round a twig poor medieval women