I want to know how women dealt with their periods years ago, in the 1800's such as that? I've heard the phrase

Question

"on the rag" (oh, that's so awful) but what did they do, just stick it in their panties? God Bless Women!

Answer 1

they would buy rags and roll/form them into pads. the only way i know this is because it was in little women with wynona ryder and susan sarrandon

Answer 2

Well lipstick back then they did not have tampons and fancy pads. They used clean rags. These rags were washed in soap and water to remove blood and reused just for that purpose. I guess if you were rich enough you could use new cloth each time. People managed they did not have all the fancy things of today but tampons etc are a relatively new invention.

Answer 3

I guess the safety pin was a blessing, but it's invention is fairly recent. Women were very handy with a needle in those days, I guess it was tacked in. Also, the majority of women never worked for a living. They could take a few days off now and then.

Answer 4

They used soft cloth to absorb the discharge. Sometimes it was 'stuck in their panties' but most likely was tied to them much like a small diaper. The cloths were either discarded (if wealthy) or washed thoroughly for another time. Panties were not invented then - they wore loose undergarments that usually came to the ankle. Aren't you glad you weren't a woman back then?!

Answer 5

They had rolled up cloths that they used just for their periods. They washed them thoroughly between uses. A sanitary belt was used to hold them in place--it's a sort of garter belt for a pad! Weirdly enough it wasn't that long ago that women used these since farm women in the Dakotas couldn't go running to the store for packs of sanitary napkins even in the early 1900's.

Answer 6

the term "on the rag" came from women using rags during their periods.

Answer 7

I've never noticed that in Little Women before...which part of the film shows that?

Answer 8

It was a cloth that they wore with a string tied around their waist, much like cloth diapers people use for babies today. They were reusable, and were washed out like diapers. My mother used one. She said it was humiliating though cause everyone could tell when you were wearing one.

Answer 9

nergh thats horrible :l urgh im glad its not the 1800s!