Sanitary belt
Object No. 96/189/1
This commercial sanitary belt and a home-made sanitary pad were donated to the Museum by a woman and her mother from amongst their personal belongings. It has only been since the second half of the 20th century that the majority of Australian women have used disposable, commercially manufactured sanitary products during menstruation. Before that most women used home-made napkins. Commercial manufacturers of sanitary pads also manufactured the elastic belts for securing them. Early designs needed safety pins to attach the pad to the tabs on the belt, but around 1960-1970 belts were made with a metal clip on the tab that held the pad in place. The next development was stick-on pads, which needed no belt. This example of a sanitary belt has metal clips. The donor believes it dates from 1980 when her son was born, and was probably amongst the bag of necessities she took with her to the maternity hospital.
Loading...
Summary
Object Statement
Sanitary belt, cotton / elastic / metal, maker unknown, Australia, c. 1980
Physical Description
Sanitary belt, cotton/elastic/metal, manufacturer unknown, Australia, [1980]. Sanitary belt made of white cotton-covered elastic, with adjustable waist size. Cotton tabs front and back have metal clips by which to attach a sanitary pad (menstrual napkin).
DIMENSIONS
Width
70 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
Manufacturer unknown, however this belt would have been made by one of the major manufacturers of sanitary pads. Mrs Smith believes the belt dates from the birth of her son in 1980.
HISTORY
Notes
This sanitary belt was owned and used by Mrs Anne Smith, who believes it dates from the birth of her son in 1980. It was probably amongst the bag of necessities she took with her to the maternity hospital.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs Ellen Anastasia Stephenson and Mrs Anne Patricia Smith
Acquisition Date
14 May 1996
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
Image Licensing Enquiry
Object Enquiry