Necessities courtesy bag, containing one beltless feminine napkin

Paper bag labelled "Necessities courtesy bag", "For your needs away from home", containing one beltless feminine napkin (menstrual pad), distributed by Hospital Specialty Co. for American Airlines, USA, 1989-1990

Before the advent of disposable menstrual products, pads needed to be washed and dried before reuse. Unless menstruators had access to multiple replacements (and some sort of container for storing the used ones) this meant staying close to home on your period.

This preprepared bag of 'necessities' shows women enjoying several different activities, from cycling to sunbathing, all presumably away from the home. The kit itself was distributed by American Airlines, revealing a very different picture by the 1980s.

Yet being able to go out and about with daily life while menstruating is not something that everybody has the privilege of today. Period poverty forces millions to stay at home, missing school and work, as they do not have adequate access to products to manage their periods.