Researched by Kim Rosas | February 2025
In the 1960s, Modess, a brand under Johnson & Johnson, introduced innovative menstrual products to enhance comfort and discretion. One such product was the Modess Sanitary Panty, designed to securely hold sanitary napkins in place. This garment featured loops or bands in the crotch area to keep the pad stable, reducing the risk of shifting during daily activities.
This design was a far more modern and comfortable solution to keeping pads in place compared to sanitary napkin belts of the day.
The “moisture guard panel” predicts future innovation in menstrual management and the Modess Sanitary Panty line could be viewed as the precessor to modern period underwear. The Modess Sanitary Panty has very little footprint in maagzine or newspaper space in comparison to other Modess products, which were heavily advertised.
- Timeframe: 1965
- Item Location: Period Nirvana Asheville
- Credit: Kim Rosas
- Category: period underwear, accessory
Additional ads for Modess Sanitary Panty and other items in their underwear line are in the Mum.org archive.
