Welcome to Period Pieces, our journey through the bizarre and beautiful cultural history of menstruation. Inspired by #throwbackthursday, we serve up our favorite ads, images, and factoids about periods throughout the ages.

Like this vintage Stayfree Deodorant Pads print ad, featuring gymnast Cathy Rigby:

[caption id="attachment_3153" align="aligncenter" width="504"]stayfree deodorant maxi pad via Pinterest[/caption]

Do you think those girls in the background are more impressed by her ability to rock a lemon-yellow leotard or her island-breeze-scented pad? (Pro-tip: menstrual odor is often related to plastic-backed pads trapping in moisture).

About the author of this post:

tracypuhl is the owner of GladRags and is passionate about period positivity and empowering women everywhere. When she's not in the office, you might find her attempting to run a faster 10k, traveling, practicing yoga, or pointing out how cute her cats are being right now.