There is a community bulletin board at the entrance to Hubba Hubba in Cambridge's Central Square. (Cambridge History of Photography)
An advertisement in the 1875 edition of the Cambridge Chronicle proclaimed: “It is an affront to our proud civilization that the women of our time have degraded in health and physique to the point that they are literally pale, nervous, emaciated, short, and literally a race of sick people.'' It's a sad commentary.'' It hurts that there are only a few noble exceptions here and there among the stout, voluptuous women who were the hallmark of the old sex. “This advertisement for “Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription” refers to the many tonics sold to girls and women throughout the 19th and 20th centuries to “cure” women's unique problems and restore women to their natural vitality. This is an example of a drug, supplement, or elixir. These advertisements and their accompanying articles demonstrate how women's sexual and reproductive health has been pathologised and monetized during this period, with girls and women being told that being a woman means not being a woman. , leading us to believe that we are suffering from a health problem that can only be cured with these specific treatments.
In an 1878 advertisement in the Chronicle entitled “Women's Sufferings,” the sellers of Lydia Pinkham's liver medicine claimed: In most diseases of the uterus, the stomach and nervous system are all affected sympathetically. ” These companies attribute a variety of symptoms to uterine problems, from back pain and nausea to eye discharge and mental confusion, and promise quick cures for all the symptoms plaguing women. The local Cambridge pharmacy was keen to offer these treatments to female customers. Her 1895 advertisement for Webers Pharmacy in Cambridgeport featured a number of products targeted specifically at women, including Lydia Pinkham's Pills and Hunt's Remedies.
Much of the debate over women's health issues in the late 19th century arose from broader concerns about what increasing industrialization meant for the overall health of Americans. Many believed that harsh, repetitive work in factories and stores and a lack of outdoor activity were making Americans, both men and women, weak, nervous, and sickly. This situation is made worse for women and girls, who are already less resilient than men due to their reproductive systems, and the burgeoning field of pseudopharmacology is actively exploiting these fears. I was trying to use it for.
An 1885 product called Ayers Sarsaparilla cited the onset of menstruation as the cause of most women's health problems. Their ad warns that “mothers who discover signs of impurities in their child's blood should promptly seek appropriate treatment,” because “such neglect of young girls… It is the main cause of most of the diseases that afflict women.” ” Other advertisements focused on different periods of women's sexual and reproductive lives. Dr. Pierce's favorite prescription declares, “For many women, a wedding ring is nothing more than a chain of sickness and misfortune.” Women are expected to wait to become sexually active until marriage, and the beginning of married life is the basis of a woman's attraction to her husband, as well as years of childbearing, which is a source of women's misery. It was said to be the beginning of Many products also targeted menopause, when women are no longer able to have children and often face mental and emotional challenges due to hormonal changes and changes in marital and family structure. Advertisers claimed that all of these changes could be “cured” with products that claimed to strengthen the body and calm the nerves.
Most of these products sought to exploit (intentionally or unintentionally) women's pain and fear regarding reproductive health issues, but they were by women, for women. There were some products that advertised that they had it. Chief among them was Lydia Pinkham and her line of pills and tonics that claimed to cure everything from menstrual cramps to back pain, headaches, indigestion, and mental fog. Pinkham's unique claim was that she (and the female employees she subsequently hired to process the large amount of mail she received) opened, read, and responded to every letter. . Pinkham built much of her reputation on the fact that her female customers could openly share their troubles. By purchasing the product at the local drugstore and expressing his concerns in writing to Mrs. Pinkham, he avoided the need for a face-to-face interaction with his (male) primary care physician. In this way, Pinkham and other female entrepreneurs are able to carve out a space for themselves in the male-dominated field of medicine and help create communities where women help each other with sexual and reproductive health issues. I did.
It may seem a far cry from a 19th century newspaper column, but Cambridge adult entertainment store Hubba Hubba is a safe and inclusive space for women to explore sexuality and sexual health issues. It serves a similar purpose of helping create. Her Hubba Hubba, a woman-owned business since opening in 1979, prides itself on being a welcoming place where people of all genders and sexual identities feel free to express themselves. While the ability to embrace one's sexuality has long been embraced by men, women, non-binary, and femme-expressing people have not always been encouraged to express these parts of themselves. . This is something Hubba Hubba's owners and staff have worked hard to change over the past 45 years. .
Current Hubba Hubba owner MJ Pullins emphasizes that changing attitudes towards women's sexuality and sexual health cannot be separated from changing attitudes towards and within Cambridge's LGBTQ+ community. She is a great force that empowers all individuals who identify as women to create their own forms of gender and sexual expression, breaking down the barriers between traditionally “male” and “female” fashion. cites the determination of queer customers to accessories. For example, Hubba Hubba's products are placed in sections labeled “masculine” and “feminine,” emphasizing the idea that anyone can draw from these categories, regardless of biology or gender identity. doing. For people who identify as women, the store's open, inclusive, and nonjudgmental atmosphere is reminiscent of the 19th-century repressive system that pathologized women's sexual health and promised to cure ailments with pseudoscientific treatments. This is very different from the society in which people live. Hubba Hubba's colorful rainbow-themed décor and series of posters and flyers highlight the company's commitment to issues important to local communities, ensuring that sexual health and enjoyment for everyone (including women) is protected. It emphasizes the new reality of being celebrated rather than celebrated. eyesight.
About the history of Cambridge
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Beth Folsom is Program Manager for Cambridge History.
