DoucheBag - A History

What's in your bag?

Most likely nothing. The popularity of douching in the US has dropped dramatically since the invention of the birth control pill. And that's a good thing, because many of the potions were downright dangerous.

When contraceptive devices were banned by the Comstock Law, women turned to commercial douches and spermicidal jellies in effort to keep the kiddie population at bay. Lysol, a known caustic poison at the time, was marketed to women as a feminine hygiene product in the early twentieth century. When applied externally it caused irritation and an intense burning sensation.

mmm...Feel the burn... It must be working!

Ha! Not so fast! According Andrea Tone, a study done in 1933 showed that out of 507 women who douched with Lysol, 250 became pregnant. Looks like 50/50 odds to me.

Interestingly, just as douching was going out of fashion and the pill was all the rage, the word Douche-Bag made its entrance. The OED cites 1963 as the date that the term "douche-bag" was first used as an insult. Its original use referred to unattractive female co-eds. (I wonder why? Were unattractive girls more likely to douche? Or was it another way of saying "old" or a precurser to "your mom"?)

Anyway, by the end of the ’60s and into the ’70s it morphed into an all-purpose, typical feminizing slur directed more towards men than women. Lately, it's become the best way to get past the censors and curse on TV. While "shit" and "fuck" are grounds for bleeping, “douchebag” inexplicably gets a free ride. hmm... I wonder if new slang like cock-knocker and asshat are bleepable offenses?

For an amazing compilation of Women's Health Factoids check out the Museum of Menstruation.

Want a more in-depth review of the history of birth control in the United States? Take a peak at Devices and Desires: A History of Contraceptives in America by Andrea Tone, 2002.

photo credit: mrbill's flickr set