CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Even in 2019, period myths, miseducation and stigma are limiting Black women from receiving the information about their bodies, and their periods, they deserve. In fact, a new study by Tampax Radiant found 25 percent of African American women who prefer pads said they prefer them because they were not taught how to use tampons. Moreover, 2 in 5 African American women wish they started using tampons sooner in life and 55 percent said additional information on how to properly use a tampon would be useful.
“Unsafe, uncomfortable, only for sexually active women. After talking with women in the Black community across the country, we saw these are some of the common myths associated with tampons,” said Melissa Suk, Tampax Associate Brand Director, at Procter & Gamble. “We found that 42 percent of Black women want to learn more about their periods from African American media and brands. We knew we needed to drive change, but in the right way - with the support of and knowledge from Black women themselves.”
Answering the call to provide information tailored to the community, Tampax Radiant launched #LiveRadiant – a campaign curated for Black women by Black women – and tapped menstrual advocate CeCe Jones-Davis and OB-GYN Dr. Kiarra King to aid in reversing cultural taboos and reinforce the importance of having the right information while encouraging the community to have open and honest dialogue about periods.
“So many women are scared to speak up about their periods, especially if they’ve been managing menstrual related problems for years,” affirmed Dr. Kiarra King, OB-GYN. “It is shocking to see the number of women who come to my practice and either don’t know how to use tampons, or aren’t considering using tampons because of incorrect information or myths they’ve heard. I’m a huge proponent of educating and empowering women so they know their options.”
Tampax Radiant’s commitment to educating and empowering Black women includes the How to #LiveRadiant Playbook, a digital guide that provides step-by-step information on how to use tampons and dispels common myths about periods and period products in the community so nothing, not even her period, can dim her shine. The playbook comes to life with illustrations by color-obsessed visual artist Jade Purple Brown.
“The only way to break down these barriers is to build awareness of the issue and encourage more Black women to learn, talk, write and share info about periods and women’s bodies. I am proud to partner with Tampax Radiant to do just that,” said CeCe Jones-Davis. Through #LiveRadiant, Tampax Radiant is committed to meeting Black women where they are, both online and in person, with a goal of creating safe spaces that remove the limitations that come with not having the right reproductive information.
For the third year in a row, Tampax Radiant will be heading to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) across the country to provide interactive educational experiences conceptualized and executed by HBCU alumnae. The #LiveRadiant HBCU Tour will be making stops at four HBCU Homecomings, including Florida A&M University (October 5), Texas Southern University (October 12), Clark Atlanta University (October 19), and North Carolina A&T State University (October 26). At each #LiveRadiant HBCU Tour stop, attendees can learn the facts about tampons, ask experts CeCe Jones-Davis and Dr. Kiarra King all the questions they’ve always wanted to know about their body and their period, and pick up a sample of Tampax Radiant. Tampax Radiant will also be extending efforts to 14 additional HBCUs to provide access to period products and tampon education to college students when they need it most.
To learn more about Tampax Radiant and the #LiveRadiant campaign, follow @Tampax on Instagram and Twitter. Tampax Radiant tampons are available in stores across the country and online.
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
MSL conducted 618 interviews of African American women aged 18-35 between August 8-14, 2019 on behalf of Tampax Radiant. The margin of error is +/-3.9% and higher for subgroups.
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