Folasade Lapite

Wolf Humanities Center Undergraduate Fellow

20182019 Forum on Stuff

Folasade Lapite

Health and Societies

CAS, 2019

Folasade is a senior majoring in Health and Societies, with a concentration in bioethics and society, and minoring in Chemistry and Africana Studies. Her research interests revolve around women's health and wellness and how it coincides with cultural norms and education. Folasade's senior thesis focuses on the disappearance of the term "menstrual education" while "sexual education" surfaces in modern-day society. In the midst of this mystery, she puts into question the role of expertise that menstrual product manufacturers have in this field, and how their influence shaped both the perception and learning processes surrounding menstrual education. At Penn, Folasade is actively involved in Synchronized Swimming, Student Hospice Organization of Penn, and Penn's Pre-Medical Association. She enjoys being a Residential Advisor (RA) for Riepe College House, volunteering with CHOP's child life support and HUP's hospice patients, and doing research related to women's health and psychiatric issues.

Tampax’s Side Story (TSS): The Influence Menstrual Product Manufacturers Instill in Menstrual Education and its Perception

Why does American society consider menstrual blood to be one of the most “taboo” topics in conversation? This research will answer this questions in an unorthodox approach. In comparison to other scholars’ work, in the field of menstrual education, this research will target the stuff menstrual product manufacturers circulate through society. This project will expose the influence manufacturers like Tampax (formerly known as Tambrands) has on society’s views about menstruation. To gather information, this project will analyze menstrual education pamphlets and illustrate their reoccurring themes. After reviewing preliminary pamphlets and secondary literature, it is apparent that manufacturers’ pamphlets emphasize secrecy and contribute to the negative attitudes towards menstruation.