1. 13 May 2010 · 02:42 PM ·

    Thesis proposal

    Laura Delarato

    Understanding Media Studies

    Thesis/Grant Proposal

    Prof. Wilder/ T.A. Sanja Trpkovic

    Due: 11 May 2010


           ‘Happy Bleeding: A study on menstruation products’ documentary and Web site



        ’Happy Bleeding: A study on menstruation products’ is a documentary and Web site project that reviews all tampons, pads, and other alternative methods for periods. Each product marketed towards female-bodied people will be reviewed and studied to determine if it is really safe for usage. The ingredients, along with descriptions, will be explained in the documentary as well as on the Web site. The outcome of the documentary is to conclude which feminine hygiene products are unsafe to use, what are the alternatives, and how companies should change the way they make their products.
        The documentary portion will include interviews, personal testimonies from product users, discussing and explaining cases of Toxic Shock Syndrome, and will give a step-by-step demonstration on how to use every product. Finally, the result will be a list of safe products versus ones not to use.
        The Web site will carry the message from the documentary to the internet and provide the same information. Also, there will be petition forms dedicated to stopping the creation of unhealthy menstruation products. The Web site will also be in support and sponsor women’s athletic teams across the country to promote health and body consciousness.
        The idea for this project came after hearing a rumor explaining that there is a certain chemical in mainstream tampons that actually makes female-bodied people bleed more. The fact that this is a rumor is unsettling. Even if it isn’t true, women should not have to worry about what products can harm them while they are on their period.
        The framework for the project with be mainly based through the documentary since it will draw people to the Web site. In the documentary, there will be an ongoing question asking “is this safe” throughout filming. It will start product testing and interviews with the mainstream companies such as Tampax, Kotex, OB, and Playtex. After listing how each product is made there will be a research session to see whether the ingredients are harmful to the vaginal ecosystem. Following that research there will be the same examining to alternative forms of feminine hygiene products. Once all the research and interviewing is conducted there will be a price comparison for the safe and unsafe products, as well as a chart listing where in the United States can women buy the safe products — to examine if the alternatives are available to everyone.
        Tampons and pads are seen all the time in commercials pitching which one is leak free or more comfortable. With advertisement campaigns such as Tampax’s “Outsmart Mother Nature,” the feminine hygiene business has become more mainstream (Tampons Tampax Products). The project relates to media studies in that it shows that women sometimes will go for the highly advertised product instead of looking around for safer alternatives.
        The best qualifications I have to undertake this project are that I’m woman and I know how to work a camera. I feel like this is a project that requires many questions and patience, and not necessarily a project for anyone dealing with the creation of feminine hygiene products. I can give a unique, do-it-yourself point of view to the documentary without being well-versed in the chemicals in each product. That way the audience learns with me.
        Besides bloggers who claim that their menstruation cup is better than the tampons they used to use, there hasn’t been that must definite research on any products being absolutely unsafe to use. The National Research Center for Women and Families created a question and answer portion of their Web site dedicated to a few warnings about tampon products. They explain that tampons are made with cotton and rayon which is bleached in chlorine. This process results in a toxin called dioxin, which could be the cause of Toxic Shock Syndrome — a fatal illness caused by bacteria toxins from leaving a tampon in too long (“Asbestos and Dioxin Contamination in Tampons and the Risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome”).
        Web sites such as About.com has addressed the rumors that have been said about menstruation safety, but they also outline the statements said by the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health that dispute the rumors (Cornforth). There are also outdated Web sites like Snopes.com that compiled an email sent in 1998 by an unnamed women from the University of Colorado claiming that the tampon bleaching process causes cancer and makes the user bleed more. Below the email is a statement from the FDA on July 23, 1999 that states, “FDA has no evidence of asbestos in tampons or any reports regarding increased menstrual bleeding following tampon use. Before any tampon is marketed in the U.S., FDA reviews its design and materials. Asbestos is not an ingredient in any U.S. brand of tampon, nor is it associated with the fibers used in making tampons” (“Asbestos in Tampons”).
        The tampon and pad alternatives have focused on their products being safer and more eco-friendly. The DivaCup is a popular U.S. and Canadian brand that simply is a cup that holds menstruation flow. “It is inserted in the vagina and sits at the lower base of the vaginal canal. It is worn internally, yet because it is soft and smooth, it cannot be felt nor will it leak when inserted properly” (“The DivaCup Features”). The features of the cup include being latex, plastic and BPA free, can be worn up to 12 hours, doesn’t contain dyes or bleaches, and is reliable and comfortable.
        The project will fill the gap of the existing work by providing definite, more concrete, answers about period safety. It will show how to use all the products mentioned, and will give menstruation basics information for young girls about to get their periods. This way, instead of information being scattered around a group of Web sites it will all be contained on the documentary and Web site. Also, the project will extend the research by giving first hand accounts on using the products instead of trusting biased positive claims on each company’s Web site.
        My research will start with the individual products. I will, or a crew member, will sample a product for a day and report back their experience. Each product will be reviewed by its design, safety, comfort, price, accessibility, and longevity. After the products are reviewed the individual chemicals will be researched for side effects. From there, the manufacturers and the FDA will be called to set up interviews so that we can question the product’s safety and how they are being advertised, or why they aren’t advertised enough. Then we will determine the safest product to use.
        Before all the research, we will consult a gynecologist to speak about the vagina and its ecosystem so that there is a clear basis for what can and cannot be used. Also, there will be an explanation about why female-bodied individuals menstruate and how it affects our bodies.
        I expect to come across cost and transportation limitations. I am going to have to buy each product to test them out, and to conduct interviews I would have find some mode of transportation that reaches past the New York subway system. I don’t believe that setting up interviews will be a problem since the documentary is about finding a safe product, and most companies will go out of their way to prove they are safe.

    Production Plan:
    Scene Descriptions
    ¥    Interview with gynecologist — Myself and the doctor sitting in their office talking about what concerns we should have about testing the products and what we should be looking for in each product.
    ¥    How the vagina operates — This can be done through Flash animation and voice over. This will be a quick explanation of how the vagina works and why we menstruate.
    ¥    Buying products — Crew will head to local grocery store and take inventory of all the products available in that area and buy one of each product.
    ¥    Testing — This will be a series of shots in the bathroom describing the difficulty of putting in the product. There will not be any graphic images. The focus will be on the person’s face and what they have to say while placing in the product.

    Interview questions
    ¥    How far of a reach does your product have in the United States?
    ¥    Are there any states or places that can’t buy your product?
    ¥    What is the main idea behind your advertisement campaign?
    ¥    What type of woman are you marketing to?
    ¥    Your products contain (insert chemical name here). Are you worried about the affect this might have on your users?

    Proposed Budget for product testing and travel.
    ¥    According to an alternative versions for menstruation control called MoonCups and Keepers, the average woman spends $4 on feminine hygiene products a month. If she used organic tampons it will be $5.50 a month. On average, the amount of different products a company has is 11 (The Average Woman Spends $4.00 a Month on Tampons and Menstrual Pads). If we rounded the average price to $5.50, that would be $60.50 for product testing.
    ¥    Platex, Kotex, and Tampax are based in New York City. OB is based in New Jersey. The Diva Cup is based in Ontario. Seventh Generation Organic Tampons are based in Vermont. According to Web sites such as Priceline, Travelocity, Expedia, and Kayak, the average cost of flights to Ontario and Vermont will be $910.
    ¥    Hotel prices in Ontario on average are $86 a night. Hotel prices in Vermont on average are $79 a night. If staying in both places for two nights, the total cost would be $330.
    ¥    Food and expenses would average to $300 for both trips to Ontario and Vermont.
    ¥    Total cost of everything is $1,600.50.

    Work Cited

    “Asbestos and Dioxin Contamination in Tampons and the Risk of Toxic Shock   
         Syndrome.”     National Research Center For Women & Families. National Research
         Center for Women     & Families. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.
         <http://www.center4research.org/qna9.html>.
    “Asbestos in Tampons.” Snopes.com: Urban Legends Reference Pages. Urban     Legends       Reference Pages, 1998. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.
          <http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/tampon.asp>.
    Cornforth, Tracee. “Tampons - Are Tampons Safe.” Women’s Health Issues - Women’s  
         Health     Questions and Answers - Women’s Sexual Health. About.com, 30 Oct.  
         2009. Web. 27     Apr. 2010. <http://womenshealth.about.com
         /cs/feminineproducts/a/tampondebat.htm>.
    “Tampons Tampax Products .” Tampons Tampax - Mother Nature - Period - Puberty –       Tampax.com.     Procter & Gamble. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.
         <http://www.tampax.com/en-US/home/home.aspx>.
    “The DivaCup Features.” Home - The DivaCup, an Innovative Menstrual Cup the Best    
         Alternative to Tampons and Pads. Diva International. Web. 27 Apr. 2010.    
        <http://www.divacup.com/en/home/diva_cup/>.
    “The Average Woman Spends $4.00 a Month on Tampons and Menstrual Pads.” Moon
         Cups and     Keepers the Alternative to Tampons, Pads, and Napkins. The KEEPER Inc.
         Web. 27 Apr.     2010. <http://www.mooncupsandkeepers.com/article_cost.html>.