Amy Schumer is ready to have “The Talk.”
The stand-up comedian, 39, teamed up with Tampax to help people who menstruate “take control over their periods, feel educated and empowered about using tampons and have a more comfortable experience.” In a hilarious new PSA, Schumer challenges everyday mall shoppers to get candid about their periods — and all the messy details that come with them.
“When I started working with Tampax, it made my heart hurt to hear about the discomfort people are putting up with because they don’t understand periods or even how to use a tampon properly,” the Trainwreck star said in a press release from the company. “I want to do everything I can to change that. My hope is that through this partnership, we’ll educate ourselves and each other and take the senseless shame out of getting your period.”
According to a recent study conducted by Harris Poll and the Tampax brand, 41 percent of women aren’t totally confident about the correct way to use a tampon, despite years of practice. Due to commonly spread misinformation and miseducation, many adults lack a crucial amount of information when it comes to women’s health and the products they use to take care of their bodies.
“We thought a lot about whether or not to kick off this new period education campaign now. While we paused to shift focus to support more urgent needs, we decided that because periods aren’t stopping, we shouldn’t either,” Melissa Suk, Vice President of North America Tampax and Always, said in a statement about the company’s new education initiative. “When we chose to focus on tampon and period education, we knew Amy Schumer was a perfect fit because Amy doesn’t shy away from anything.”
The notoriously candid comedian had no trouble sparking up conversations with strangers about the importance of proper period products, aiding the brand in their mission to normalize discussions about feminine hygiene.
“Our goal is to make period and tampon conversations as normal as periods and the first step is getting people comfortable talking about them,” Suk explained. “We hope this partnership and our new, engaging ‘edu-tainment’ period and tampon content will encourage more people to laugh, talk and learn about them.”
For more information about how Tampax is fighting back against period stigma, subscribe to their YouTube channel and join the conversation online with #TimeToTampax.
