Students in Rebekah Modrak’s Dressing Up & Down class hit the streets as an army of tampons, hoping to demystify the taboo realm of female menstruation. The original assignment for this project was this:

Propose an activity / performance that will take place during one day of class AND a uniform that will be worn by the entire class expressly for this activity. The class will then vote on the project to be enacted.

The winning proposal was Happy Tampon, created by Sarah Simmons. Sarah and her peers had one and a half weeks to construct the uniform and prepare for the activity / performance. On December 9th, they enacted the performance/activity on the University of Michigan campus with all class members wearing the uniform.
Varying in absorbencies (super, regular and lite) to signify rank, the smiling tampon uniform allows the wearer to gain the trust of the community. This performance promotes open discussion about the menstrual cycle, helps women who are in need of a feminine product, and encourages men to be more informed and less embarrassed about this natural biological function.

Production Credits:

Series Graphics by Emily Skaer

Series Music by Scott Wagner

Production & Editing by Katherine Weider

Featuring “Happy & Bleeding” by PJ Harvey