Historians believe ancient Egyptians made tampons out of softened papyrus. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, wrote that ancient Greek women used to make tampons by wrapping bits of wood with lint. Some women were also thought to use sea sponges as tampons from as early as 3,000 B.C., through the fifth century.

From rags as makeshift pads, pinning cotton and flannel into bloomers, to the sanitary apron, menstrual belt to the invention of the modern tampon in the 1940s, adhesive pads in the late 1960s, and menstrual cup – and now the period panty, which is being described as the next evolution in feminine hygiene, because every female of childbearing age will have a monthly menstrual cycle.

Although there’s no right age for a girl to get her period, most girls get their first period between age 10 and 15-years-old; the average age is 12, but every girl’s body has its own schedule, according to kidshealth.org.

And it’s the menstrual cycle and all it entails that Phillipa Dean continues to seek to demystify through The Dignified Girl Project’s (DGP) “My Period My Pride” seminar, as well as bring awareness to menstrual inequity, and empowering adolescent girls by educating them about their menstrual cycles.

While period underwear is by no means new to the market, more women have become aware of the option as many branded lingerie brands now offer their own line of period panties. And at this year’s seminar, Dean had one of her presenters speak on the undergarments intended to be worn during a female’s period to take the place of disposable protection products like tampons or pads – although some women prefer to rely on period underwear only during lighter flow days, using them as backup during heavier flow days.

Aldise Williams and Moana Maynard, DGP volunteers, led a session on the period panty, along with the washable pad and menstrual cup, with the use of a mannequin.

Dean, who is leading the charge in bringing awareness to the period and the many options available to adolescent and women, said she always believes that what a female chooses to use is her personal preference, and one that she has to make based on her flow.

She has tried the period panty, albeit not a branded one. She said she was shocked upon opening the packet to find the undergarments thinner than she expected, and in comparison, to regular underwear.

“The only obvious distance I noticed was a double liner, that was a waterproof fabric of sort, and it covered the entire seat from the front all the way to the back. Looking at it, I didn’t think I would be protected. Feeling it, it was lightweight and thin, so I was skeptical.”

But, preparing for her “My Period My Pride” seminar, she knew she had to try it out during her menstrual cycle to be able to speak to her experience with others.

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