Women’s Wellness Fair talks women’s health

Free pads, chocolate, hand massages, and a life-size vagina were featured 

Maria Ly
Staff Writer

Organized by the Women of Action Council, the Women’s Wellness Fair was held in the Centennial Student Union Thursday, Jan. 24 highlighting women’s mental health, physical health, sexual health, and reproductive health.

Angie Buzay, a member of the Women of Action Council, said, “The Women’s Wellness Fair  has tons of information for anyone that identifies as a woman. We have period products, menstrual products, information about diva cups or discs, and a lot of things people don’t know about like reusable pads. We also have information for anybody as far as gender and sexuality programs, there’s people from the dental hygiene clinic, the counseling center, the campus dietician, there’s a midwife, and planned parenthood. There’s access to all sorts of information regarding all aspects of women’s health.”

Featured in the Women’s Wellness Fair was an assortment of candies and menstrual products, a free hand massage by River Oaks Counseling center, free toothpaste and floss, opportunities with Her Campus, trivia about women’s health, and a life-sized vagina mascot. 

Anarose Hart-Thomas, a Women’s Center intern thinks fairs like this are important to bring awareness to women’s health. Hart-Thomas states, “I don’t think there’s enough information out there about women’s health, where I feel like a fair like this helps cover different areas about things. You know like how you should be flossing, what kind of toothpaste would be important to you, all the way to birth control and who you can talk to about it, and I think a fair like this offers a bunch of resources that students may not interact with otherwise.”

Resources included handouts about meditation and mental health, information on birth control, guides to healthy eating by the campus dietician, information on the Dental Clinic, information on the Gender and Sexuality programs, and information on services like Planned Parenthood or Student Health Services. 

The Women’s Wellness Fair and learning about women’s health is not only important to women but also men. Buzay agrees, as she said, “I think a lot of the same things that’s normalized among women is also normalized among men, and if they’re not introduced with facts or have the opportunity to get them, they’re most likely not going to reach out and look for themselves. I mean even, in the Women of Action Council, people were talking about how many times they have been intimate with somebody, and they expect them to be shaved like a baby. And just like certain odors or discharges are not normalized, and then they see some women as dirty when actually it’s probably unhealthy if they don’t have a lot of those things.”

The Women of Action Council started planning for the Women’s Wellness Fair since last semester with many members interested in learning more about women’s health.

Hart-Thomas said, “I think women’s health impacts everyone, whether they see it directly or not. Everyone knows someone who identifies as a woman and why not get information to support those people as well as feel like you are supported as a woman.”

The Women of Action Council is an open group who discuss an array of topics regarding women’s issues every week in CSU 218 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.  The group also has many things planned such as a book display at the library to celebrate the Women Center’s birthday and women’s history month this spring. 

Hart-Thomas added, “It’s an open thing, anyone is welcome to come to the meetings and talk about women’s issues. We have a lot coming up, stay tuned.”

Feature photo by Maria Ly | MSU Reporter.