TikTok Can’t Get Enough of Marcia Belsky’s Genius ‘100 Tampons’ Song

We’ve been obsessed with comedian Marcia Belsky ever since she launched The Headless Woman Project last year. In April, she was featured in Comedy Central’s Taking The Stage digital stand-up series, where she gifted us all with the greatest comedy song of 2020, “100 Tampons.”

The song is based on this bonkers true story about NASA astronaut Dr. Sally Ride, who revealed in a 2002 NASA oral history project just how clueless NASA’s all-male rocket science team were about menstruation. Before her historic 1983 space shuttle STS-7 launch, Ride’s personal flight kit became the subject of much discussion.

First, there was the question of whether or not she would pack make-up (ugh) on her mission. Then, the conversation turned to how many tampons she would need. Given that the mission was only 6 days long, NASA scientists proposed that Ride bring 100 tampons.

6 days. 100 tampons. Yes, this really happened. Ride said of the experience, “I remember the engineers trying to decide how many tampons should fly on a one-week flight; they asked, ‘Is 100 the right number?’

‘No. That would not be the right number.’

They said, ‘Well, we want to be safe.’

I said, ‘Well, you can cut that in half with no problem at all.’ [Laughter]”

Ride added, “They had never thought about what just kind of personal equipment a female astronaut would take, … They knew that a man might want a shaving kit, but they didn’t know what a woman would carry. Most of these were male engineers, so this was totally new and different to them.”

Not only is that a truly absurd number of tampons, but the engineers also tied them together by their strings, sausage link-style. Imagine, a 100 tampons floating around the space shuttle like some weird daisy chain of menstrual products.

Though Belsky’s stand-up special came out in the spring, the song landed on Spotify just last week, and listeners are loving it. Now, folks on TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram are posting videos of themselves lipsyncing along to the song with hilarious results. Here are some of our favorite tributes:

It’s easy to see why this song is burning up on TikTok. It’s hilarious, it’s a true story, and the song is damn catchy. I myself have had it stuck in my head for months now, and it shows no signs of going anywhere anytime soon. Well done, Marcia Belsky, and well done TikTokers.

(featured image: Comedy Central)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

twitter