If you menstruate, know someone who does, or are generally just on social media in this day and age, you’ve probably seen the new Bodyform sanitary pad advert.
I don’t want to be just another voice in the world shouting praises to what a monumental step Bodyform took in showing a realistic portrayal of period blood. I absolutely do agree with all those voices – it’s about damn time. They’re aiming to normalise showing blood, celebrate menstruation and include men in the conversation – none of which is bad.
On the other hand, those of us who actually buy Bodyform may have noticed a bit of a contradiction by the rest of their marketing methods. Bodyform has decided to attach small square tins to carry pads onto every purchase.
My question is this: how can you suggest that we need to be shameless about our periods and still imply we need to keep our sanitary products hidden?
Their advert was, in my opinion, brilliant. It’s a big step. But if I’m buying pads based on what little marketing gimmick they stick on, I’d much rather a coupon for free cookies and ibuprofen. If I’m getting something extra with my monthly purchase, I want it to be something telling me “It’s cool to stay in bed for a solid five days because you feel crap!”, rather than “This is normal and all, but NO ONE CAN KNOW IT’S HAPPENING.”
The thing is, you can’t say “You’re nitpicking! Stop complaining about the smallest things in what’s otherwise a really good campaign!”. I went to an all girls school, and I know that the notion of needing to hide sanitary products is a big issue. The level of shame around a completely natural part of life, and around products which are pretty damn important in keeping us from getting infections, impacts young people a disproportionate amount. When they’re already embarrassed, and have so many other issues going on, it is absolutely awful for their self-esteem.
Fellow period-havers, how many times have you heard stories of someone saying “My male teacher was like ‘You don’t need to bring your bag to the toilet!’ and I had to awkwardly stare him down until he realised”? How many times have you been tugged on the sleeve and been shyly asked “Do you have a tampon?” for them to tuck it into their sleeve in case someone saw? The very fact that we look at someone who can walk through a busy room, sanitary towel in hand with no shame, and say “Wow, that’s confidence,” means that the idea that we need to keep these things hidden away is messing with us.
I won’t lie and say that I’m confident talking about menstruation, because I’m not. But if we’re going to break the stigma around it, we need to start by feeling like we can grab a tampon and walk through the corridors without shoving it in our pockets, instead of feeling like it’s normal and expected that we hide it away in some tin.
Anyway, if I’m to protest, I’ll follow the footsteps of my friend, who aptly decided to fill the tin she was given with cigarettes and a condom. Take that, patriarchy.