Nicole Sagullo
Aug 9, 2017 · 2 min read

From the blue liquid to avoiding the words ‘period’ or ‘vagina’ to the girls dancing in white linens, the discomfort around menstruation in society is perpetuated through advertising. Some companies have even used this discomfort with menstruation as a marketing tactic:

It’s smart and relatable, but how can we actually change period stigma? How can we help people feel comfortable buying feminine products? Even Trojan made XOXO condoms, so women could feel comfortable buying condoms… as if we shouldn’t feel comfortable practicing safe sex by buying regular condoms.

While overall advertising is moving in a great direction (see Axe’s shift from sexist ads to empowering different definitions of masculinity), the stigma around periods is still a difficult one to topple. While advertisers have noticed that people are done with the blue liquid and bullshit ads (as seen by Kotex’s reality check campaign), feminine hygiene brands ar enot sure where to go. While I love the Always ‘Like a Girl’ campaign and its tackling of gender stereotypes, it doesn’t quite address the stigma around menstruation.

Two great examples of companies being innovative and addressing the realities of periods are HelloFlo and Bodyform.

HelloFlo uses comedy to address relatable moments like being the first one to get your period, being the last one, and having (or not having) your period throughout your life.

Bodyform uses comedy as well with its hilarious, tongue-in-cheek response to a Facebook commenter. In a more serious and empowering spot, Bodyform tackles the great stigma: blood.

These ads are engaging and interesting. They address the facts that periods aren’t pretty. In fact, Aunt Flo actually sucks. Talking about that time-of-the-month without white linens and blue liquids is a welcome change, and other feminine hygiene brands need to take notice.

    Nicole Sagullo

    Written by

    Ad nerd. Constantly learning. Fueled by curiosity and coffee.

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