collegecandy.com: Typically commercials for woman sanitary products like tampons or pads will show a woman playing a sport and twirling in a field of wildflowers. Then it’ll show you how well the product works by dispensing blue liquid on top of the pad or dunking the tampon into a jar of the blue liquid.
3 comments:
This is a fantastic campaign, especially the way it was done - tastefully, without trying to use shock or make it more of a big deal than it is to most people who get periods. The way the blood was shown wasn't overt, it was a lab showing the absorbency of a pad or that inevitable trickle in the shower. I still to this day know people who are clueless when it comes to periods and still think of them as gross, or just don't know the first thing about how people deal with having them. Commercials like these not only increase the visibility of the reality of periods, but normalize the image of getting them and buying or seeing period products. The convenience store tampon run or a pad halloween costume all show how regular it is. Periods aren't something strange or outlandish. People get them at school or at work, have to buy tampons at Target or the local 7-11, and still go about their days normally. I applaud this commercial for hitting the right balance of realism and commercialism, and showing without being too graphic or unsettling to the target audience, who may not be as accustomed to the reality of periods.
I LOVED this article. I recently made a menstrual shoe for my Susan Tsu design project and seeing this commercial made my day. I think that it is so important for people to address the issue of women’s reality. We deal with blood once a month and commercials for period products NEVER show real blood. Our vaginal cleaning products are treated like paper towels that people can buy to clean up food spills. It is amazing that a company has chosen to FINALLY show blood in a commercial for period products. It’s important for men to see the reality of a woman's menstrual cycle and for women to learn that the blood that they deal with monthly should not be taboo and is 100% normal. Women should not be shunned for the reality that they deal with and they should not be held to such unrealistic expectations. Companies like Sustain Natural and Bodyform are representing women in such a different light and changing the reality of women’s expectations in society.
I don’t know about the other uterus-owners here, but I appreciate the tastefulness of these commercials. I personally have never felt much like running or dancing or swimming or playing tennis during my monthly visitor. I direly hope that the menstrual products in the United States are soon advertised in this style – not overt or shocking, but truthful to what their use is. The main point of encouraging commercials like this is to lower the stigma surrounding periods and the female reproductive system. Too many women don’t report their symptoms to a doctor because they are embarrassed to talk about their periods. If your monthly visitor comes less than every 21 days or more than every 35, your cramps prevent you from working, or you bleed for more than 7 days, something is wrong and you should see a doctor. Commercials like this also provide a bridge to discussing more environmentally-friendly reusable menstrual products (RUMPS) such as menstrual cups, cloth pads, or period underwear (dear lord do not use sea sponges as a period product – that is extremely dangerous). “Traditional” pads and tampons are horribly toxic and produce mountains of waste. If you are interested in altering this aspect of your lifestyle to help the earth, please come find me.
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