Menstruation, a natural process in a woman’s body has always been considered as a taboo. Women are taught since the first time they get their periods to not talk about it. From being stopped entering the kitchen to being asked to sit alone in separate rooms, women in the country have been through it all. With all kinds of superstition surrounding it, sanitary pad advertisements have always refrained from showing or addressing menstruation the right way. While women are trying to normalize thoughts around periods, the strong taboo around has not let movements garner large momentum.
For the first time ever, an advertisement for sanitary pads has shown the color of period blood in red. The video by Bodyforum, feminine hygiene products brand in the United Kingdom, shows red liquid being poured onto a pad while generally, ads show blue colored fluid. The red liquid is actually made from corn syrup and red food coloring. The ad also has a woman in her periods taking shower while the blood flows down her thighs. The ad was accepted among praises by women on social media. Internet users applauded the step by Bodyforum, which is first of its kind. It is commendable that ads are finally trying to normalize periods and showing it.
Their tagline reads, “Periods are normal. Showing them should be too.” Similarly, in 2014, a parody video of a sanitary pad advertisement showed blood as red and not blue. The video had received quite a lot of positive reactions on the internet.
