Recently I saw a commercial from Kotex that surprised me in a good way. The Kotex commercial actually displayed periods realistically.
We’ve all seen the commercials for feminine hygiene products where blue liquid is used to represent period blood.
Advertisers use the blue liquid to resemble various bodily functions, whether it be for diaper commercials, period product commercials or whatever else. They use this liquid because those functions are deemed too unsettling for viewers.
When people don’t want to look at your product, they won’t buy it. I understand the logic behind using the liquid in these types of commercials. However, using this liquid in commercials regarding period products continues to perpetuate the idea that periods are taboo or gross.
At the end of last month, Kotex released a commercial using red liquid in their commercial. This is not the first time
that red is used in period commercials. One example was when the British company Bodyform used red liquid for their #BloodNormal campaign.
The company Always was the first company to run a campaign with a dot of red on a pad. Whatever it was a poster rather an actual commercial.
After the release of this commercial, some on the internet was supportive of this move, while others still found the sight of red liquid to demonstrate period blood as going too far or was disgusting.
Some have said the red is “too much” or “too distracting.” But having the typical bright blue liquid that we normally see isn’t distracting?
Why are we so squeamish to period blood? It’s a normal thing that all women go through during their lives. It’s a normal and natural process that we go through every month.
It was engrained in our minds that we should hide our periods or be ashamed to talk about our symptoms. Women are told we’re too emotional because we’re “on our periods.”
We need to start dealing with the fact that periods aren’t gross. Period blood isn’t disgusting. Periods are natural.
We need to end the stigma surrounding periods, and we need to accept the fact that periods are not something we should be ashamed of.
Nicole Hindberg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @HindbergNicole.
Carolyn becker
N A S T Y needs to be discreet not ALL OUT THERE we already know what’s up