Period-proof underwear brand Thinx has launched a campaign that imagines a world where men have periods, asking: “If we all had periods, would we be more comfortable talking about them?” With menstruation still taboo in many cultures, the ad attempts to normalize periods. We explore the insights behind how the advert works to change the discourse around menstruation.
Thinx’s first TV campaign depicts a number of period-related scenarios from a male perspective, such as a man asking a colleague for a tampon, a man's tampon string hanging out of his underwear in the locker room, and a boy telling his father that he’s started his period. CEO of Thinx, Maria Molland, highlights how the cultural conversation around periods emphasizes concealment and shame. “We’re taught to hide our period products in our sleeves on the way to the restroom, and constantly check our clothes for any leaks or stains,” she says. “In fact, 80% of teens report a negative association with periods, and say they are gross or unsanitary.” By engaging men in the topic, Thinx incites men to consider the moments of awkwardness and inconvenience attached to menstruation, tackling stigma by generating understanding and empathy from male viewers.
With 42% of US women reporting that they’ve been period-shamed by men, and 60% feeling embarrassed when they menstruate, there remains a need for efforts that work to dispel the taboos and destigmatize this natural bodily process. This is particularly urgent in less developed areas of the world, such as Southern and Eastern Africa, where a UN report reveals that period shame and misinformation undermines the well-being of women and girls, making them vulnerable to gender discrimination, child marriage, exclusion, violence and untreated health problems. A lack of access to period products also leads many to truant from school, with a study by Thinx revealing that one in ten people with periods globally miss school due to limited resources to manage their period.
Media portrayals of menstruation play a large role in shaping cultural perceptions of the topic. A lack of media portrayals of periods has historically shaped periods’ status as a taboo. Even ads for sanitary products have often shied away from depicting blood. Until Bodyform’s ad in 2017, menstrual blood tended to be cryptically represented as blue liquid in commercials. Other brands are also doing their part to fight period stigma: in June 2019, The Female Company made a statement against Germany's tampon tax by releasing a book filled with tampons, drawing attention to the fact that tampons, which are considered luxuries, are taxed more highly than books. UK charity Plan International UK also contributed to changing attitudes towards menstruation by pushing for a period emoji , which now appears on the keyboards of Apple and Android devices.
Lottie Hanwell is a junior behavioural analyst. She loves travelling, reading novels, cuddling dogs and hosting dinner parties. A graduate of Engish Literature and Spanish, she’s adventured through South and Central America where she developed a taste for Argentine Malbec and dodgy Reggaeton. Now settled back in London, she hopes to translate her fondness of people-watching to her role at Canvas8.
