🩸 “No Apologies. Period.” Stop the stigma surrounding period symptoms

71% of gen Z menstruators have felt the need to say sorry for ‘that time of the month’

🛑 Midol, an over-the-counter painkiller marketed to those experiencing menstrual side effects, rolled out a new campaign based on something women often wish they did less of: apologizing. The end goal: Remove the social stigma and shame often associated with periods.

The spot urges people who menstruate to stop apologizing for what is completely normal, featuring a diverse cast of real menstruators sharing their experiences and speaking about times they felt pressured to hide their symptoms to make those around them more comfortable.

Following the brand refresh in 2020, Midol conducted a survey that found 62% of people with periods under the age of 40 in the US have apologized for their cycles, while roughly 70% of Gen Z respondents said the same.

🎨 Period tabus have been fought by several brands and inspirational menstrual marketing campaigns, namely Pantone that teamed up with Intimina and launched a new shade of red: “Period”.

🍻 BrewDog, with “Bloody Good Beer”, helped to raise funds for the non-profit organization Bloody Good Period.

♻️ Dame stated that women shouldn’t feel the need to hide their monthly bleeds in its ad campaign for a sustainable tampon, which featured a woman wearing underwear with a tampon string clearly visible showing alongside the words 'Bleed Red, Think Green'.

👩🏽‍🏫 Advertising reaches huge audiences and has the power, either to spread stigma and shame around menstruation or to inform and empower viewers. Take a look at what advertising teaches us about periods over time, from the early 20th century up to the present day!