Bravo, Bodyform! Finally An Advert About Periods We Can All Relate To

Bodyform released their new advert on 1 July, and it’s been creating waves on social media ever since; which might surprise you, for an advert about periods – take a watch now:

(PLEASE NOTE: For some viewers the video might be a little triggering as it contains emotive scenes alluding to miscarriage)

A Round Of Applause For Bodyform

So, first of all, let’s have a round of applause for Bodyform! Not a droplet of blue water in sight, no daft happy-go-lucky rollerskating, bicycle riding, white jean wearing blondie ‘loving life on her period’. For that, we can all be grateful!

This new advert is a breath of fresh air. It’s honest, raw and real about the relationship we have with one of the most important organs in our female bodies. Our womb.

Periods Should Not Be Shameful

My nieces are coming to the age where they will start their periods and it feels like an exciting time for them. They are on the cusp of womanhood, their period feels ‘grown up’, and desirable, because it means that they aren’t a child any longer. When they talk about their feelings about waiting for their periods, I realised that things hadn’t really changed since I was a child, and probably before that.

We don’t talk about periods as a society – and we certainly don’t talk about the rollercoaster that comes with your menstruation years. We don’t talk about the impact of our periods on our mental wellbeing, our fertility, the relationship that we have with our bodies, or even how our periods change throughout our lives. While entering womanhood should absolutely be a milestone to be celebrated, shouldn’t we also be honest about the reality of our periods and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with menstruation?

Periods have, for generations, been a dirty secret for many women. Many girls will have started their periods in secret, afraid to tell their mums, imprinted with a sense of shame that can last for their whole lives.

Breaking The Taboo

What this fantastic advert is doing is breaking the taboo of periods. Our womb – that hysterical bleeding, angry monster that it’s purported to be have long been censored, for fear of offending. In doing so, it’s also confronting some of the important milestones of our uterus – pregnancy, conditions like endometriosis and adenomyosis, menopause – all without a lick of blue water in sight.

What are your thoughts?

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