Sanitary towel advert becomes first to show red 'blood'

'We believe that like any other taboo, the more people see it, the more normal the subject becomes'

Bodyform is tackling period taboo by depicting menstrual blood in their new advert.

In a UK first, the 20-second clip will depict a hand pouring a vial of realistic-looking blood onto a sanitary towel, followed by shots of a woman in the shower with droplets of blood on her legs.

The thought-provoking Blood Normal campaign marks a first in feminine care, by using realistic red liquid instead of infamous blue liquid in their ad.

Bodyform’s provocative campaign aims to normalise menstruation by representing it in a series of true-to-life scenarios.

The ad also shows a man buying sanitary towels, presumably on behalf of a woman in his life; and a woman relaxing on a pool float before flashing the tagline: “Periods are normal. Showing them should be too.”

It’s a progressive move in feminine hygiene advertising, with 61 per cent of women citing the majority of campaigns as unrealistic, a OnePulse survey found.

Blood Normal addresses the lack of realistic representation of periods in mainstream culture and Bodyform hope that their ad will shatter some of the stigma attached to menstruation.

The ad follows findings unveiled in their “Period Taboo” survey, which revealed that one in five women had suffered knocks to their confidence as a result of periods not being discussed openly with them.

“We were so shocked by the results of our research that we publicly vowed to address the continued silence around periods,” said Traci Baxter, marketing manager at Bodyform.

“We believe that like any other taboo, the more people see it, the more normal the subject becomes. So for Bodyform, after showing blood and a real, in-situ sanitary towel, bringing the two together was a natural next step. In doing so, we remain committed to showing periods in everyday life, truthfully and honestly – because we feel it’s the right thing to do to. Together, we can help make blood normal.”