The Road to Normalizing Menstruation: We've Come So Far

Today is International Women’s Day -- what a great moment to take a look back over the last few years and celebrate the amazing progress we’ve made towards reducing stigma and shame surrounding the menstrual cycle. Thanks to the actions of many brands, activists, and media outlets, we are well on our way to normalizing menstruation. 

It’s been six years since the “Year of the Period”. Remember 2015? It was when several high-profile moments in international media catapulted the taboo topic of menstruation into public discussion. Some highlights include when Kiran Ghandi free bled while running the London Marathon, hashtags like #PeriodsAreNotAnInsult and #ItsJustATampon trended on Twitter, and Rupi Kaur’s Instagram photo of her bleeding in bed went viral. So, where has this momentum brought us? 

The newfound excitement around periods spurred innovation for the first time in decades in the menstrual care market. An industry that was previously dominated by a small handful of multinational corporations now has a plethora of new brands offering more eco-friendly options to manage monthly bleeding. Period panties, menstrual cups, reusable cloth pads, and toxin-free, organic pads and tampons are available in abundance to menstruators worldwide. For instance, 15 years ago there were only 3 menstrual cup brands on the market, while today, there are over 120. 

Additionally, the FemTech market is growing rapidly, from $17 billion in 2018 to a projected $48.7 billion by 2025, as founders create new digital solutions to advance women’s health. It’s not just with period & fertility tracking apps, but a whole range of products, such as KAALI, a startup from San Francisco who invented a smart period care dispenser that you can text for a free pad or tampon. Loon Cup is developing a smart menstrual cup that uses collected blood to predict health and disease information. 

How were period products branded and marketed in the past?

In the past, advertisers emphasized the embarrassment of periods, carrying forth the menstrual taboo and ingraining the idea into public consciousness that periods should neither be seen nor discussed. Anxiety about leaking through clothes, smelling, not feeling fresh, or indicating in some other way that someone is menstruating was a common thread in corporate menstrual marketing from when tampons were invented back in the 1920s that still lives on today.

Past scientific research on marketing of period products has confirmed the ways in which brands incorporated discourses of shame and concealment, further advancing menstrual stigma while simultaneously instilling stereotypical gender norms for women. For example, Del Saz-Rubio and Speck’s 2009 study analyzed Spanish and British period TV ads and concluded that they perpetuated gender bias by focusing on the worries caused by menstruation and the negative aspects of the experience. 

Traditionally, menstrual products have been branded like medical devices, using design styles inspired by the pharmaceutical industry and emphasizing technical features of tampons or pads like “leak protection guard”, “odor control systems”, “long-lasting protection” or “dynamic fit technology”. 

Modern marketing of menstrual care

Innovation has come with an influx of creativity, and today, designers and marketers have officially rebranded menstruation. Using trendy, modern imagery and vivid colors alongside bold and witty language, new companies have turned the page on how period products are packaged and sold. Modibodi claims to be “frank and fearless” when talking periods, a common theme among the new brands. 

The Female Company’s Boob Box to store tampons embraces the beautiful diversity of breasts in a sleek, sexy design. This is certainly not a product that we would want to stash away, but put proudly on display for all to see. Their website prompts visitors to “choose their favorite design and you will never need to hide your tampons in the bathroom cabinet again”.

Photo: The Female Company Press

Einhorn, another Berlin startup, uses funky fonts and graphics to add fun to the topic of menstruation. “Viva la Vulva!” they proclaim. Here’s the packaging for their panty liners, and to open the box you need to go through the crotch.

Photo: Einhorn Press 

Although some large corporate brands like Tampax may still be urging consumers to be discreet about their periods, for example by releasing pads with a “silent wrapper” so no one hears when you open it in the bathroom stall, the startups adapt more empowering and supportive language, uniting women and menstruators in their shared common experience. 

While researching my master’s thesis, I interviewed 9 women of varying ages and cultural backgrounds on their perceptions of the recent dramatic cultural shift surrounding menstruation. When presented with 2 traditional period brands (O.B. and Carefree) and two new period brands from Berlin (The Female Company and Einhorn), they confirmed that the new companies aim to put periods in a positive light through their package design and marketing lingo. The traditional ones, on the other hand, were perceived to incorporate an old-fashioned approach to periods, focusing on secrecy and security. 

This new, more honest marketing was showcased in 2017 when Bodyform became the first U.K. brand to use a red, blood-like substance in an ad, replacing the blue detergent previously used across the board. 

With loud messaging, creative campaigns and social media savvy, startups are certainly making (crimson) waves, raising the bar for menstrual product advertising. 

Clue, a period tracking app, illustrated that beautifully with their tampon bus, a one-month long campaign in Copenhagen in summer 2020. In an ad covering the entire side of the bus with a bloody tampon, they write "Know when it's coming."

The Female Company created the first ever tutorial on how to insert a menstrual cup, called One Girl One Cup which they originally published on Pornhub to prevent it from being deleted. It’s since been moved to their own campaign portal.

It’s about time that social media platforms jump on board and realize that periods are natural and do not need to be hidden. You would think they would have shaped up following the media shit storm Instagram received after removing Rupi Kaur’s bleeding photo from the platform twice back in 2015: “Their patriarchy is leaking. Their misogyny is leaking. We will not be censored,” criticized the Canadian poet when reposting her photo. 

Yet, there have been more instances of censorship of content related to periods and the body for violating community guidelines. In October 2020, Modibodi slammed Facebook for banning their ad which depicted realistic period blood. And last week, Britta Wiebe, founder of the “Menstrucation” Platform Vulvani, posted a free coloring book of female anatomy to Linkedin, to find it was deleted within hours.

What are other brands doing to normalize periods? 

Period taboos aren’t just being broken by menstrual care companies. Brands from across the industry spectrum are jumping on the bandwagon to discuss periods, tailor products and services to the menstrual cycle and reduce stigma. 

In 2020, Pantone introduced a new color to their spectrum of 2,625 colors called ‘Period’: “an original shade of red that represents a steady flow”. The color was created in partnership with Intimina, a Swedish period brand, aiming to encourage people to talk about menstruation, regardless of gender.

Just last month, NIKE announced a new sports training program around harnessing the power of the menstrual cycle. In Nadya Okamoto’s book, Period Power, she explores how one pillar of menstrual shame is that periods make women weaker and less capable than men of doing certain activities, like strenuous sports. She suggests that sports media can be used to expand the conversation on periods, and change what they mean in society. The fact that such a huge, international athletics brand like NIKE has joined the menstruation conversation is a truly great step.

Photo: NIKE press

On March 3, Rococo, a luxury chocolate brand in the U.K. announced their launch of ‘The Period Egg’ in collaboration with menstrual equity organization, Bloody Good Period. Given the connection between chocolate cravings and periods, it’s actually surprising that it took this long.

How has societal mindset changed regarding periods? 

In 2017, Rihtar?i? and Rihtar?i? conducted a survey among students in England, Germany, Slovenia and Sweden on their feelings towards menstruation. They found that in all four countries, respondents had largely negative attitudes surrounding periods, viewing them as dirty and shameful. Similarly, in Anna Dahlqvist’s 2018 book, It’s Only Blood, she explains that period stigma and shame is a universal phenomenon, based on interviews she conducted with menstruators spanning the globe. 

Just one year later, in 2019, Lunette conducted a survey with 2,000 women aged 18 to 38 and found that Gen Zers are the most open towards talking about periods compared to other generations. The mindset is totally shifting, they explain, and 62% of young women view periods as a natural process. My 9 interviewees confirmed this as well, all of them expressed feeling comfortable discussing menstruation and they don’t have negative feelings about their periods. They also all observed a distinct cultural shift in the way periods are represented and talked about in society.

Widespread media coverage on a variety of period-related topics, rising activism in the menstrual movement, and removal of the ‘tampon tax’ in several countries and U.S. states over the past couple of years have propelled this change forward, generating more and more discussions surrounding menstruation while putting it in a more positive light. 

In November 2020, Scotland became the first country to offer menstrual products for free for anyone who needs them, leading the charge on addressing period poverty. New Zealand has since followed suit with an announcement in February that they will be providing free menstrual products for students across the nation for the next three years. 

There have also been great efforts to involve men in the conversations we’re having around menstruation. As boys are not generally taught about periods in school, this is a really important step to educate society to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the menstrual experience, as well as stop the spread of taboos. I recently came across a program by See Her Thrive educating men about menopause, calling it MANopause. It’s a topic that has been scantly discussed and researched, so programs like this are a positive change that break the silence. 

Not only that, but more and more brands are communicating about menstruation in gender-neutral terms, including trans men and non-binary people who experience periods in the discussion and creating products to accommodate male menstruators. 

How to reduce period stigma and normalize menstruation

The more we discuss periods, the more people realize how normal they really are. Menstruation is vital to human life and experienced by half of the world’s population, and these conversations help move away from the shame that has surrounded menstruation since the beginning of time. 

In order to continue on this path and further normalize menstruation in society, here are a few suggestions: 

1. Let’s avoid euphemisms like “shark week” as if ‘period’ is a dirty word, and instead call it by its real name. 
2. If we need to miss work because of debilitating cramps, let’s use the real reason rather than making up another excuse. Here are some tips on how to talk about your cycle with men and in the workplace.
3. Let’s hold our tampon proudly in our hand on the way to the bathroom, not shove it up our sleeve to hide it. 

The more we practice period positivity and speak openly and honestly about menstruation, the more we can reduce stigma and celebrate periods as a vital aspect of human life!

*not all women menstruate and not all menstruators are women.