Shiralie Chaturvedi
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The first advertisement to fully understand the pertinence of blood while menstruation was this indie- alternative reality- one by Bodyform! The premise of the advertisement was subversive and radical, because guess what? In the centuries with some form or the other media we never really saw blood – in it’s shiny red glen – to depict blood. As ridiculous as it sounds, blood was always blue, and we skipped, hopped, jumped in all white as we bled this not so royal blue blood. So when Bodyform released an advertisement that had the idea of “No Blood Should Hold You Back”, everyone was surely surprised. Because *wait* were we actually addressing the blood when talking about bleeding? Say it isn’t so!
So, after years and years and years AND years of dealing with a stereotyped version of menstruation, finally one brand of feminine hygiene has decided that our menstrual blood is ALSO red! Much like our usual blood.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7n97rdgXqy/
In a recent advertisement by Kotex, the use of “red liquid” on a pad to signify blood is not only needed at this point in time but also quite a way to start off 2020 in terms of gender equality. Imagine the crores of girls watching this, getting vindicated about their reality of almost their entire life, one that takes up a large chunk of their being – because someone decided to creatively understand that there shouldn’t be a stigma attached to menstruation, and certainly not around showing the true nature of blood!
