The Advertising Regulatory Board has dismissed a complaint against a TV advertisement for Always sanitary pads, which shows a young woman waking up in the night with a blood stain on her pyjamas.
The complaint, filed by a concerned consumer, argued the advert was an inappropriate depiction of a personal and private matter, and that it made viewers uncomfortable by showing a shocking and uncomfortable scene.
The advert begins with a young woman waking up in the middle of the night as a voice-over says: “Period leaks cutting off your sleep? More than half of women in South Africa can relate.”
The young woman is then shown looking in the mirror and sees that her period has bled through to her pyjama shorts and a red dot is visible.
The narrator continues: “Get uninterrupted sleep with new Always XXL pads — our longest night pad in South Africa, giving you twice the protection.”
Images of the pad and branding are shown, and the viewer sees a simulation of the blood flow in other pads versus the Always XXL. The shot then returns to the sleeping woman, waking up — this time in the morning. The voice-over concludes: “Peaceful in her sleep? Just wait till she’s up.”
The complainant argued that it was inappropriate to show blood on a woman’s pants to indicate menstruation.
“I felt embarrassed and degrading,” she said, arguing that the advert was not for sensitive or younger viewers, and that it was “completely unnecessary considering that this item is a necessity for 50% of population”.
The unnamed complainant said the advert “does not make anyone feel comfortable to open up about healthy communications about this topic. Takes away my rights to what and when should be seen and discussed”.
She claimed that the advert confronted viewers with a “shocking and uncomfortable scene” with no warning of “such graphic content” that did not allow time for the viewer to skip or change what they were watching.
“It’s disgraceful to put people in such a position and to make woman feel so embarrassed. Mothers should not be forced untimely without prior knowledge to discuss such personal matters with their sons! This only encourages further misinformed opinions, where women being uncomfortable forced to watch this in male company will lie and hide problems. So much wrong with this advert,” the complainant further stated.
However, Procter & Gamble South Africa, the product manufacturers and advertiser, responded to the complaint by stating that they had acted on feedback from consumers about the importance of being real and authentic about a woman’s menstrual cycle and the role that the brand plays in portraying this as a natural and healthy part of her life every month.
“Consumers need to understand the benefits of our product to enable them to make an informed decision before purchasing it, which is key for us because we always strive to be transparent with our consumers,” the advertiser stated.
“Periods are a natural biological process, and our intention is to educate our consumers that periods are nothing to be ashamed of.”
In applying the Code of Advertising Practice, the ARB considered the complaint in terms of a violation of the offensive advertising clause that states: “No advertising may offend against good taste or decency or be offensive to public or sectoral values and sensitivities, unless the advertising is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.”
The clause further states: “Advertisements should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread or sectoral offence.” However, it noted that material that may be offensive to some is not in itself sufficient grounds for an objection to be upheld.
“We are therefore required to rule on whether the advert’s content — that of blood on the woman’s pants — is ‘reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society, based on human dignity, equality and freedom’,” stated the ARB's directorate.
It said the depiction of menstrual blood can be surprising, upsetting or even offensive to some.
“There is a taboo around the depiction of bodily fluids in general, and for some, period blood is even more problematic to discuss and depict,” said the directorate, noting that the complainant felt that her rights had been taken away.
“We must therefore balance two diametrically opposed viewpoints — one saying that the depiction of menstrual blood is embarrassing and shocking, and another saying that this exact reaction is what it is challenging in the normalisation of menstruation,” said the directorate.
“Essentially, if one is to interrogate what is so offensive about the depiction of period blood, the answer might be that it is private. However, it is an understood and frequent aspect of most women’s lives, starting from quite a young age, and the more that both sexes understand about periods, the better.”
The directorate noted that traditionally, period blood has been represented in commercials as a transparent blue fluid — sending the message that the actual fluid that pads are designed to absorb cannot be shown, as there is something shameful and embarrassing about it.
“We acknowledge and are sympathetic to the fact that in the process of normalising something around which there is shame or embarrassment, some discomfort may be experienced by some viewers. This is an effect of any normalisation process.”
Rulings by global counterparts on such complaints found general feedback overwhelming that it has become acceptable to depict blood or blood-like visuals.
The next part of the complaint centred specifically on the position the commercial puts women in. She stated that it is disgraceful to “make women feel so embarrassed”, and that “this only encourages further misinformed opinions, where women being comfortable [are] forced to watch this in male company, will lie and hide their problems”.
The directorate further found no evidence of gender stereotyping or negative portrayal and that showing a woman as someone who may have a period is reasonable and justifiable, and that there was nothing shameful or embarrassing about being a menstruating person.
Such depiction might well be comforting and validating for many women, especially younger girls, and though the advert made the complainant feel uncomfortable, it was actually successful in achieving the intention of normalisation.
“Making women feel shame around menstrual blood is a tool that has been used by patriarchal institutions and religions to make women feel lesser and dirty. Menstrual blood is not dirty, and it is not a subject around which women like the complainant should feel any shame,” said the directorate in finding that the advert did not contravene the advertising code.
Motshidisi Ramadi of Sonke Gender Justice said the organisation endorsed the Always sanitary pad advertisement, saying that it contributed to the confidence and dignity of people who menstruate.
“Menstrual health issues are a lived reality that exacerbates vulnerability that emanates due to the low sensitisation on menstrual hygiene and the limited understanding and support from men and boys, religious and traditional beliefs,” she said.
Ramadi said it was vital for adverts to be realistic as this helps to demystify and remove any taboos on menstrual hygiene.
“Cultivating a level of assertiveness with women and girls will build their ability to manage spotting accidents better, given that men, boys and society at large becomes more accepting and supportive.”
She said: “As long as such adverts are negatively criticised, eliminating period poverty and understanding menstrual health issues will forever be underestimated. From a women’s rights-human right perspective; blood spotting doesn’t take away the dignity of a person on menstruation. It should be understood as a normal course of events.”
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