When these kinds of ads come on, I’m usually cringing.

Not because of the natural monthly physiological process that most women are more than familiar with but advertisers (up till now) have been uncomfortable talking about openly.

But because of the annoying smiling women in white tennis skirts who are somehow simultaneously roller-blading and having the laugh of a lifetime with their (equally annoying) besties while not letting that embarrassing little issue of having a period interfere with all their fun.

Hush, hush, it’s all a secret. No one has to know we bleed.

Well we do. And the fact that we do is responsible for every one of us actually being here. It is kind of an essential part of the miracle of life. So it’s about time we all stopped whispering euphemisms about it.

And also who are those women? I’ve never met them, and I’m not sure I want to.

But this time, I’m suddenly overcome by the desire to stand up and applaud. By the time this ad is over I:

1. Feel proud of the fact that I am a woman and that I bleed. and 2. Want to shout, “Hell, yes!” and go do something kickass—period or no period.

Judging by the tweets and blogs I’ve seen about this ad so far, most of us seem to agree that this is more than just another sanitary towel ad, this is a game changer.

 

Thought I’d never tweet @bodyform — What a great ad — https://t.co/Ipjk5V6Yev

Benchmark set.

— Jamin (@jamingalea) June 3, 2016

ABOUT TIME. ⚡️ “Periods aren’t blue 💧, and this Bodyform ad is badass”https://t.co/CVRtX6McEQ

— victoria smurfit (@VictoriaSmurfit) June 6, 2016

And as Alexandra Hemingsley highlights in her incisive blog on the advert for The Pool,

“BodyForm haven’t simply frisbee-ed their film onto the internet, hoping for some viral love and left it there. The ad spearheads a #redfit campaign which aims to help women better understand their cycles and how to both stay fit despite their period, *and* make the rest of the month work to our favour. They’ve teamed up with sports scientists, the healthy fast food chain Leon and Frame gyms, explaining what the hormonal shifts each week of your cycle mean. By taking the month as a whole, they have shifted the conversation from ‘how to cope with this one horrendous week’ to how to understand the larger situation in a wider context. This, coupled with an ad which presents us with the sort of unglamorous, unashamed toughness that it takes to get through Day 28 in all its majesty, is a game changer.” 

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Author: Khara-Jade Warren

Image: Screenshot from video

Editors: Khara-Jade Warren; Sara Kärpänen