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29th Nov 2020

New ad campaign to show tampon string – despite push-back from media execs

Anna Rourke

We all know it’s there, so why not be upfront about it?

A new ad campaign is set to show tampon strings on the side of buses in London from tomorrow.

The images feature a woman shot from the waist down with a tampon string visibly hanging out the side of her underwear.

In a win for anyone who’s ever felt fed up of hiding that they’re on their period, DAME’s new adverts aim to reflect the realities of #PeriodLife.

The period product brand says it didn’t have an easy time getting the ads out to the public.

“In bringing this ad to light, we faced many roadblocks,” DAME co-founder Alec Mills told Metro.

“It is no coincidence that the media industry is dominated by men who aren’t comfortable talking about or seeing periods.

“Many iterations of our advert got rejected. Along the way, I was told it was: ‘Racy’, ‘What, in the industry, we call brave’ and ‘We might have some problems broadcasting this at breakfast shows’.

“This clearly demonstrates the vast cultural chasm between what is happening with women’s bodies and how they are portrayed in reality. We have an opportunity to change that, for good.”

It comes after the media frenzy around This Girl Can’s TV ad, which also showed a woman with a visible tampon string, earlier this year.

The campaign’s aim was to encourage more women to play sport.

Its caption read; “No one gets to choose how you exercise other than you. Your body, your call. And whatever that looks like, we think it’s worth celebrating.”

 

 

Topics:

periods,tampons