When can ads reflect the daily reality of menstruation?

I was in the fourth grade when our teachers separated the girls from the boys and ushered us into a different classroom. There, they explained menstruation and demonstrated how to use a sanitary pad. At nine years old, the concepts felt confusing to me. When we rejoined our male classmates, their curiosity was palpable. One boy approached me, asking why we had been taken away. I found myself caught between wanting to share what I had learned and a sense that this knowledge was somehow forbidden. When I turned to the other girls, asking if I should explain, their horrified expressions told me everything I needed to know. The moment passed in awkward silence, and the “secret” remained locked away.

This small childhood incident sums up a larger truth about how society has conditioned generations of women to treat menstruation as something shameful, something that needs to be hidden from half the population. For years afterwards, I consumed advertisements that showed women confidently wearing white clothing, running through fields, and dancing with apparent joy during their periods. While these images weren't inherently problematic, after all, people who menstruate do go about their days, making the experience as comfortable as they can for themselves, these ads painted an incomplete picture; one that glossed over the physical discomfort, emotional challenges, and social stigma that many women actually experience.

The advertising industry, like society itself, maintained this careful distance from menstrual realities through metaphors and sanitised imagery using blue liquid. Today, however, both are transforming.

International brands like Bodyform conducted research that revealed a knowledge gap: 59% of menstruators wished they had received better education about their periods and intimate health, while 90% knew virtually nothing about perimenopause. These findings became the foundation for its "Never Just a Period" campaign.

The campaign depicted experiences that had been systematically ignored, the pain of medical procedures, the complexity of menstruating while breastfeeding, and the disconnect between expectations and reality. A female orchestra served as a Greek chorus throughout the film, their reactions mirroring the emotions of women watching their own experiences finally represented on screen, adding humour to the mix. The campaign concluded with a simple yet powerful question: "What do you wish you'd been told?"

This wasn't merely creative advertising; it was cultural commentary that acknowledged how generations of women had been failed by incomplete information and sanitised narratives.

Bodyform's subsequent "Womb Stories" campaign pushed boundaries even further, creating what Giamaria Fernandes, National Creative Director at Dentsu Creative Webchutney, describes as industry benchmarks. The film explored endometriosis, miscarriage, menopause, and other experiences that had been considered too uncomfortable for mainstream advertising. The storytelling was intimate and unflinching, creating genuine emotional connections with audiences who had felt invisible.

India's slow march toward authenticity

In India, the evolution has been more gradual. The country that once wrapped sanitary napkins in newspaper and black plastic bags, where periods were referred to as a "girl problem" and women couldn't enter kitchens or touch pickles during menstruation, has undergone a transformation in two decades. Might not be a major change, but worth noticeable. 

Shruti Dhadda, Founder and Chief Creative Officer at ting, says, "Our media is a reflection of the society we live in. For example, the movie Pad Man demonstrated that as recent as the early 2000s, less than 18% of Indian women had access to sanitary napkins. The film led to a visible shift in the way India viewed periods."

The numbers tell the story of progress: today, over 70% of Indian women use menstrual hygiene products, compared to less than 18% in the early 2000s. This dramatic increase has been accompanied by a shift in how brands communicate about periods.

"There's a clear shift," observes Atreyi Nag, Strategy Director at DDB Mudra, who has spent four years working specifically in menstrual hygiene communication. "Brands are escaping years of dull problem-solution ads to show real moments and characters. As audiences get younger, creative teams must, too. Fresh talent brings new senses, tastes and formats at lightning speed."

Dhadda notes that tackling embarrassment and stigma is a deeper, more layered step that comes once these basic needs are addressed. 

“While mainstream media ads have evolved from where they were a decade ago, there are still societal stigmas that need to be broken to push the conversation further,” according to her.

While mainstream television advertising still treads carefully, digital platforms have become the testing ground for bolder narratives. Brands like Carmesi, Gynoveda, Nua, Pee Safe, Boondh, and Plush are stepping up with unfiltered narratives that show cramps, stained sheets, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with a cycle.

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This kind of storytelling is becoming more common in the D2C space and on digital platforms, according to Giamaria Fernandes. “The real change is happening not in TVCs but on social media, where creators, D2C brands and even NGOs are using Reels, stories, and long-form content to debunk myths, explain menstrual cups, or just normalise pain.”

The change is also visible in how established brands are adapting. Stayfree has begun pushing boundaries with campaigns that acknowledge the performance women put on during their periods. Its recent work reveals how periods turn girls into actresses, posturing comfort when they are not.

Breaking the blue liquid barrier

For decades, Indian menstrual hygiene advertising relied on blue liquid demonstrations and images of women dancing in white pants. This visual language was born from regulatory conservatism, client risk aversion, and cultural assumptions about what was deemed "appropriate."

Atreyi Nag comments, “Menstrual hygiene work isn’t just about selling a product - it’s about starting a conversation. Other FMCG briefs need more features-focus, this space needs a strong point of view.” 

Now, the tide has been turning. In 2019, Stayfree quietly switched to showing real-colored blood in their advertisements. This seemingly small change represented a massive leap in authenticity, acknowledging that periods involve actual blood, not some mysterious blue substance.

RIO pads' campaign featuring Radhika Apte became another watershed moment. The advertisement didn't just use red liquid; it contextually addressed heavy bleeding, making the realistic depiction serve the narrative. The campaign showed Apte candidly discussing heavy flow days, normalising a conversation that millions of women have in private but rarely see reflected in mainstream media.

Similarly, Whisper's "Touched The Pickle" campaign tackled one of India's most persistent period taboos head-on. The advertisement showed women being prohibited from touching pickles during their periods, a practice rooted in the belief that menstruating women are impure. 

One of the most significant shifts in Indian menstrual hygiene advertising has been the gradual inclusion of men and boys in the conversation. Stayfree's "Beta Stayfree Le Aana" campaign shows a mother preparing her son to buy sanitary pads, teaching him early so he doesn't grow into a man who perpetuates period shame.

Similarly, Swiggy Instamart’s campaign depicted a father empathetically engaging with his daughter to understand her distress. Upon realising she needs sanitary pads, he promptly uses the quick commerce platform to order them. The ad brought men into the conversation around menstruation, paving the way for more honest and vulnerable representations of periods in advertising.

While we have moved from unrealistic situations, like women in white pants jumping fences and blue liquid instead of blood, to more relatable stories featuring Gen Z actresses and realistic depictions of period blood, Dhanya Mohan - Lead - Strategy, TheSmallBigIdea, shares, “The older format with hush-hush tones and blue blood still exists in more conservative markets.”

She continues, “Brands face the heat for showcasing period blood in all its g(l)ory. However, ATL campaigns are still cautious; no brand has taken a big leap yet—understandably so, given the sensitivity around the subject.”

This isn’t just an Indian problem, however. Global brands like WUKA, which have shown periods in all their g(l)ory, have faced resistance from ad channels, associations, and even consumers in places like the UK and Australia. Others, like Always UK, have taken a psychological route, focusing on period anxiety in sports instead of just the physical experience.

While we are slowly moving beyond the hush-hush conversations, acknowledging that period stigma isn't just a women's issue, it's a societal one that requires everyone's participation to solve. By educating boys and men, campaigns are addressing the root cause of period shame rather than just its symptoms.

The impact of such inclusive messaging cannot be overstated. When Whisper launched its "Missing Chapter" campaign to make period education compulsory in schools, it gathered over one million signatures backing the call. The result was historic: the government committed to changing a century-old education system by adding the missing chapter on periods in school books. Such is the power of advertising.

Embracing uncomfortable truths

While empowerment messaging dominated Indian menstrual hygiene advertising for years, experts believe it is time to move beyond feel-good narratives to embrace uncomfortable realities.

"Indian girls want raw honesty, not pink-washed fantasy," states Atreyi Nag. "They're tired of feel-good clichés. They face pain, shame, mood swings, and missed routines - and want ads to show it."

Giamaria Fernandes shares, "'Empowerment' has become a neat, polished wrapper, but it doesn't always reflect the daily reality of menstruation. Periods are unpredictable, messy, and emotional. They shape how people move through the world."

This shift toward authenticity recognises that periods aren't just about the physical act of bleeding; they are about the entire ecosystem of experiences that surround menstruation. This includes the pain that interrupts meetings, the mood swings that cause arguments, and the shame that's handed down through generations.

Whisper's "Real Periods, Real Solutions" campaign takes this honest approach. The ad features real women dealing with stains and chaos, abandoning the polished imagery that had dominated the category for decades. Similarly, Stayfree's tampon campaigns have used art-inspired visuals that are deliberately provocative, breaking different tropes.

Indian advertisers face a unique challenge: pushing boundaries while respecting cultural sensitivities. This balancing act requires nuanced understanding of regional differences and generational gaps within Indian society.

Shruti Dhadda emphasises, "I think we need to rise above the red or blue debate – just like we don't expect Dettol to show an accurate representation of 'germs', what matters is the deeper message. If we can drive the conversations that we must, while using blue, I don't see anything wrong with that."

The success lies in understanding that India is a country where sharp, opinionated young women from Vijayawada to Gorakhpur, Mumbai to Mohali are blurring the urban-rural divide and breaking generational taboos. Brands must speak to this diversity while maintaining authenticity.

Brutal honesty is the way to go

The future of menstrual hygiene advertising in India lies in what Atreyi Nag calls "brutal honesty." This includes acknowledging that pads and tampons can't erase the mental weight of periods, but raw depictions can make consumers feel seen and understood.

"I'd love to tell menstrual hygiene stories with brutal honesty – alluding to, if not showing cramps, mood swings, the works - just as girls live them," Nag explains. "Pads and tampons can't erase the mental weight, but raw depictions can make consumers feel SEEN."

Giamaria Fernandes proposes using data-backed visual experiments with heatmaps, sensors, or overlays to visualise what cramps, fatigue, and mood changes actually feel like. Such approaches would offer new ways to understand pain for those who don't experience it while providing validation for those who do. The evolution of menstrual hygiene advertising in India is a reflection of society's growing maturity in dealing with women's health issues. From the days when periods were the unnamed "girl problem" to campaigns that show real blood and real experiences, India has travelled a distance.

However, the journey is far from over. As Giamaria Fernandes notes, "Audiences are ready for stories that hold a mirror up to that reality." The next phase of evolution will require even greater courage from brands, agencies, and society at large to embrace the full length of menstrual experiences.

Mohan says, “It would be interesting to see the next big step where brands move beyond the old problem-product window-solution format and take the leap to tell stories that reflect the true physiological and emotional realities of periods—without running into trouble for being too real in its physical depiction.”

The silence that once surrounded periods, in drawing rooms and in advertising boardrooms, is finally breaking. The blue liquid is giving way to red reality, metaphors are being replaced by honest conversations, and the next generation of menstruators will inherit a world where periods are no longer shameful. 

As I reflect on that embarrassed fourth-grader who couldn't bring herself to tell her male classmate about periods, I am hopeful for a future where such conversations won't require courage, they will simply be natural. The advertising industry, with its power to shape cultural narratives, has a crucial role to play in making this future a reality.