Have you seen the new Bodyform advert?

It's about time people more people pointed out that really the Emperor is naked & 'not wearing new clothes'

I really like the advert. Of course they are trying to sell more product, but with people/organisations currently being shouted down/threatened/abused for simply wanting to preserve women’s rights - I think they have firmly nailed they’re colours to the mast, it can only be a good thing. I think they’ve been watching and listening.

At a time when agreeing with the idea that women's issues exist can get you sacked, it is a relief that they aren't carefully pretending that nobody knows who gets periods.

This. Whether or not I personally like the video, this aspect is good.

And yet..,for those who say "Look out for the onslaught", any TRA objectors would be outrageously and transphobic misgendering the characters in the ad. How do they know what the characters identify as? Maybe the patient having a scan is a transman in a trans-hetero relationship, and the couple having sex are in a trans-lesbian relationship.

I loved it. I'm going to share it on facebook for my friends in all stages. The sneeze and floodgates and the woman being fanned for the sweats brilliant,
I'm glad that Bodyform is my Dd's prefered pad now, has been for years.

Incredible advert.

Also I just looked up the credits and the ad was created by a man!

So?

I will throw money at any company that acknowledges women’s biology and that it isn’t all sparkles and rainbows. There are so many I’ve had to boycott, I want to financially reward those that do not capitulate to angry men.

And I’m not so daft as to turn away from anyone who wants to share real women’s stories, purely because of their sex.

Wow!!!! Love this.

Blimey. Think I preferred the roller skating hotties :)

I get it, this is looking at reality. Felt a bit like a horror film though.

Anyone my age who can hear the word Bodyform without going 'woaaaaaaaaah Bodyform!' complete with eighties hair tossing obviously didn't own a telly. Well done Bodyform, it's great. I suppose.

I will also buy them for the food bank, fantastic idea.

I use reusable towels now but always buy disposibles for the food bank and will be buying bodyform from now on.

What an absolutely brilliant idea, Grabthar. I use reusables too & I’m nicking it.

But the scan had me had crying like I haven't cried in years for my missed miscarriage in my first pregnancy after never expecting to be able to get pregnant.

That's where I started crying, too. Brilliantly powerful bit of film.

It just winds me up that loads of people have said that this ad will make them buy the product as I just feel that making an ad isn’t really supporting women and they feel like their job is done.

Obviously their Ad didn't work for you, and I expect other women will feel similarly.

However, I'm happy if they just sell sanitary products and treat their staff fairly.

People buy things for all sorts of dubious reasons. I don't think Lloyds bank really cares about horses, but I like their horse ads (although I suppose that didn't really work, because I bank elsewhere). I'm just happy that they did this and didn't do something about roller skating or pretending that everyone has periods.

Yep, brilliant. Well done Bodyform! Presumably they are braced for the hurt feelings tsunami?

I've just emailed bodyform to thank them too.

Bloody brilliant (pardon the pun)

I cried. I think it is a great advert. Well done Bodyform.

I have had that fucking condom wearing dildo ultrasound too. Bled early in pregnancy and because I have endometriosis they wanted to rule out an eptopic pregnancy. Until I had that I never realised they rolled a condom over it.

Like Honey I have also had the laparsocopy to diagnose endo (after a shit load of drugs to "manage" the condition), the camera goes in just below the belly button and the other two wounds to the sides are for the instruments to lift and poke around inside.

Honey I have found wearing a TENS machine really helps bring the pain level down, from a labour comparable pain to bearable one. Just a suggestion.

I think the fact that it is for a commercial purpose is irrelevant. The Sistine chapel and great cathedrals and much of western historic art was made because of religious patrons. Nowadays the patrons are businesses selling a product, but great art can be produced nonetheless. Maybe Bluewater and the Trafford Centre are the Westminster Abbey and Sagrada Familia of the future.

Ok that sounds over the top written down, but you get my point.

I cried. I have endometriosis, I have the laparoscopy scars from my 3 surgeries. I am in agony sometimes. When I was 25 they put me on hormone blockers so I was temporarily menopausal and so the hot flushes were relatable too. They asked for women's stories and represented them clearly. I know it's marketing, but marketing has never made me feel seen before. I'll be using bodyform in the future

Wow! Powerful and empowering.

Will it not be on telly?

I disagree with pp who said it would be scary for girls. I would show it to my dd so she knows the range of possible experiences there are for women in relation to their reproductive system. She's only a baby though.

You must be very lucky to have experienced none of the negatives shown.

I thought this was hugely moving - i cried too. I have written to body form and told them how brilliant it is. I appreciate what they have done, this is our biological reality, our challenges and highs and lows - I am going to show my daughters, as they are well on their way through puberty, no periods yet but this is actually a really useful discussion piece.

@Randomfires Apart from this ad, one thing Bodyform is doing to help women and girls is donating pads etc to charities that help ameliorate period poverty.

women’s bodies and emotions to truly represent their sensations and feelings that we believe are not only invisible but ignored, overlooked or denied

Refreshing.

I had to explain to a board room of men last week, discussing office toilets, why women required sanitary provisions. Simply hadn’t even occurred to them. Red face all round (except mine, I quite enjoyed watching them wriggle about).

Might send them this ad!

@Fairenuff you’re right it is good that we can see ads that represent women and don’t shy away from our stories.

It just winds me up that loads of people have said that this ad will make them buy the product as I just feel that making an ad isn’t really supporting women and they feel like their job is done. I’d like to see them doing something practical to support women’s issues/ causes considering we’re the whole customer base! Saying something is a start. Doing something is better