This girl can advert. Tampon string

[Looneytune253]

Why does this advert show a close up of a woman's bottom getting ready with a tampon string hanging out? I don't get it, is it supposed to be empowering?

I hadn't registered the tampon string or the hot water bottle when I saw it before. There are still a lot of myths about menstruation and sport so it is positive seeing a woman getting on with it (even if I did used to experience cramps to the point that I couldn't face yoga or even walking)

It's a really positive campaign showing a broad range of women doing a broad range of physical activities. Although I utterly despised PE at school, at least I danced and did other activities and have gone into an active adulthood and fitted it in with motherhood and getting my family active.
So many mothers find it difficult setting aside time for themselves, and dedicating time to be active. The mother reminds me of my C25k days when I'd finish the cluster feeds at night and head out for a 20-30 min run because that's what slotted around family life.

I like the message it gives, periods are a normal part of life. Because they are for most females from age 11 to 40 or 50, once a month for 4 days. And so it kind of says that it's a reality.

However, I've never knowingly had the string hang out of my knickers!

YABU. Vaginas were designed to have blood come out of them once a month... it's time to normalise periods.

It doesn’t bother me

Love the music. It’s Little Simz, a British rapper.

This woman can wouldn't appeal in the same way AT ALL. It's not snappy, and it certainly wouldn't appeal to young women.

Until we have a word that fits between woman and girl, alongside guy or lad, we're going to have to make do with girl, and stop getting defensive about it.

not sure why you needed ‘wtf’ in there but I guess woman it sounds more formal and doesn’t suit the style of ad

"Woman" doesn't sound formal to me and I think it would go perfectly fine with the ad.

You might not mind being called a girl, plenty of other women do though.

Girl= infantilising women.
I think that's the very opposite of empowering.

I HATE 'this girl can'. So patronising.

Great advert, and great to see periods being normalised.

Bloody Brilliant advert.

YES YES YES to tampon string

Its about time periods where bloody normalised

So many young girls even today and in first world countries through lack of information made to feel shame , confusement and disgust around periods, that ends up being carried into adulthood too.

And aside from that, so much taboo around them from our long dark patriarchal history that needs yo be lifted

I mean for me personally seeing the tampon in the advert dousnt suddenly gift me with this great empowerment but what it does, it gives me hope that our young girls of now and the future won't have to enter womanhood with shame as so many of us have.

Periods fuckin rock in fact, they are what allows us to bring life into the world and so they should be celebrated not hidden

OK I'll stop rambling now

It just makes me think of a bunch of ad execs saying 'do we have a fat girl? A black woman? A disabled woman. Someone with freckles? A lesbian looking one?' etc. I find it patronising

@NextdoorNeighbourIsATwat the previous ads have mostly featured white women. This time they aimed it mainly at black women. I don't find that a problem. The whole point of the ads is to make exercise inclusive, so of course they're going to want to cover every age, colour, shape and physical ability of woman.

It’s only patronising in a certain context. Not when used by women about women. Do you never have a girls’ night out or in? I also refer to my dH and friends as the boys sometimes.

I’m assuming a tampon string was the least graphic way of showing a woman on her period doing sports. It’s kind of the whole point of the ad right?

The female equivalent of lad is lass. I'd go with that.

How far will the ads go next? A woman actually inserting a tampon? It doesn't need to be so graphic to advertise tampons. Most people know where they go. We just need to know how good they are. Also I don't think the actress has inserted the tampon in enough if the string is having out of her knickers like that.

I wonder if people who feel patronized are either very sporty already or quite young? Certainly as an older woman I do remember that (not being very good at PE), PE did not feel at all empowering. So he adverts are perhaps aimed at those who do not already feel empowered around the sports/physical activity area.

It’s only patronising in a certain context. Not when used by women about women

Exactly

I'm firmly in the 'I'm a woman, don't call me a girl (and urgh at laydeez)' camp but, I recognise that I am not the target audience for the #thisgirlcan campaign and that, for that audience, it is the right wording.

I like the sentiment but I do agree with the "girl" comments but I can see why woman/lady wouldn't be so snappy which is what ads do.

I saw this at the cinema yesterday and was quite impressed, it was a 15 rating and had a bunch of teen boys sitting in front of us asking "is there any fucking need?". Well yes, if people are so immature that they see periods as a taboo then there's every need to normalise it!

Ew, that's gross, sorry.

Oh forgot about lass, yes that’s ok. I agree with alluding to the period. I mentioned showing the actor reaching for a tampon. Just a bit intimate to see the string.

Love that ad. Anything that cuts through the barriers to women exercising and participating in sport is brilliant.

This sums up my feelings too, although I preferred the backing sounds of the originals - Get Your Freak On and Phenomenal.

This girl can - only if she doesn't have flooding that soak her through both tampons and pads - rendering her immune to sanitary products. Was wondering if bladder control pads would work better earlier today..... so very annoying

I have seen the advert a few times , but never noticed the string. I imagine it would be quite uncomfortable, but over wise have no problem with it.
Is this a first on MN to have a thread about a thread!?