To think this is male fantasy about periods?

[OneOfThoseOldFashionedWomen]

Trending there is a post about the reality of heavy periods, and yet every time I load MN there is faux advertising of women (of course thin and pretty and acceptably diverse) all hanging out in their pants by a window, looking back with a coy smile.

I'm sure there will be shouts of its advertising of course it needs to be aspirational/alluring etc, but this is MN, why can't the advertising be more honest?

It's the whole fantasy of women having pillow fights at sleepovers (then sleeping together) - male fantasy

I don't know - it's different at least. Weird enough to be interesting.

Though - I don't know if it would make me buy the product.

I understand why for what’s effectively a print ad they want to show their product & indeed their product range. But then that brings you to the weird male gaze thing of “oh hi, just casually hanging out together in our undies, as women do”. You’d then hit other issues trying to make things realistic - flooding makes it looks like the pants leak; bloating makes it look like they don’t fit; if the women in the advert look angry/upset/in pain the product, rather than having a period, is perceived negatively.

So yes, this advert like pretty much every advert for period products is really bloody (no pun intended) annoying. I don’t think it’s a male fantasy though, but rather the result of practical considerations around showing the product to its best advantage.

It's advertising aimed at women, but under the caveat of being judged from the male gaze.

How novel. 😐

It made me think WTAF. It’s 100% male gaze. It looks like they’re about to start a pillow fight (which obviously never happens but was a soft core male fantasy before we got internet porn.)

Reminds me of the time a Northern Irishman sarcastically called out Bodyform for their blue period adverts and they made a video back at him

www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2218920/amp/Bodyform-viral-spoof-YouTube-video-Response-Richard-Neills-Facebook-rant-period-adverts.html

I’m stood by the window in my pants…. Because I get period sweats…. Don’t look anything like those made up period princesses…. More like Ursula from little mermaid older sweatier sister

I've never understood the estimates for an "average" period. If that's the average then some women must experience only a teaspoon of blood each month because so many of us are literally flooding insane amounts. I'm post menopause now but I'll never forget all those wasted days chained to a toilet because no amount of sanpro would allow me to leave the house!

Advertising world is weird - I mean look at perfume ads.

I guess they are trying to make period pants a bit glam and cool (but nice) girl gang. They must have data that it works but the demographic they are aiming at doesn’t seem v mumsnet.

Maybe right to them and say they need to make some different ads for mid life women with more clots and comedy. Get Sharon Horgan to write the script

Ah come on OP. Whenever I'm on the blob I like nothing more than inviting my best girlies round for a big ol' pants fest. If you've never been to a pants fest, you really should. It's wild! You wear pants and stand in front of a window! Everyone laughs loads when they do it. Not as much as they laugh while eating yoghurts or celery but it's still a very fun activity.

Agree re perfume ads, everyone in them always breathes through their mouth. They look adenoidal. It really is not a convincing endorsement of the product.

@blubberyboo
Thank you for posting this, it is very good, very funny and I love the end. Brilliant 🤣

This advert gave me an eye roll too. As a site aimed primarily at women, I’d have thought MN would have turned it down.

I understand that adverts need to be appealing, and a woman clutching a hot water bottle, with a bloated belly, leaking belly-warmer knickers and a face that says “just fucking try it, I dare you….” don’t exactly sell it.

But surely there’s something in between that doesn’t coyly pander to the male gaze?! I even prefer the white shorts ads because at least there’s a relevant message (eg/our product is so good you can THIS confident you won’t leak”.) What the sodding hell is the message of this advert?!

We need something that acknowledges periods are different for every woman/girl but no matter how you’re feeling, these period pants will get you through, helping you feel as comfortable as possible while still looking great. Come on, that’s not difficult, surely?! I can envisage it in my head!! And it doesn’t involve a bunch of semi-naked girls giving the camera a saucy little smile. FFS!

Bloody stupid. Who the f hangs out in their knickers looking all happy and standing up. You hang out by sitting around and chatting without stupid smiley faces. So fake. Speaks to noone so wasted advertising spend. Idiots

Why? It's the correct word. Just because it seems that you've not heard of it, doesn't make it wrong. 🙄

I thought the same thing earlier op.. it’s like some kind of unusual period party/sleepover situation; most odd

The thing is you want things to be relatable in ads. This speaks to no one because no one hangs out in their knickers during their periods. Some are fine, some are in pain, some leak, some it means they haven’t conceived which for some is great news and for other bad news.

Periods aren’t something that brings people together for fun.

so the advertisers haven’t understood the brief and it is patronising for people on this site. They’re on this site because they want to speak to other humans going through the same stuff as them. Sort it out mumsnet

It’s up there with teenage girls having pillow fights in their negligees while having sleepovers. Meanwhile, the add underneath makes up for it for male stereotypes too. Equal opportunity stereotypes today Mumsnet.

It's very "male gaze." A group of thin, pretty young women all hanging around together laughing in their underwear. And, strangely, posed as if someone has walked in on them laughing together in their underwear, and they're all happy about it and cheerfully show the interloper their rear ends.

Extremely strange.

Surely a more realistic ad would be a woman tucked up in bed with a hot water bottle and a bottle of gin?

The Bodyform response to the spoof ad is hysterical.

This is worse. At least roller- skating, even in white shorts, is something some girls might do.

We need something that acknowledges periods are different for every woman/girl but no matter how you’re feeling, these period pants will get you through, helping you feel as comfortable as possible while still looking great.

Agreed. Given that they're selling pants, it makes sense to show how the pants look on someone's body. But you'd think using multiple models grouped together (or, more realistically, a split panel showing each model separately) would give them a chance to showcase different body types, include thinner/fatter, younger/older, larger/smaller women wearing the pants. Perhaps one or more models with a visible disability. The pants apparently start at XS and go up to XXL, which is a UK size 20, but the models all have pretty much the same body type.

(OTOH, the point of an ad is to get talked about, so all attention is "good" PR.)

They definitely come up small. I wear a 16 bottom half and needed the largest size so I guess that's why the models are not larger

The last thing men fantasies about are women's periods, even with fancy pants on.