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?

Ooh me and my friend actually bought matching period pants - I'll call her immediately to suggest we hang out in them by a window next time our periods align 👌

When is the pillow fight starting?

Out of interest, with or at?

Agree. I don’t know who designed that advert, but it clearly wasn’t a woman.

Misogyny is just getting worse.

I've never understood why people mock the 100 tampons thing. I could easily get through 100 regular tampons on a heavy period and I'd probably take that many so I had spares. On my heaviest day when I used tampons I would need to change a super plus tampon every 30-60 minutes.

I dont know, I think the advert is fine.
They are modelling pants - so obviously they are going to be stood up in their pants- if they were in tracksuit bottons and sitting you wouldn't be able to see what they look like at all.
It doesn't even look very male gazey to me- one of them is in a massive jumper and two others are in tops. The only one who is in a matching set is turned away so you can't see her boobs. And they are not weirdly close up, or even stood in a sexy way , they look like a small group of models showing you what the pants look like, which is kind of the whole point of modelling pants.

They are not advertising periods, or doing an informative campaign on the realities of periods, it is an ad for some period pants. Like if I see an ad for trainers I don't mind that they might be jogging up a hill or running on a track and not representing me who will only ever wear the trainers to stomp off on the school run or to wander round tesco.

And obviously they are smiling, they are selling a product, if one was crying because her hormones are throwing her off, one was scowling with her headache and another was looking annoyed about her cramps- its not going to make the product look good- It would sort of look like the pants are so uncomfortable that they cant even fake smiling for a photo.

Male fantasy
And period

Those things do not go hand in hand

And I HATE all period adds.
Hate hate hate hate them

Ducking bunch of happy women being happy doing happy stuff.

Who on earth would hang around with friends in just their underwear right in front of a window FFS. It's absolute nonsense.

TBH OP most advertising is pretty crap not just this one. Think of practically every car ad you've ever seen that liken driving car x to having sex/being cool/having fun times. It's a car FFS. You use it drive you, your family and your stuff around usually in a traffic jam.

I think the best thing to do when you see any sort of advertising is to start with the premise that it is 'lifestyle' shit thought up by people who think you are an idiot.

It's "Shark Week" for me so I've just taken a selfie of myself by the window, in my granny pants, grinning like a Cheshire cat. My husband looked rather worried and told the girls that he'd probably be making dinner tonight !. 🙂

It looks like it, yes. But these things usually have to jump over many focus group and consumer research hurdles before going to print, so no doubt it is appealing to the majority of their target market so…

Isn't any kind of advertising like this the kind of advertising that leads to denture commercials with young people with perfect teeth eating apples, or incontinence pants being modelled by people unrepresentative of their biggest customer base. Those products, and period products, the reality doesn't intersect with a comfortable commercial.

ha ha! yes!

I was given the 'talk' by my DM before and when I started my periods but the reality (heavy periods, severe PMS, embarrassment of using tampons/sanitary towels etc) of it was a complete PITA for me. Got a bit better when I was on BCP but I also had DM, grandmother etc who had lighter periods and little/no PMS/T so I rarely had sympathy from that side too.

I used to see adverts for sanitary towels/tampons where they're rollerskating or skipping along a beach in pale/white clothes and think - if only!

The most irate making copy ever "Have a happy period". Get fucked backed to hell man.

It was on TV too I'm sure of it, or a variation of it.

I recall I had accidents (as you do) and had to use Biotex to get blood stains out until I discovered black knickers and then, even better, red knickers. I'm not sure if I'd have ever used Period Pants, mooncups, reusable sanitary towels etc but I'm so pleased that this generation (I'm 51) have this choice which me and many others simply didn't have. I recall seeing and reading about sanitary towels with belts and having total nightmares I'd have to use those!

This a million times. If they could make these men suffer with periods/period pain/PMS would be great.

I think once or twice (not with boyfriends) I've occasionally ripped the hell (just a one liner) to a male colleague about periods who said something stupid/insensitive - luckily most men just leave it there and never mention it again and the really nice ones know if you are crabby it could be TOM and buy you nice chocolate/take away lattes.

It's totally unrealistic though... I don't give a crap what/if they're advertising - surely they could make it more so realistic and not give a false impression that everything is fine. Which is might be for one woman having a period but might not be for another woman.

Basically it seems to me to be fairly generic sizes in underwear and tops, enjoying themselves?!

Bad advertising.

At the advert, with many of the dry observations of the posters.

Having had terrible periods for over 30 years due to severe endometriosis, requiring two surgeries, I can assure you it is not at the posters.

I just don't get why its unrealistic- its a picture of women stood in some pants. That seems pretty realistic, most women are functional whilst on their period. I know there are exeptions, especially with things like endo, but most women would be perfectly capable of standing and smiling whilst on their period.

It is not a advert about the challenges of periods or an informational campaign about how some women have a really hard time with their periods it is literally a photo advertising some pants.
If it was a video advert, about a product specifically for very heavy bleeding or for the push for more endometriosis trained specialist nurses then I would agree there would need to be more of a focus on what is realistic for some women.

But how much 'relatable to the entire population' realism could they possibly show in one photo, a photo that is just meant to be there to sell pants?

Its a rubbish ad, simply because they are all just stood at a window in their pants.

I have these exact pants.
And what would have been a better advert would simply be a quote from me saying how they have changed my life. Having very heavy periods and often waking in the night to blood on the covers, since using these, not happened once. Having to use a tampon AND a towel because of leaks, and still sometimes leaking anyway, I worship them, they are fucking amazing!

I do however wear them with clothes over the top :)

This. Absolutely this. From the age of 11 every period I’ve had has involved pain, horrific mess and feeling like shit.

I just don't get why its unrealistic- its a picture of women stood in some pants. That seems pretty realistic

How often have you stood by a window half dressed with you friends?

Similarly slim pretty smiley women for some god only knows reason standing together by an open window all dressed in their pants looking amazed and wondrous at their fun joy filled lives

Or, in real life, its fucking marketing! Since when do adverts show reality? That's not the point of adverts, is it?

Why in the fuck would any of you expect an advert to be realistic and gritty?

Because fucking marketing is moving to relatable, real and gritty stuff. That is why even massive brands are using creator content and not pretty over produced content. That is why tik tok is becoming more popular than pretty instagram posed content.

There is some great period pages on social media platforms that are very popular. Real period wearing the products and being open and honest about things. That’s what people want to see.