Bodyform’s Bold Ad Says It’s ‘Never Just a Period’ in Push for Better Education

In a new ad from Bodyform, the Essity-owned U.K. feminine protection brand, a doctor tells a woman: “It’s just a period.”

His words trigger a collective sigh from the chorus. As any woman or person who menstruates knows, it’s never just a period, which is the overarching message of Bodyform’s campaign. 

Bodyform (known as Libresse in other markets) has a long history of confronting toxic stereotypes and breaking taboos about periods in its advertising. That is present in its latest commercial, too. Still, this time, the brand goes beyond taboo-busting by advocating for better education about women’s bodies and health throughout their entire lives.  

“Never Just a Period,” created by Essity’s longtime agency, AMV BBDO, aims to start an open conversation about the dissonance between what women are taught to expect and the reality of their experiences around menstruation. 

Directed by Lucy Forbes—director of recent Netflix show Eric—the film uses a mix of comedy and hyperbolic visuals to depict women’s experiences and emotions that are often ignored or dismissed. The scenes include discovering unexpected discharge smells, facing doctors who dismiss pain, getting your period while breastfeeding and having a coil inserted. 

Throughout, a female-only, Greek chorus-style orchestra responds to the ups and downs, surprises and pain. The chorus “provides a sense of collectivity and solidarity,” explained Lauren Peters, one of the creatives behind the ad.

There are also moments of exaggerated comedy, like when a doctor inserts a giant coil. 

“We have this culture of dismissal, minimizing and ignoring [women], so it felt important that through the craft, we made these experiences feel big, real and to be noticed,” Peters said. “Humor allows you to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, but not at the expense of understanding the reality of it.” 

Another of the film’s distinguishing features is the images of classical paintings of women looking distressed or exasperated. The idea behind this was to connect women’s issues with centuries of history and underscore how misinformation and dismissal of their experiences have persisted. 

“The layer of historic paintings adds another level of sheer absurdity, this 300,000-year sigh of: it’s not just a period,” Nicholas Hulley, co-chief creative officer at AMV BBDO, said. 

Behind the scenes, the women on set for the ad shared their stories, from motherhood to endometriosis, which informed what was depicted on screen. 

“We wanted to show the onslaught of your whole life. You’re having these ‘what the fuck’ moments, feeling alienated from your body, unprepared for what’s happening and wishing you had more information,” creative Augustine Cerf said. 

Beyond taboo-busting

The dramatic music and extravagant, sometimes absurd visuals capture the emotions of real consumers. In Bodyform/Libresse’s latest study, which surveyed 10,000 people across 10 countries, data revealed that more than one-half (59%) of those who menstruate wish they’d been taught more about their periods and intimate health. 

Other stats were similarly illuminating: Just one in five of those who menstruate felt “calm and ready” to start their first period; two in five felt that the knowledge of their cycle had “lots of gaps”; 90% of those who menstruate know little to nothing about perimenopause; and only two in five said they felt comfortable enough to talk to their healthcare professional about their menstrual health. 

“The outcome of the research showed us that there is an important thing for us to do and embrace as a brand, which is education. It also showed the importance of education from an early age,” said Luciana de Azevedo Lara, senior global brand communications manager at Essity.

“As a brand now, we’re really embracing the cause. We want to commit to fostering more education and research, and making sure every woman gets the right knowledge for what they’ll experience,” she continued.

The lack of accurate information about women’s health is a timely issue, added AMV BBDO strategy partner Margaux Revol, pointing to growing conversations about topics such as reproductive health or pain management. 

“People are re-examining the legitimacy of what they’re feeling versus what they’re told … and how the world is not fit for our bodies and experiences,” Revol said. “We want to try and turn that around. What if we started by better understanding women+ (inclusive of different identities pertaining to gender)? What would it look like?”

Inspiring the industry

Bodyform’s journey in taboo-breaking advertising started in 2017 with “Blood Normal,” when it became the first U.K. brand to depict real menstrual blood instead of the blue liquid that typically represented it in commercials. 

Since then, the brand and AMV BBDO have gone on to create a joyful ode to vulvas with 2018’s “Viva la Vulva”; depict the highs and lows of living with a womb in 2020’s “Womb Stories”; raise awareness of women’s pain in 2021’s “Pain Stories”; and highlighted the gender sleep gap in 2022’s “#Periodsomnia.”

Bodyform gained fame and awards for these campaigns, spawning a wave of copycat advertisers that similarly claimed to smash taboos about women. 

However, for the Essity brand, “Our strategy and purpose is not to break taboos. The whole point is to leave women+ feeling understood,” Revol said. 

“This is more about an ambition to tell the whole truth,” she continued. “If it means other brands will try to copy that and will listen and understand women+ better, that’s only a good thing for women+ and embeds good practices in the industry.” 

The strategy is also paying off for Essity’s business. Before this series of ads, “we were really struggling with the business worldwide,” Azevedo Lara said. 

In the years since, Bodyform/Libresse has become the fastest-growing femcare brand, according to 2024 data from NielsenIQ, Circana and Kantar. It is a $1 billion net sales business, Azevedo Lara said. 

“Our purpose has inspired everything from our communications to our approach to product innovation, which has put us in a much better position,” she added. “We can communicate persuasively that we are the right choice for consumers, but the numbers only give us more argument to continue our journey.”