According to a survey conducted by Bayer’s period pain relief brand Midol 62% of menstruators under the age of 40 have apologized for their periods or period symptoms. For generations, people assigned female at birth have been trained to apologize for everything — the trivial, the everyday, the uncontrollable and especially mother nature (read: their periods). From missing class, to lack of intimacy or just overall wanting to disappear, women are constantly apologizing for their own body and the period symptoms that come with it. Today Midol is launching a new campaign with the goal to end the toxic stigma menstruators face, encouraging the confidence to reclaim their bodies and their apologies to make periods a sorry-free zone.
“As young girls, we are asked to conform to an impossible set of standards that condition us to be more attuned and responsible for how our behavior affects others, resulting in the use of qualifying language to avoid negative feedback,” says Midol Partner Professor Maja Jovanovic, Ph.D. in Sociology and author of Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizing. “Through this initiative, Midol aims to eliminate this apologetic tone from the period vernacular as the first step in addressing the sexual inequity caused by linguistics, and ultimately empower menstruators to take control of their period narrative.”
To shed light on period apologies, the brand has enlisted the insight of industry experts and relevant voices to share their expertise and personal period apology experiences with the masses. “No Apologies. Period” features real people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders who share real Period Apology stories and instances they’ve felt the need to hide their symptoms. The video looks to encourage audience engagement and gives women a platform to have an open dialogue about their own period apology experiences.
“Midol is about creating a world where periods are not something to be embarrassed about or a source of shame or discomfort. That means not just relieving period symptoms, but the stigma that comes with them,” says Lisa Perez, Marketing Director of Pain/Cardio at Bayer Consumer Health U.S. “Our goal is to shed light on the period apology and bring resources to menstruators and non-menstruators alike to create an open dialogue. We need everyone to join in the conversation to ultimately shift behaviors and allow period worries – from symptoms to stigma – to end with us.”
