This Awesome Maxi Pad Ad Will Make You Proud Of Bleeding, For Once

Bodyform’s new ad celebrates women who bleed, and it rules

Despite all the #girlpower being thrown around these days (which we’re totally into, of course), girls and women are still hounded with the message that period blood should be hidden at all times. How many of us shared with terror the story of the girl in middle school who got her period while wearing white jeans? And how many of us still live in fear that we’ll have a “period accident” for all the world to see?

Enter Bodyform, a company that makes pads in the UK. They’ve created an awesome commercial, simply titled, “Blood,” that may leaving you feeling proud of your period for once.

The ad shows women engaging in different ass-kicking athletic pursuits. We see them pushing their physical boundaries to the limit, to the point where it makes them bleed. There’s the ballerina with the smashed, bloody toes, the runner who falls, scraps her knee and gets back up again, the rugby team sprinting down the field, the boxer, her hands wrapped in gloves, the surfer making a mad dash into the ocean. These women are powerful, fierce, determined, unrelenting…and bleeding.

It’s an awesome statement. We’re so often bombarded with pad and tampon ads that talk about “protection,” as if we’ll be unsafe if a drop of blood is revealed to the world. We see smiling women pouring cups of blue water onto pads, proof that these things can save us for anyone knowing the real truth about what our bodies are up to. It’s no secret that women menstruate, so why should we be told over and over again to hide it?

The ad, which was created by London ad agency AMV BBDO, is part of a larger campaign by Bodyform called Red.fit which educates people about fitness, menstruation and how it affects the body. Their motto: No blood should hold us back.

Sure, periods can suck. Like, SUCK. *cradles a bottle of Motrin like a beloved baby* But women can do anything when they’re menstruating, and there’s no reason to hide it. Hell, exercise helps cramps! Bleeding when we exercise and move shows that we’re tough, strong, and proud of what our bodies can do. Maybe it’s time we start seeing our menstrual blood the same way. We love this ad because it embraces this idea, and celebrates the message that blood – no matter where it comes from – is nothing to be ashamed of.