Kotex: breaking the cycle and ending the silence

Here’s a very sad reality: a great percentage of women know little or nothing about their vaginas and are actually ASHAMED of them! There are even some women who think their vaginas are ugly, weird and that their periods and other natural vaginal functions are disgusting and need to be hidden! This is just UNACCEPTABLE! Well, tampons and pads manufacturer Kotex is trying to change that. Kotex has a great campaign geared toward young women that tries to break stereotypes about periods that are prevalent throughout conventional ads for menstrual products. The website is U by Kotex. The campaign is a declaration that young women can sign to love their bodies and talk honestly about their periods without embarrassment. One of their commercials shows a woman talking about her period and kind of making fun of all of the menstrual product commercials that are out there (below). Straight from their website, here is what Kotex has to say about their mission:

Get this: Over three-quarters of girls feel like they shouldn’t talk about their vagina or vaginal health in general. More than half of girls say that most girls their age are misinformed about vaginal health. What is this, the 1950s? Even though we’re living in the 21st century, it’s easy to have negative feelings about our bodies when society is busy building myths and treating vaginas like some crazy big secret. With Generation Know*, we’re working to put an end to all of that by bringing girls together to drive real social change about one of the most important aspects of being a girl. We believe that when girls have a shared voice, the myths, misinformation and embarrassment lose power. And truth, pride and facts gain strength. I personally LOVE the campaign. On their website, Kotex features a great video, which is an intro to a documentary dedicated to breaking the myths and educating people about women’s bodies. The doc’s aim is to end the silence and shame that women feel about their vaginas and the natural functions of them! I personally think (and I know that many other women can agree) that most commercials about periods and vaginal health (like commercials for vaginal itching) are completely unrealistic and make vaginal health seem like something we have to whisper about. I really enjoy seeing a company recognize that our bodies are being “shhhh-ed” and trying to do something about that! Have you seen The Women’s Issue yet? If you liked this article, you will definitely like our digital magazine. Check it out!

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About The Author

Patricia Colli, Editor of Beutiful Magazine, is a human rights activist, equality advocate, and promoter of health, acceptance and wellbeing. Having experienced disordered eating, unhealthy exercise patterns and poor body image, she is especially passionate about shedding light on eating disorders and the power of body acceptance.