Periods Never Sleep: #Periodsomnia exposes the truth about periods at night

Bodyform, owned by Essity, has a track record of work that aims to eradicate taboos and shame around women+'s intimate experiences in order to create a more understanding, equitable world. 

The brand was the first to show period blood in advertising with #Bloodnormal and celebrated vulvas in all shapes and sizes in Viva La Vulva. Most recently in #wombstories, they dynamited the dangerously simplistic story that’s propagated in culture about what it means to be a woman+.

This time, the brand is diving into the darkness to reveal the truth of periods at night. 

Bodyform wants to move beyond the clichés to show the bleeding, the dreaming, the bloating, the tossing, turning, tiptoeing, the farting and the struggle to sleep soundly. 

Again, they’re finding distinctive and novel ways to represent period blood. This time, we see beautifully arresting medusa-like blood, detaching from the uterus and flowing through the body.

The brand has coined a new term ‘periodsomnia’ to put a name to the experience that millions go through at night. Many believe they’re alone in this, so the hope is that by tackling the invisibility of the issue with beauty and empathy, the work will provide comfort and community.

Tanja Grubner, FemCare global marketing and communications director at Essity, comments "For years, society, brands and advertising have presented images of peaceful, restorative sleep, even for those who are menstruating. The reality shown through #Periodsomnia is that it can be more chaotic for some women+. It’s time to stop treating women+ like broken pipes which leak. They just have periods. By revealing these universal truths, we tackle the invisibility around the realities of nights spent menstruating to reassure women+ that what they go through is completely normal and that they're not alone in their experiences.” .

The integrated campaign will launch with a film directed by Kim Gehrig. The film mixes live action, animation and thermal imagery to powerfully illustrate the fact that periods never sleep, even when women+ might be desperate to.

Accompanied by the upbeat techno track “Deep Inside” by Hardrive, the film is a mixture of reality and surrealism. This is the second collaboration between Bodyform, AMV BBDO and Kim Gehrig, who also directed Viva La Vulva (2018).

Kim Gehrig, the director commented, "As a teenager I would be awake for endless hours on nights that I had my period. I would ask my mother to go to the late-night pharmacy at 3am to get me painkillers. Those nights were always uncomfortable, lonely and truly exhausting. Yet, in the morning I was expected to go to school and perform like any other day. When I started this project with Libresse, it struck me that I have never discussed these nights with anyone, ever. What it is like to have your period at night? I can only assume that others probably have not either. I am hoping this film is the beginning of a conversation and understanding of what one experiences at night, every month, when they menstruate. And how truly incredible it is that we then take on the next day just like any other."