This period commercial actually shows real blood, and it’s about time

Periods aren’t weird or abnormal or gross or disgusting. They’re perfectly natural, and happen to people of varied gender identities and expressions. The more we talk about periods, the less taboo they’ll be — and the more we showcase periods as they are, the less stigma there will be around them. This is exactly why we’re happy to see a Bodyform commercial that actually shows period blood. Because, honestly…we don’t bleed blue liquid! We bleed blood, red blood.

So why do brands still try to hide us from what we already know? So men aren’t scared that women can bleed for a week without dying?

We’re not sure what the answer is, but we’re glad that Bodyform has finally stepped up to the plate to show us what we already know: bleeding is normal.

In their commercial, we see blood being poured onto a maxi pad, someone in the shower with bloody water dancing down their thigh, and a woman in a high-waisted bottom, red liquid permeating her whitest of whites. The bottom line? Bodyform’s slogan puts it perfectly:

This is followed by the hashtag #bloodnormal, which reminds us of what we’ve known all along — blood IS normal. Periods are normal. And if you bleed, you shouldn’t feel ashamed.

It’s about time hygiene product companies stop shaming us for our bodies, and instead remind us of the miracles they perform every month.

So don’t mind us. We’ll be tagging everything #bloodnormal as we remember that our bodies are perfect just the way they are.