For years and years, the advertising and media industries have played a significant role in encouraging the taboo around periods. They have constantly stuck to their method of highlighting the period's blood as blue.
This has various implications for society and can affect period perceptions in numerous ways. Firstly, the blue color implies that the actual blood is something to be kept hidden from the world. To the small girls sitting in front of their televisions and watching the ads, it creates a subconscious idea of keeping the reality of your body under cover.
For the older women, it shows that whatever their bodies are going through is not worthy enough to be represented fully. For men, it allows them to attach an undignified meaning to something that is already fighting to shake off the tag of “shame” given to it. This not only creates a gap in the open and unrestrained communication about menstruation among groups of people, but also encourages the misogynist idea of wrongly portraying it to billions of people.
For the first time in India, the country’s leading sanitary pad brand, whisper came forward and depicted blood as blood. Red. It had used red for blood earlier too. Since it was used in an animation, it could not have had that big of an impact. This was a big step in breaking the stereotypes that surround periods.
The promotion of feminine hygiene products realistically raises awareness and demolishes inaccurate cultural beliefs. They normalize menstruation, inspire confidence, and ensure trust in people using these products.
We have come a long way in displaying our notions about periods. It is only high time that the media caught up the way it does with every other issue. The blue color of period blood has been taken up by many feminist organizations all over the world, and it clearly made a difference.
Similarly, more new heights can be achieved if we take matters into our own hands and join the movement. Getting rid of the blue obstacle still has a long way to go, but with the changing times and changing thoughts and opinions, it is nearer than it was ever before.