Courtney Cox was the first to say the word “period” on television. In Poland, the advertisement of sanitary napkins appeared six years later

More than half a century has passed since the lifting of the absurd ban on advertising hygienic products for women, yet menstruation is still a taboo subject, an object of shame and exclusion. The way of presenting the period in pop culture also contributed to this. For years, TV shows, series, and movies have opted for narratives that portray menstruation as something awkward, embarrassing, scary, or disgusting.

Courtney Cox was the first person in history to say the word “period” on television

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Menstrual blood first appeared on screen in the 1976 film Carrie. Unfortunately for the heroine, the moment in the shower was traumatic and terrifying. The titular character was afraid that she was bleeding to death.

The breakthrough in talking about menstruation on television was the 1985 Tampax tampon commercial. It starred Courtney Cox even before she joined the cast of Friends, and used the word “period” on screen for the first time. She addressed the women directly and responded to their needs. She showed that all menstruating people struggle with the same problems that are natural, and then proposed a solution – absorbent tampons, which were supposed to provide women with a sense of freshness.

Interestingly, 37 years after the ad aired, Cox published an update on the recording. In the new video, the actress talks about menopause, paraphrasing her words from years ago. The entry of the “Friends” star became a pretext for a discussion about accepting changes in your body and the hardships of reconciling with the passage of time.

“With a certain shyness”, that is the first commercial of sanitary napkins in Poland

In Poland, the first sanitary napkin commercial appeared on television in 1991. Anna Patrycy played in it, and the words “with a certain shyness” used by the model on the screen found their way into the everyday language of Poles.

In recent years, more and more activists, foundations and creators have been trying to normalize the period and build a free narrative around the topic, showing that it is an ordinary element of women’s everyday life. A good example here is the hit series “”, where the unavailability of tampons and sanitary towels was added to the long list of problems faced by the heroines in the post-apocalyptic world.

In one episode, Ellie (Bella Ramsey) receives a menstrual cup as a gift – in another she is happy to find a pack of Tampaks.

The period is normalized in a metaphorical and friendly way even for the youngest viewers by Pixar’s 2022 animation “It’s not going to panda”, nominated for the best animated feature film.

Get to know the “Period in my life” – a new social campaign by Gazeta.pl and the TakDlaPodpasek.pl initiative, implemented by the Periodic Coalition and the Kulczyk Foundation. By calling for free sanitary napkins in schools, we talk to women about body acceptance, access to hygiene products and how periods affect their working lives.