Stayfree tells fathers what their daughters left unsaid

Sanitary napkin brand, Stayfree, has rolled out a campaign titled ‘It’s Just a Period’, for World Menstrual Hygiene Day, which was celebrated on 28 May. Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the film highlights how Indian daughters could be extremely close to their fathers, and yet not be able to discuss one of the main phenomena in their lives—their period. 

 

The film features several women in a circle, sharing with each other the nature of their relationship with their fathers. They start to reminisce all the times their fathers have been with them as their strongest support. However, when it comes to speaking about their periods, they admit that they’ve never had their fathers involved. Meanwhile, the fathers of these women are made to watch this candid conversation live, without the knowledge of the daughters. The fathers then understand the role such open conversations have, in making their bond with their daughters stronger. 

 

“We believe the onus of normalising period conversations rests on the people that the young girl trusts – her family, teachers, and society at large," Manoj Gadgil, vice president, marketing, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, India. "Stayfree is once again stressing on the role of a father, because we realised that there is a distinct vacuum in a father-daughter relationship during her teenage years."

 

Fathers want nothing but the best when it comes to supporting her dreams and ambitions, he noted. Yet, during her teenage years, they take a step back and let the mother become the primary parent to help her navigate her periods. "This begins the subtle conditioning around periods—hushed voices, not to be spoken about in front of the men of the household and the accompanying worry about storing, changing, and disposing pads," Gadgil added. "This film urges fathers to do more—to talk to their daughters and help drive more positive social norms and behaviour around periods.”

 

Pallavi Chakravarti, creative head - West, DDB Mudra, said, “So what if Dad pretended that periods didn't exist? So, what if he pointedly looked the other way when I was young and confused and bleeding for the first time? It isn't his job to talk to me about menstruation’ - Women believe this to be true. Stayfree digs deeper to unearth what lies beneath this age-old norm, resulting in revelations for both fathers, and daughters.”

 

CREDITS

 

Agency: DDB Mudra and 22feet

Creative: Rahul Mathew, Pallavi Chakravarti, Neeraj Kanitkar, Manish Darji, Neha Shefali, Narendra Patil, Shreya Acharya, Prasad Masekar, Targun Kaur

DDB business: Nishant Saurabh, Dharal Goshalia, Priyanshu Dikshit, Spriha Walia

DDB strategy: Anand Murty, Sanchari Chakrabarty, Atreyi Nag, Mallika Yamdagni

22feet strategy: Ketan Rambhia, Ankita Choudhary

22feet business: Gaurav Magotra, Nussarat Ibrahim, Kanishka Khandelwal, Palak Maheshwari

Production house:  Mothership productions

Director: Gaurav Gupta