Mary Joak for Thinx
'Introducing Get BodyWise: Challenging stigmas with shame-free body education''
Thinx is an awesome period pants company, based in America, but shipping their gorgeous pants worldwide!
This month, Thinx launched their new campaign 'Get BodyWise'. The campaign aims to increase the education surrounding topics of the female body and menstruation. As well as, also addressing the current sigma around such topics being discussed open and publicly.
They note '80% of teens say they are taught more about the biology of frogs than the human female body in school, and more than half of adults who menstruate feel too ashamed or embarrassed to seek help when they have questions about their bodies.' This was so shocking to us to read in the office and we couldn't wait to hear how our amazing artists could be involved and help spread the word. Get BodyWise wants to open to chat and create shame free body literacy! We love it!
The concept of video for the campaign was to illustrate the sigma surrounding topics of the female body through the use of AI. When you ask AI to create a visual for any of the following topics including; periods, menstruation or menopause the imagery is all very dark, very cold, very sad and very lonely.
Not wanting to fully use AI to illustrate these visuals BBDO LA reached out to work with three of our brilliant artists to help further emphasise these visuals and showcase AI's poor subconscious messaging around these topics. Rosie Toole, Mary Joak and Alexandria Hall all created their very own piece for the campaign. Rosie tackled the menopause, Mary took on PMS and Alexandria menstruation. Their goal was to create a piece through the same perspective and lense as AI, who present all of the above in such a negative light.
Oh my goodness did they smash it! These visuals although negative are so beautiful and certainly tell the story of loneliness, stigma and lack of understanding.
Mary created not one but two beautiful pieces for the campaign. Specifically looking at how PMS and menstruation are seen through the teenage girl's and young women's perspective. Getting your period in school, at least for ourselves, was almost shameful, never spoken about and sometimes even laughed about. Mary's work reflects this shame, isolation and sometime scary thoughts surrounding this new change for our bodies. Mary beautifully highlights the AI perspective of shedding further negative light on these subjects and making young women feel more ashamed and embarrassed to talk about their bodies. Something we need to change!
A massive thank you to Carlie at BBDO LA, it was such a pleasure working with you and the team and we are so thrilled with this collaboration!
You can check out this important and beautiful campaign via the Thinx website here.
