Pantone launches a bold new color to combat menstruation taboos

09/30/2020 Health, World



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Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNN

Pantone has launched a bold new shade of red, called “Period,” to help destigmatize menstruation.

The new shade, an “energizing and dynamic shade of red that fosters the positivity of the time,” according to a press release, was launched as part of the Seen + Heard campaign, an initiative by Swedish feminine care brand Intimina.

Pantone Color Institute Vice President Laurie Pressman described the color as a “safe red” that can help foster positive conversations about menstruation.

“An active and adventurous red-hued brave period encourages menstruating to be proud of who they are: to own their period with confidence; stand up and passionately celebrate the exciting and powerful life force they are born with We urge everyone, regardless of gender, to feel comfortable talking spontaneously and openly about this pure and natural bodily function, “Pressman said by email.

Menstruation remains a taboo subject in many parts of the world, affecting people’s health, education, and socioeconomic status.

In India, for example, women are sometimes forbidden to cook or touch someone during their period as they are seen as impure or dirty, which can contribute to a culture of silence and misinformation around hygiene practices. And in a Midwest region of Nepal, a 2019 study found that the practice of making girls sleep in huts for menstruation is still prevalent, despite prohibition.

Oscar-nominated film aims to end the stigma of menstruation

Stigma also affects women in the US, where menstrual poverty – the lack of access to affordable menstrual hygiene products – affects one in five teens.

“Despite the fact that billions of people experience menstruation, it has historically been treated as something not to be seen or talked about publicly,” Intimina’s global brand manager Danela Žagar said in a press release. .

“And if you look at popular culture, the descriptions of periods have ranged from very inaccurate and unsympathetic to being joked and teased.

Construction period positivity

Pantone’s latest initiative joins a series of recent efforts to boost the visibility of the so-called “period positivity” movement.

In 2019, a short documentary called “Period. End of Sentence”, directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, won an Oscar. Later that year, the Unicode Consortium, a non-profit organization that develops and approves new emoji, introduced a “drop of blood” symbol after a campaign by the children’s rights charity, Plan International.
While Pantone is best known for its Color of the Year (which this year went to Classic Blue, a balm for uncertain times), it has also released colors related to social and environmental issues.
Classic Blue was named Pantone's 2020 Color of the Year.

Classic Blue was named Pantone’s 2020 Color of the Year. Credit: Pantone

In May, the organization launched Pippi Longstocking Orange as part of Save the Children’s “Girls on the Move” initiative. Then, after choosing Living Coral as the 2019 Color of the Year, Pantone partnered with the Ocean Agency and Adobe to launch Glowing Blue, Glowing Yellow and Glowing Purple, shades based on the fluorescent colors produced by coral when threatened by the warming of the oceans.

“Color is one of the most powerful modes of expression that we can use to attract attention and make our voices heard,” Pressman said.

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