Stayfree's move to normalise period talk for all

This Daughter’s Day, Stayfree launched its latest digital campaign, Beta Stayfree Le Aana (Son, get a Stayfree) which highlights the importance of healthy period conversations within families that help the girl to become comfortable about her periods. With this campaign, it has come up with a simple idea yet powerful idea for parents to initiate this conversation by asking them to buy a sanitary napkin.

Four years ago, the menstrual hygiene brand launched its ‘It’s just a period’ campaign, which champions healthy period conversations amongst people who matter most to a young girl—her family. It aims to positively change the narrative of shame and silence often associated with periods and instead create a world where conversations about periods are normalised.

In this journey, Stayfree first encouraged fathers to be a part of period conversation with their daughter, which then extended to ‘Talk to your sons’ campaign encouraging parents to tell their sons ‘It's just a period’.

The latest film is yet another step in this direction with a simple call to action ‘Beta Stayfree Le Aana’ to end generations of taboo. Conceptualised by DDB Mudra, the new digital film captures poignant everyday moments in families, conversations between parents and their sons which are heartwarming and relatable.

Manoj Gadgil, vice president—marketing and business unit head for essential health at Kenvue said, “At Stayfree, we are committed to normalising period conversations and to create a world where no girl feels shame, fear or discomfort about periods. In our fourth edition, we take a real actionable step by not only urging parents to tell their sons ‘It’s just a period’ but also perhaps to go buy a sanitary napkin for their mother or sister taking a decisive step to end generations of stigma associated with periods.”

 Rahul Mathew, chief creative officer of DDB Mudra Group shared that over the years, Stayfree has been committed to normalising the conversation around periods, and a big cohort in the normalisation journey needs to be men. “Women feel more uncomfortable because men are not comfortable around the topic of periods. So, a good place to start the conversation is with boys,” he noted.

As a part of the new campaign, Stayfree has collaborated with national and regional influencers to highlight the important of healthy period conversations in families sharing personal experience of how they have normalised period conversations with their sons. The digital campaign will be seen across Youtube, Meta and leading OTT channels.

Campaign’s take: In a country where even saying the word “period” can send the room into awkward silence, Stayfree’s ‘Beta Stayfree le aana’ campaign is a bold and much-needed disruption. In India, periods are often treated as a dirty little secret—hidden from boys and men, wrapped in newspaper, and whispered about in the shadows. This ad takes a hard look at that outdated mentality and flips it on its head.

By weaving together everyday moments—a mom casually asking her son to grab pads at the store, a father explaining why empathy during periods matters—the campaign breaks down the invisible walls that have kept men out of the menstruation conversation for far too long. It’s about making periods normal, not just for women but for everyone.

In a society where period talk has long been hushed, Stayfree’s message lands with perfect simplicity: when we raise boys to be comfortable with periods, we make life easier for girls. It’s a refreshing push for inclusivity in family conversations, aiming to dismantle age-old stigmas. After all, real change starts at home, and it’s high time we stop treating menstruation like some taboo mystery and start talking about it openly—period.