Overview
- The Star, a Johannesburg daily, ran a front-page advertisement on Wednesday that mimicked a dark red stain spreading across a sports article to look like a menstrual leak.
- A line at the bottom of the page read "WHAT IF YOUR PAD COULD LAST 5 YEARS?" and tied the visual to long-lasting reusable pads and menstrual cups.
- A short video of the printed page circulated on X and drew more than half a million views in roughly 24 hours, driving the story to international attention.
- Social media responses were divided, with many users praising the creative, unskippable use of print while others said the imagery was too graphic and uncomfortable for readers.
- The campaign reframed a public-health issue by pointing to how lack of affordable menstrual products forces girls and women to miss school or work and by promoting reusable, lower-cost solutions, though no large-scale donations or policy actions linked to the ad have been reported.