In a move we needed years ago from someone… ANYONE, Pantone has unveiled a new shade of red inspired by the colour of women’s periods, as part of a new campaign to end the stigma around menstruation.
The company has the biggest colour matching system in the world and works with industries such as graphic design, fashion, printing and more.
Laurie Pressman, vice-president of the Pantone Color Institute, said the new shade was “an active and adventurous red hue.”
“‘Period’ emboldens people who menstruate to feel proud of who they are. To own their period with self-assurance; to stand up and passionately celebrate the exciting and powerful life force they are born with; to urge everyone regardless of gender to feel comfortable to talk spontaneously and openly about this pure and natural bodily function.”
Pantone and Intimina have paired up to use the colour for Intimina’s Seen+Heard campaign, empowering and encouraging people to talk in more detail about menstruation. Intimina said the colour was an “original shade of red that represents a steady flow”.
The stigma around menstruation has been an issue for years, something that Pantone hopes to help bring to an end. Women’s menstruation should be viewed as a necessary, natural, healthy and physical process.
A bodily process women go through in order to repopulate the earth, this is literally how men are walking around on the planet. In order for the stigma to be removed we need to be talking more about menstruation and seeing more of it in day to day life. Avoiding discussion about menstruation because it causes men to feel uncomfortable creates the separation in society.
Women should not need to feel shameful or embarrassed when discussing that time of the month in front of anyone or asking around for a tampon.
So thank you to Pantone for making this colour for Aunt Flo, she’s been very patient.
Image: CNN