Sanitary commercials may be coming around to the truth that yes, women do bleed red. Bodyform, a UK brand,  has become the first to feature a sanitary pad stained red instead of the usual blue.

The brand, along with their parent company Essity, says “research found 74% of people wanted to see more honest representation in adverts.” To honor this research the company is “confronting taboos surrounding periods.”

According to Independent, “Bodyform’s provocative campaign aims to normalise menstruation by representing it in a series of true-to-life scenarios.” 

The ad also shows a man buying sanitary napkins, presumably for his girlfriend or wife. Meanwhile, a woman lounges in a pool. The final tagline reads, “Periods are normal. Showing them should be too.”Back in 2016, the company ran an advertisment with sportwomen biking, running, boxing, and getting “muddy and bloodied.” The advert featured the slogan “no blood should hold us back” and a sanitary towel on TV for the first time.

“We were so shocked by the results of our research that we publicly vowed to address the continued silence around periods,” said Traci Baxter, marketing manager at Bodyform.

 “We believe that like any other taboo, the more people see it, the more normal the subject becomes. So for Bodyform, after showing blood and a real, in-situ sanitary towel, bringing the two together was a natural next step. In doing so, we remain committed to showing periods in everyday life, truthfully and honestly – because we feel it’s the right thing to do to. Together, we can help make blood normal.”

Blue moisture is generally used in sanitary commercials to show how much moisture a napkin or product can hold. But these products aren’t meant to hold any kind of moisture, and Bodyform has taken the next step to proving that.