It’s a common issue among men to be perplexed by their partners’ monthly mood swings which turns even the nicest girlfriends into monsters. One such lad is Richard Neill who posted a rant on Facebook hitting out at advertisers who make the ‘time of the month’ sound as if women are having the time of their lives. Having seen the uplifting Bodyform Maxi Pad commercials as a boy, he said he was ‘jealous’ of all the exciting things women did during their periods such as parachuting, mountain biking and skiing.
Richard Neill decided to post a light- hilarious Facebook on Body Form’s page claiming they mis-sold the truth about menstruation. His message quickly received 86,743 ‘likes’ and 3,735 comments.
Rather than call in the lawyers, Bodyform sensed a PR opportunity – and hit back with a great tongue-in-cheek YouTube video. In it, fictional chief executive Caroline Williams addresses Richard directly and admits: ‘There’s no such thing as a happy period. We lied to you Richard and we want to say “sorry”.’
She said the company had to resort to ‘flagrant imagery’ as some focus groups in the 1980s couldn’t handle the truth of the ‘cramps, the mood swings and the insatiable hunger’ during a woman’s cycle.
Snapping a pencil, she says: ‘But you Richard have torn down that veil and exposed this myth, thereby exposing every man to a reality we hoped they would never have to face.’
The video has racked up nearly 200,000 viewers and 3,000 likes on Facebook in one day, with men and women alike describing it as “hilarious”, “genius” and “comedy gold”.
Posted on Bodyform’s Facebook page on 8 October:
‘Hi, as a man I must ask why you have lied to us for all these years.
‘As a child I watched your advertisements with interest as to how at this wonderful time of the month that the female gets to enjoy so many things, I felt a little jealous.
‘I mean bike riding, rollercoasters, dancing, parachuting, why couldn’t I get to enjoy this time of joy and ‘blue water’ and wings!! Dam my penis!!
‘Then I got a girlfriend, was so happy and couldn’t wait for this joyous adventurous time of the month to happen …..you lied !!
‘There was no joy, no extreme sports, no blue water spilling over wings and no rocking soundtrack oh no no no.
‘Instead I had to fight against every male urge I had to resist screaming wooaaahhhhh bodddyyyyyyfooorrrmmm bodyformed for youuuuuuu as my lady changed from the loving, gentle, normal skin coloured lady to the little girl from the exorcist with added venom and extra 360 degree head spin.
‘Thanks for setting me up for a fall bodyform, you crafty b@gger’
You tube video in response