The Don’t Hide It Period campaign is breaking menstrual taboos, one innovative pad packet at a time

Gurugram-based design consultancy NH1 Design aims to spark open conversations about periods and raise funds for charity with the 3-month Don’t Hide It Period campaign.

Not so long ago, TV ads for sanitary pads would refer to periods as “un deno mein” (those days), not even mentioning the word period. The chemist still invariably wraps sanitary pads in a newspaper or puts them in a black plastic bag to apparently help avoid embarrassment.

The Don’t Hide It Period campaign wants to challenge the taboos prevalent against periods in Indian society.

Gurugram-based NH1 Design, a branding and design consultancy, has launched the Don’t Hide It Period campaign to encourage conversations about periods and break the taboo surrounding the natural biological functions of the female human body.

Don't Hide It Period is a limited edition three-month campaign to raise funds for charity and inspire people to openly talk about periods.

With an aim to change mindsets, spark conversations, and allow women to embrace periods, NH1 Design has reinvented the conventional sanitary napkin packaging in an inspiring and innovative manner.

Starting an urban dialogue 

Neha Tulsian, Founder and Creative Director at NH1 Design, says: “Even in urban India, people shy away from talking about periods. And the first step is to create a shift with this audience. We are aiming to start an urban dialogue to stir conversations around menstrual cycle with an end motive to help rural women access sanitary pads at low cost.” 

The pads are packaged in a canvas bag featuring bright red and orange polka dots. The bag contains 10 regular sanitary pads, each with a unique message to make periods inspiring and a part of everyday conversation.

Some of the messages on the individual packs are: Don’t sit at Home. Period; I create life. Period; It’s just blood. Period; and It’s cool to ask for one. Period.

The packs, priced at Rs 285, are sold exclusively on Nykaa, and with every pack of pads purchased, the sale proceeds will be donated to The Better India, who are setting up a factory in Ajmer with Aakar Innovations to employ local women to manufacture and distribute biodegradable, low-cost sanitary napkins.

Not So Serious by Pallavi Mohan is the campaign’s fashion partner.

“They have designed an exclusive T Shirt for this project and also supported us fabricating the canvas pouches for the project,” Neha says.

The campaign was launched on January 17, 2018. The website dedicated to the campaign, Donthideitperiod.com, invites users to join the conversation by writing their own messages on the virtual pad and share to create wider awareness on social media using the hashtag donthideitperiod. 

“As a design agency, we wanted to use the power of design not only to draw attention to, but help enact positive change in response to social issues around us,” Neha ends.