WHIPPANY, N.J., June 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Sixty-two percent of menstruators under the age of 40 have apologized for their periods or period symptoms¹. For generations, people assigned female at birth have been trained to apologize for everything — the trivial, the everyday, the uncontrollable and especially mother nature (read: their periods). From missing class, to lack of intimacy or just overall wanting to disappear, women are constantly apologizing for their own body and the period symptoms that come with it.  Midol®, the #1 Period Relief brand², is on a mission to shift this toxic stigma menstruators face every day, encouraging the confidence to reclaim their bodies and their apologies to make periods a sorry-free zone.

"As young girls, we are asked to conform to an impossible set of standards that condition us to be more attuned and responsible for how our behavior affects others, resulting in the use of qualifying language to avoid negative feedback," says Midol® Partner Professor Maja Jovanovic, Ph.D. in Sociology and author of "Hey Ladies, Stop Apologizing. "Through this initiative, Midol aims to eliminate this apologetic tone from the period vernacular as the first step in addressing the sexual inequity caused by linguistics, and ultimately empower menstruators to take control of their period narrative."

To shed light on period apologies, the brand has enlisted the insight of industry experts and relevant voices to share their expertise and personal period apology experiences with the masses. The seminal content created to support the message - "No Apologies. Period." - features real people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders who share real Period Apology stories and instances they've felt the need to hide their symptoms. The video looks to encourage audience engagement and gives women a platform to have an open dialogue about their own period apology experiences.

"Midol is about creating a world where periods are not something to be embarrassed about or a source of shame or discomfort. That means not just relieving period symptoms, but the stigma that comes with them," says Lisa Perez, Marketing Director of Pain/Cardio at Bayer Consumer Health U.S. "Our goal is to shed light on the period apology and bring resources to menstruators and non-menstruators alike to create an open dialogue. We need everyone to join in the conversation to ultimately shift behaviors and allow period worries – from symptoms to stigma – to end with us."

To gauge the prevalence and nature of period apologies, Midol® conducted a consumer survey³ a sample of women and menstruators across generations— Gen-Z, Millennials, Gen-X and Boomers—to uncover their period apology history. While results found period shame to be more prevalent among Gen Z (70%), nearly half (47%) of all menstruators have confirmed to have given a period apology, more specifically apologizing for:

• Being moody (64%)
• Getting emotional (60%)
• Not feeling great physically (54%)
• Having cramps (49%)
• Bleeding through clothing / onto sheets (39%)

Period symptoms and the inherent shame it causes affects everyone— mother nature sees no race, age, gender or status. Changes in social stigmas can only occur with the acknowledgment that there is an issue, however the real shift begins when menstruators – and the world around them – start to embrace periods by speaking open and honestly about their own experiences.

Midol® is helping empower the world, everyone everywhere, to help further the Period Apology reform by joining the conversation. Only by creating this open dialogue— listening to real stories, sharing personal journeys and relaying resources— can the real shift in behavior begin. No hiding. No apologies. Period.

For more information and to follow the conversation, please visit www.midol.com and on Instagram: @midol

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. For more information, go to www.bayer.com. 

Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Contact:
Danielle Goonan
Director, External Communications, US Consumer Health, Bayer
Phone: (862) 404-7775
[email protected]

Keri Madonna
Vice President, Media, Lippe Taylor
Phone: (845) 901-3165
[email protected] 

¹The Midol Survey was conducted among 1,000 nationally representative US women ages 18+ and 500 nationally representative US men ages 18+.
²#1 OTC brand based on highest dollar and unit sales in Period Category, IRI L52WK ending 05/16/21 Total US – MULO
³The Midol® Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative US women ages 18+ and 500 nationally representative US men ages 18+, between April 14th and April 20th, 2021, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data has been weighted to ensure reliable and accurate representation of US women and men, ages 18+.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points for women and 4.4 percentage points for men, from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

 

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SOURCE Midol