Hey Girls’ shocking Pad Ad hit the Metro last week, highlighting the lengths that some women and girls go to during their periods.
1 in 10 girls in the UK have struggled to pay for pads and tampons, with 12% reporting that they’ve resorted to using socks, rags, toilet roll and even newspaper instead, according to research by Plan International UK.
Hey Girls’ ‘Make your own sanitary pad’ campaign – that asked readers to cut out and make their own sanitary pad from the newspaper template – highlights the lengths that some women and girls go to during their periods, serving as a powerful reminder that this is the reality for many in the UK.
Celia Hodson, Founder of Hey Girls, said: “We wanted people to see this ad and be shocked – to take a moment to stop and think. One in ten girls in the UK can’t afford sanitary protection – the thought of having to fashion a pad by scrunching up paper or socks and putting it in your underwear instead of wearing a suitable product is an awful one.
“People think that this is something that only happens elsewhere in the world, but it’s also happening right here on our doorstep, in the UK. It’s a shocking thought, but it’s happening.”
Read more about our Pad Ad Refinery 29.
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