Pantone's new 'Period' colour tackles menstruation stigma

Pantone has launched a new colour with a very important message. The bright red shade is called 'Period' and it's here to tackle the stigma surrounding menstruation.

The Pantone Colour Institute — the design company with the biggest colour matching system in the world — has teamed up with healthcare brand Intimina to create a custom Pantone shade to represent the colour of period blood.

The release of the new hue forms part of Intimina's Seen+Heard campaign which aims to encourage open conversations about menstruation regardless of gender.

It's important to remember that menstruation affects non-binary people and trans men. It's also worth noting that not all cisgender women have periods.

If you've heard the term 'period stigma' before, but aren't sure what it means, or why it's important, then here's a little bit of background. According to a U.N. Women report, in some parts of the world, people who menstruate "are seen as dirty, untouchable, or a disgrace." In these instances, the stigma and shame surrounding menstruation can result in the creation of makeshift period products from household objects, the use of which pose serious health risks. Period stigma and shame also has a huge impact on education. In Africa, one in 10 adolescent girls miss school when they're menstruating, and "eventually drop out," per UNESCO estimates.

As part of the Seen+Heard campaign, Intimina has also donated £2,000 to ActionAid, a global organisation that works with women and girls living in poverty. "Around the world today, millions of women and girls still suffer due to the stigma associated with periods," said Jillian Popkins, director of policy, advocacy, and programmes for ActionAid UK, in a blog post. "Many girls miss vital days of school, or even drop out altogether, which is one reason so many women experience life-long poverty globally."

The creation of Pantone's Period red shade is all about making periods "visible" and "encouraging positive conversations and normalising menstruation in our culture, our society and in our everyday lives," according to Danela Žagar, Intimina global brand manager.

"An active and adventurous red hue, courageous Period emboldens people who menstruate to feel proud of who they are," added Laurie Pressman, vice-president of Pantone Color Institute from Pantone.

Using colour to draw attention to a socially conscious issue isn't new ground for Pantone, which regularly uses its Colour of the Year for this purpose.