From overt threat to invisible presence: discursive shifts in representations of gender in menstrual product advertising

The menstrual product brand ‘Always’ and its #LikeAGirl campaign has made headlines for being at the forefront of a liberation, championing female empowerment gender equality. This paper utilises visual discourse analysis approach to explore discursive shifts in advertisements over past four decades. Specifically, question as how construction menstruation changed time advertising is addressed. Three dominant discourses are identified: overt threat, uncontrollable invisible. These function strong claims truth they reach everyday life consumers playing pivotal role their creation meaning.