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In celebration of International Women's Day, Kotex has launched #ProgressFeelsLike, a powerful campaign shedding light on the challenges women encounter as they strive for progress in modern society.
Developed in collaboration with creative agency Capital A and director Jaci Judelson of Rakish, the campaign unveils the diverse struggles women face globally, encapsulated in short vignettes.
In a two-minute short film, women are seen navigating through uncomfortable situations that they encounter daily, from being judged in the workplace based on appearance, to enduring sexual harassment in public spaces.
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The short film also spotlights the issue of limited access to menstrual products, impeding women's ability to thrive in various spheres.
"If you ask a woman if she's uncomfortable, she'll probably say no. Because feeling uncomfortable is what we're used to," the narrator shares.
However, despite the barriers depicted, the campaign offers a glimmer of hope and shifts the tone towards resilience and empowerment.
The narrator then shares a powerful message to drive the point of the campaign home, "Discomfort doesn't scare us, because progress is more than one feeling. Progress feels like freedom, exhilaration, belonging."
The video then ends on a poignant note: "This isn't the past, and we are the future."
A Campaign on Progress Beyond Discomfort
According to Capital A Founder and Chief Creative Officer A.J. Hassan, the inspiration behind the campaign came from a study conducted by Kotex, which revealed that 60% of women see women's progress as slow or stagnant, while nearly half feel the world is uncomfortable for them, more than ever before.
"[I wanted] to somehow capture and make visible the reality of what this feels like for women, both intimately and collectively," Hassan told Ad Age.
Furthermore, Hassan found her research on the struggles of women staggering and daunting.
"The script [therefore] speaks through a single voice, but spans continents and touches on a sampling of key issues to help express what feels like an innumerable set of barriers that exist, big and small," she added.
In line with its message, the feminine hygiene brand encourages global participation and invites women to share their experiences using #ProgressFeelsLike on social media.
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Meanwhile, U by Kotex, the brand's menstrual hygiene product line, pledges support to combat period poverty in the United States by donating two-period products to Alliance for Period Supplies (APS) with every purchase at Walmart during March.
In addition to these efforts, Kotex has partnered with the non-profit organization She's the First, pledging support for the organization's mission to empower girls globally.
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
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