Useless Spanish Lessons by Intimina
By James Herring on Thursday, May 18, 2023
A new campaign has been launched by to highlight the ongoing stigma around time off for period pain in the workplace.
The campaign, which launches ahead of Menstrual Hygiene Day (28th May), parodies the style of an online Spanish language tutorial, and aims to help break the taboo and stigma felt by women around the world discussing period discomfort in the workplace.
New research from from the brand has revealed that one in four working women feel the need to use excuses such as ‘mystery viruses’ and ‘dodgy prawns’ to explain their absence from work due to period pain.
However, this is no longer the case in Spain, which has become the first country in the western world to allow women to call in sick due to ‘incapacitating menstruation’. Intimina’s ‘Useless Spanish Lessons’ video teaches viewers how to say these phrases in Spanish – even though they would never need to.
The campaign hopes to raise awareness of the need for open and honest discussions about menstruation in the workplace and bring us closer to a world where paid menstrual leave is guaranteed.
Dunja Kokotovic, Intimina Global Brand Manager comments: “It’s sad that in 2023, so many women in Britain and all over the world feel forced to contrive reasons why they’re not well enough to work when suffering from menstrual pain. From food poisoning and exercise injuries to sick pets and relatives and domestic disasters, these essential excuses are now useless in Spain and that’s something to celebrate. We hope that ‘ Useless Spanish Lessons’ helps raise awareness of the need for open and honest discussions about menstruation in the workplace and brings us closer to a world where paid menstrual leave is guaranteed.”
Agency: Cow