Feminine hygiene brands have become increasingly forthright in their portrayals of periods in the media. Swedish company Libresse is continuing on this theme with an ad that scrolls through a range of menstrual experiences rather than pushing a one-size-fits-all image.

Hey Girls has released a print campaign that highlights the issue of period poverty. The ad is a visceral reminder of the reality that many women face and a prompt for people to buy pads by Hey Girls, a social enterprise that donates a pack of sanitary pads to those in need for every pack that it sells.

While nearly half of women say they prefer to buy from companies that challenge gender stereotypes, branded feminism in the form of pink-washed products and #girlpower hashtags is often seen as insensitive and unimpressive. So, how can marketers empower women in an authentic way?

From asylum seekers to schoolgirls, 10% of females in the UK will experience period poverty in their lifetime. The new social start-up, Hey Girls is looking to smash the taboo and provide sanitary pads to those in need, but for how much longer will this figure remain so shockingly high?