In an Unprecedented Move, Intimus Sponsors Only Athletes on Their Periods

Seven out of ten teenage girls stop playing sports when menstruating and a lot of them never go back. The reason? Embarrassment, fear of leaks, or menstrual pain. So, to uphold its goal of encouraging women’s progress wherever they are, Intimus, a Kimberly-Clark feminine care brand, presented ‘Playing with Intimus,’ an idea that made the brand become the first sponsor to partner up only with athletes who enter the court while menstruating. The goal of the action is to drive visibility and stir the conversation about stigmas surrounding the practice of physical activities and menstruation while inspiring girls who feel well during their periods to stay in sports.

During the Gerdau Minas volleyball match on April 10th, player Nyeme, 2019 Paulista Champion, 2021 League of Nations vice-champion, 2022 World Championship vice-champion, and two-time Brazil Cup champion (2022 and 2023), entered the court wearing a personalised jersey that featured her name on a feminine pad, along with the Intimus logo. In a post-match interview, she said “Shame of menstruation must never keep anyone from practising sports. Because, on our periods or not, we can achieve many things, even win championships.”

‘Playing with Intimus’ was developed by FCB Brasil and includes activations on SporTV and on social networks. “Every woman deals with her cycle in her own way; some feel pain and are indisposed for physical activity during that period. But if you’re feeling well, without pain, and have access to feminine pads, training and competing while menstruating is no big deal. And the more we normalise this, the more girls will stay in sports. We believe that menstruating cannot keep people from being and doing what they want,” said Marisa Cury Cazassa, Kimberly Clark’s executive marketing manager for Brazil.

Curated by advertising agency PROS, the topic was amplified on social media by Olympic athletes like Jaqueline Carvalho and Flavia Saraiva, and also by Victoria Albuquerque, who proudly plays for one of the biggest soccer teams in Brazil. The idea is for them to encourage girls to overcome embarrassment and achieve whatever they want, period or not.