Libresse Honours the Noble Vulva Like Never Before

Libresse/Bodyform follows last year’s phenomenal ‘Blood Normal’ campaign with ‘Viva La Vulva’, a three-minute celebration of ladybits.

Created by AMV BBDO, the spot more than rises to the occasion of following 2017’s multi award-winning campaign, which challenged taboos around showing period blood (and, incidentally, won an Immortal Award). This film is equally taboo-smashing.

Directed by Somesuch’s Kim Gehrig, it depicts a variety of vulvas (or at least objects that look a bit like them) in a series of vibrant vignettes, soundtracked by a reworking of the Camille Yarbrough classic ’Take Yo’ Praise’.

Conch shells, origami and citrus fruit all stand in for that most unique part of the anatomy, interspersed with scenes depicting women interacting with, discussing and generally appreciating their vaginas in all their nuance.

Fittingly, the production team behind the spot appears to be largely female. The cinematographer is Deepa Keshvala and the editor is Trim Editing's Elise Butt. The film is packed with examples of fantastic female creativity, from pottery artist Emma Low to paper-cut artist Hannah Kate Kelley.

The ad, which essentially takes the form of a music video, was released on the Libresse Sweden Youtube channel and the campaign has now been launched for the Swedish and Danish markets.

But the film isn't about flashing some creative fannies just for the sake of it - the idea is underpinned by the insight that women are experiencing an increasing amount of pressure and misinformation about how their vulvas look. There has been a growth in genital plastic surgery and some women even site a sense of shame or embarrassment over how their vagina looks as a reason for skipping smear tests. Over half of women feel pressure for their vulva looking a certain way and almost half of them (44%) have felt embarrassed by the way their vulva naturally looks, smells or feels. 68% of women don’t technically know what their own vulva is, with one in four completely unaware that no two vulvas should look exactly the same.

By fostering a more open culture and normalising the idea that vulvas are unique and diverse, the Essity-owned brand hopes to boost confidence and break taboos.