For a woman somewhere in St. Louis, this shirt is a tampon.

2020 GOLD ADDY WINNER: INTEGRATED MEDIA PRO BONO CAMPAIGN

According to a 2019 study, two-thirds of low-income women in STL can’t afford tampons. And when you can’t afford the real thing, anything will do. T-shirts, socks, rags and tissues—it’s an epidemic well-documented in the developing world, but this research marks the first look at what period poverty means for women in the states.

That’s why, during Women’s History Month 2019, my design partner and I pledged to join the fight. To bloody the menstrual front lines with a campaign and a product that would not only raise awareness, but also raise money to promote real change.

How’d we do it, you ask? With tampons, of course. But not the kind you’re used to using. We designed a t-shirt just like the ones low-income women are forced to use, sold it in partnership with locally famous Arch Apparel, and generated buzz/sales through a dedicated Instagram page and partnerships with local businesses and influencers—with all proceeds going to the St. Louis Alliance for Period Supplies.

AD: Angela Bode