How do you solve a problem like the squeamishness surrounding women’s bodies? For Femtech brand Elvie the answer is a 20ft peeing billboard. 

The billboard is the latest move by the femtech brand which has successfully revolutionised the experience of pumping breast milk, to smash the stereotypes surrounding women's bodies and particularly the impact of childbirth. 

Stereotypes matter because they prevent people from reaching their full potential. When it comes to the depictions or lack thereof of the lived experience of women’s bodies, those stereotypes are reinforced by silence and taboos. In essence, by not representing women as they are, the toxic message that they do not belong or worse should be ashamed of their lived experience blossoms. 

When it comes to incontinence, a problem that femtech brand Elvie found 84% of women experience, this veil of silence and shame is acute. In a bid to challenge this and the medicalised misogyny which women tackling incontinence still face, femtech brand Elvie has launched a 20ft ‘peeing’ billboard to tackle the taboos which surround unitary incontinence and fight back against social media giants for censoring the issue. 

The bespoke billboard was developed by Kinetic and was created and executed by brand activism agency Don’t Cry Wolf. The campaign follows TikTok’s move to ban a video published on Elvie’s profile showing a power weight lifter leaking urine while weightlifting. 

It may be over a decade since Dove launched its landmark ‘real women’ campaign, but there is no question that the advertising industry still has a long way to go to tackle stereotypes. While there has been a growing cynicism in the industry surrounding stunt-laden ‘femvertising’ this campaign underlines the power of advertising to change the narrative. 

This isn’t just about PR, the truth is that the squeamishness which surrounds women’s bodies is having a negative impact on their lives. According to Elvie just 7% of women who experience incontinence seek medical help, despite the fact that the issue can often be improved with pelvic floor training. Instead, it takes a widespread, commonplace problem an average of seven and a half years to address. 

Megan Burns is featured on the giant billboard. The mum-of-two from Cornwall can be seen displaying a urinary leak while working out in the gym. Burns began experiencing urinary leaks when she went on her first run, postpartum and worryingly she was advised by a medical professional to use tampons when exercising to help improve her incontinence.

Video and imagery of the billboard will be shared across Elvie’s owned channels, alongside stories from the women involved. Elvie has collaborated with fitness influencer Nesrine Dally, who was the first hijab-wearing athlete to compete in Muay Thai, to highlight how women can tackle the issue head on. 

Aoife Nally, Chief Marketing Officer of Elvie, explained: “Incontinence is common in women at all ages and stages of life. By censoring content that shows women experiencing urinary leaks, social media platforms are reinforcing taboos around the issue.”

She continued: “Elvie’s giant ‘peeing’ billboard is bringing the issue out of the shadows and into the spotlight. We hope it will encourage women to start speaking out about the issue and seek the help they need to solve the problem. Elvie’s goal is to empower and enable women to achieve everything their bodies are capable of.”

Sara Collinge, Managing Director, Don’t Cry Wolf added: “Social media networks might disagree, but the reality is that incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of. Our aim with Leaks Happen is to empower more women to open up and talk about their experiences. And what better way to do that than with a loud and proud leak on a central London billboard?” 

Advertising which not only stops you in your tracks; but helps to stop society at large from silencing and stereotyping women’s lived experiences.