Menstruation is often a taboo part of the human experience. However, it shouldn't be. It's natural and perfectly normal, and thankfully, many people are working to break the stigma surrounding periods.
One of these people is Hannah Johnson. She is one of the many ordinary women who have featured in the This Girl Can campaign, which aims to encourage more women and girls to get active.
To see Johnson bare her tampon string for the campaign, check out the video below:As per the Metro, Johnson has been an avid jogger for over ten years. However, when it was her time of the month, she often refrained from exercise because of the pain it caused.
But that all changed when she read an article online that said exercise can alleviate PMS symptoms. She hasn't looked back since.
"It genuinely really works," she said. "For me, it's all about being really prepared and organized. The second day of my period is normally really heavy, so if I work out on the first day it can make the rest of my period much easier to cope with.
"I always wear all black, just in case of spillages and so I can feel more comfortable. You don't want to be rolling around on a mat doing backwards-this and upside down-that worrying what the mat’s going to look like when you get up."
For the campaign by Sport England, Johnson starred in an ad that featured her tampon string. This was done to normalize the reality of regular exercise for women and break the stigma around menstruation and its associated products.
"Recently, I have become so unapologetic about my periods, and what I go through with my period pains every month," she told the Metro.
"But there was definitely a moment where I was like - 'do I really want to be the one with my tampon out on a national TV campaign?' Of course, there was some trepidation."
Johnson continued: "But I just had to put my money where my mouth is. Being open about this stuff and normalizing the what the female body goes through is so important to me, it's something I believe in. So I had to do it. I wanted to do it.
"We're all so scared to even say the word 'tampon' - but it's not a dirty word. Periods are incredibly natural and normal, everyone knows that they happen, so it makes no sense that we have to hide that."
And John's decision to put her money where her mouth is going down a storm on social media, with people rushing to praise the ad for normalizing menstruation.
One Instagram user wrote: "Absolutely love this! Need more of this inclusivity in the fitness industry."
A second wrote: "Yes yes yes yes yes!!! Real, inspiring, brilliant! Thank you x"
Meanwhile, a third wrote: "I love this. I love the discreet use of tampon string to show that nothing will stop us.
Periods are misunderstood in sport. Some days we are so motivated to go exercise and others is [are] 'I don't want to leave my bed'. Well played this girl can. This is inspirational."
Since its launch in 2015, This Girl Can has inspired an estimated four million-plus women to get into fitness.