Nutrition and health brand Rootless is elevating women’s voices in a recently-launched campaign designed to highlight changes before, during and after menopause.
The Own Your Pause campaign rolled out on International Women’s Day and features a diverse group of women speaking about the physical and mental health changes they experienced during perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.
Rootless — which brands itself as a “whole health” company that sells seaweed snacks — stepped into the broader women’s health world for the campaign.
The company partnered with Brooklyn-based marketing agency Red Antler to develop Own Your Pause, which includes a website dedicated to menopause awareness as well as a one-minute PSA.
The video begins by dispelling misconceptions around menopause, clarifying that it starts earlier than when a person reaches 50 and dives into other lesser known facts about this phase of life — which is marked by the end of women’s menstrual cycles.
“I think I was depressed, but again, I blamed the work I was doing at that time,” one woman states in the video. “Brain fog right now,” another states. “Dry eye, where my contact lenses were popping out of my eyes,” another says.
“Focus on what your body needs, stop fighting against it, and fight with her,” the video continues. “We should all be talking about it openly, even in boardrooms around men… Asking is empowering, because if you don’t ask, nobody will answer.”
The video concludes by directing viewers to the Own Your Pause campaign website, which includes personal stories about women navigating menopausal stages. There is also information about menopause as well as resources for how to best track, monitor and manage the process with lifestyle habits and medical treatments.
In a release, Rootless noted that part of the motivation behind the campaign was to tackle an area of women’s health that has a “notable lack of resources to educate those experiencing it,” as well as to target the “shame and stigma” around openly discussing it.
“There are millions of women silently enduring menopausal symptoms, searching for answers, support and community,” Sachi Singh, founder and CEO of Rootless, said in a statement. “Our goal is to build trust and empower them with the necessary resources for whatever stage they’re at and bring these whispered and stigmatized conversations front and center.”
Ad campaigns focusing on menopause have proliferated in recent years, as more women’s health companies make strides in raising awareness.
Last year, period underwear maker Knix launched The Invisible Period campaign to educate women about perimenopause.
Additionally, sexual health medical device manufacturer MysteryVibe launched a campaign seeking to reduce stigma around menopause and masturbation.
