Femtech brand Elvie has launched a 20ft ‘peeing’ billboard to tackle taboos around urinary incontinence and fight back against social media giants for censoring the issue. 

The bespoke billboard, developed by Kinetic, is central to Elvie’s #LeaksHappen campaign, created and executed by brand activism agency, Don’t Cry Wolf. The campaign aims to tackle taboos around incontinence and shine a light on the issue that plagues British women. Commonly-reported figures show one in three women globally suffer from incontinence, but in a recent survey, Elvie found 84 per cent of UK women experience incontinence.

#LeaksHappen launches within two weeks of TikTok banning a video published on Elvies profile, showing Madi (@maddawglifts) leaking urine while weightlifting. Classing the videos as “graphic” content, TikTok has also previously removed videos from Madi’s profile.

To show the reality of leaks, Elvie worked with a real-life sufferer as the star of the billboard – 28 year old mum of two, Megan Burns from Cornwall, who was worryingly advised by a medical professional to use tampons when exercising to help improve incontinence after having a baby.

Video and imagery of the billboard will be shared across Elvie’s owned channels, alongside stories from the women involved. Elvie also 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. 

“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,” said Elvie Chief Marketing Officer, Aoife Nally. “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.”