Serena Williams makes the first bearable tampon ad maybe ever

As far back as we can remember, there haven't been any good or even moderately OK tampon commercials. Whether it's the red dot rolling around your screen or the "pearl girl" jingle, they've all been stupid and borderline irritating. When it comes to marketing tampons, it's almost a dying battle. No one wants to buy them, but you need them. Do you really have a strong opinion on brands? Maybe. It's sort of like how you know whether you prefer Coke or Pepsi, you stick with your first choice, and perhaps one day your friend gives you a sip of her Dr. Pepper and you like it, so you decide to switch. In other words: creating and watching commercials for such products both usually suck. All the more reason to appreciate Tampax's innovative ad starring tennis champ Serena Williams.

The battle between Serena Williams vs. Mother Nature is no contest (duh), but the commercial is far from predictable. While there is no mention of cramps or bloating, there are references to.. wait for it... blood! Yes, getting your period means bleeding, and actually has nothing to do with that mysterious, clear blue liquid in every other tampon commercial we've ever seen. While the New York Post calls the ad "uncomfortably graphic," we don't think the clever pun about "having no bad blood" is gross. For once a tampon ad actually points out the annoying anticipation of your period, and shows--not tells--that even Aunt Flo can't stop you from winning a tennis game being strong and going about your day as usual. So while, yes, it's another silly tampon ad, at least this is one we can appreciate.