Dads step into period care conversation, exposing industry gap

Period preparedness is no longer the burden of mothers and daughters alone; fathers are stepping up to the plate of menstrual care. However, the industry is lagging behind as the language and culture around traditional menstrual care remain highly gendered, creating barriers to fathers entering the conversation.

Earlier this month, a group of dads got together in a pub in the UK to learn about menstrual care and period products. The event, titled Periods & Ponytails, quickly garnered internet attention, sparking a conversation on the wider shifts in modern fatherhood and whether the personal care industry is keeping up.

The event was hosted by the Secret Life of Dads (SLoD) podcast creators in collaboration with FluxxBox, a UK-operating period preparedness brand. The brand offers first-period kits and subscription boxes for teens and pre-teens, aiming to reframe periods as a positive experience through preparedness and treats. The kits include “feel-good” gifts, information pamphlets, a period tracker, and parent guides.

Personal Care Insights sits down with FluxxBox founder, Grace Gordon, to discuss the “period preparedness gap,” the changing landscape of the menstrual care industry, and the role of fathers in this evolution.

Gordon tells us that the gendered discourse around period products has excluded fathers from the discussion. This exclusion is taking place despite fathers’ interest in showing up for their daughters in meaningful ways throughout their lives, including their menstrual journeys, Gordon observes.

“Fatherhood has genuinely changed,” she says.

“Dads today are spending twice as much time with their kids as previous generations did, and they want to show up in all aspects of their daughters’ lives, from braiding hair to puberty support. The problem is that most dads were never taught anything about periods. Without education, confidence is impossible.”

She tells us that the Periods & Ponytails event exposes a key, unrealized opportunity for the industry to meet dads where they are by adapting product communication to dads’ desire for involvement.

Empowering the men-struators

Modern dads want to be involved in puberty support but often lack confidence, says FluxxBox founder.

The menstrual care industry is experiencing shifts from various directions as companies lean into tech, medicine, reusable alternatives, and informative and age-inclusive campaigns. To Gordon, the conversation extending to fathers is the natural next step for the industry to take.

“For a very long time, the mother-daughter model has simply been the norm in this space, and that makes sense historically. But I think what Periods & Ponytails showed us is that there is a huge, largely untapped opportunity to go beyond that,” she says.

“When every product, every campaign, and every piece of communication has always been pointed at women and girls, dads naturally absorb the message that this is not their territory. Not because they do not care, but because no one has ever spoken to them directly or empowered them.”

Gordon explains that this misalignment between dads’ wishes to be a part of their kids’ lives and the gender-exclusive conversation in period products results in daughters missing out on a “powerful” source of familial support.

According to Gordon, the success of the event and the following positive online response indicate that dads are willing and want to learn.

“They are going to supermarkets, they are doing school runs, they are present in their daughters’ lives in a way that previous generations haven’t always been. There is a real opportunity for brands to meet them there. Campaigns that reflect the full range of family dynamics girls actually grow up in today.”

This shift is about more than marketing, Gordon tells us. She says that the societal and industry momentum toward gender inclusive conversations on menstruation is about changing the narrative around shame and embarrassment.

“I really believe we can only do that when we bring boys and men into the conversation,” she says. “When dads, and just as importantly sons, are included in the conversation, girls grow up understanding that periods are a normal, healthy part of life that the whole family can talk about openly. That is a shift with real, lasting impact.”

As their first and “most powerful” male role model, Gordon sees fathers’ involvement in their daughters’ first period as a crucial precedent dads are setting in their daughters’ lives.

“They show her that her body is not something to be ashamed of, and they set the standard for how the men in her life should treat her. That is not a small thing. That is foundational.”

First periods & industry preparedness

FluxxBox is addressing the “period preparedness gap” with first period kits and family education, saying period brands have historically excluded fathers from menstrual care conversations.

The Periods & Ponytails event was geared toward preparing fathers for their daughters’ first period. However, Gordon tells us there is a persisting issue surrounding menstrual information among women and girls.

FluxxBox aims to address an industry gap Gordon calls the “period preparedness gap.”

She explains this gap as the disconnect between when puberty actually begins and when girls receive meaningful education, emotional support, and practical preparation.

She underlines that, while parents may want to help, they often struggle with identifying when to start menstrual guidance, what is age-appropriate, or how to frame it positively. “Many girls still start their first period feeling anxious, confused, and completely unprepared,” she tells us.

By creating accessible information points and offering playful and exciting products, the boxes aim to reduce the sense of dread around a first cycle.

“What was missing was not just a product. It was education, confidence, and celebration wrapped into something families could actually use together,” says Gordon. “That is what FluxxBox is: an education-led first period kit and parent support community designed to help girls start their period journey feeling informed, supported, and proud of their bodies.”

The brand approaches periods from a holistic perspective, rather than a monthly inconvenience managed in secrecy and only on a hygiene level.

“The Positive First Period Kit combines age-appropriate education, confidence-building resources, and thoughtful gifts that make the experience feel celebratory rather than scary,” says Gordon.

“For families who want to continue that journey, the Positive Period Subscription keeps the conversation going month by month, covering topics such as managing side effects, changing hormones, and menstrual health. Both are designed with one goal in mind: helping girls understand their cycles and their bodies from the very start.”

Periods & Ponytails highlighted how fathers can help reduce shame around menstrual health

Gordon tells us timing is an underdiscussed facet of menstrual care awareness. She explains that a majority of menstrual health marketing is aimed at people who already have their period. “But, girls as young as eight are starting their periods, and depending on where they are in the country or the world, they may not have received any period education at school by that point,” she says.

“That is the window where confidence is built or lost. The industry has a real opportunity to reach those families earlier, with education and products that set girls up for a positive experience from the very beginning, which is exactly what the FluxxBox kits are designed to do.

Furthermore, Gordon underscores the importance of industry focus on period awareness from a menstrual health perspective. She stresses the impact campaigns focusing on helping parents understand what is normal and what is not can have. 

“Menstrual health conditions can begin right from the very first period. We should not be in a world where young girls are suffering in silence for years before anyone takes their symptoms seriously,” she says.

“Parents need to feel equipped to recognize the signs, to trust their instincts, and to advocate for their daughter to get the help she needs without delay. Empowering families with that knowledge is not just good education. It could genuinely change the trajectory of a young girl's health.”

Ponytail precedent

Periods & Ponytails was not SLoD’s first event for fathers who want to show up for their daughters. Previously, they have taught dads how to do their daughters’ hair over “Pints & Ponytails.” The events, as well as the SLoD podcast, aim to create a space in which fathers can discuss mental health and parenthood in a supportive and candid environment.

Gordon tells us this model of involved fatherhood is indicative of a larger change in the culture of parenting. “‘Periods & Ponytails’ was created to help break down outdated stereotypes,” she says.

According to Gordon, the dads in attendance were asking questions regarding the best starting menstrual products, sustainable and chemical-free options, whether their daughters should track their cycles, and even how to offer emotional support if their daughters do not want to talk about it.

“Dads are not disengaged; they are just lacking knowledge and confidence,” she tells us. “A big part of the message I had to deliver was that you do not need to be a period expert. You just need to show up and make sure she knows you are not embarrassed. That landed really powerfully on the night.”

Gordon believes that a truly inclusive approach to period preparedness starts with empowering the whole family, not just the person who will experience the period.The Periods & Ponytails event taught dads how to support their daughters through their first periods

“Because if parents feel informed and confident, they are the ones who will help their daughter have a more positive start to her period journey. That is where the real impact happens.”

“When I say the whole family, I mean that genuinely. Mums, dads, single parents, same-sex parents, blended families. The modern family looks so many different ways, and period education needs to reflect that reality.”

Gordon adds that the event and the response it was met with clearly show that fathers are taking their role seriously. FluxxBox and Periods & Ponytails offer these dads a practical place to start, she explains.

“Because wanting to show up and knowing how to show up are two very different things. If we can continue to share knowledge and education with as many people as we can, ultimately, we will have a lasting impact on that girl’s life and her relationship with her menstrual cycle,” Gordon concludes.