You may have seen the newest from Hello Flo, a commercial for feminine hygiene products called “First Moon Party.” The ad follows “Camp Gyno,” a similar ‘period positive’ ad released last year by the same company.

The videos are undeniably funny, and also fairly progressive in the sense that they actually openly talk about periods and all that comes with them. They refreshingly show girls getting excited about menstruation and make periods a point of pride rather than a topic of mystery, embarrassment, and hardship. Ads like these reveal the big secret: periods aren’t a secret! There is no need to hide their existence behind code names and whisper about pads and tampons only in dark deserted alleyways. People should talk openly about periods and get properly educated about them (regardless of whether or not they have a vagina). Maybe then we will stop scapegoating women’s emotions as “PMS” and finally get rid of this disgustingly archaic notion that wearing a tampon somehow tampers with your virginity. Open dialogue about our bodies is always a good thing, especially when it involves something as natural and common as getting your period.

But while “First Moon Party” certainly speaks openly about periods, I’m not sure it does so in the right way. One comment I read on the video said “Funny, and it gets its message across.” Message? I don’t know about you, but the only message I’m getting from this ad is that lying to your parents is a cardinal sin deserving of punishment via upmost discomfort and humiliation.

Yes, the ad does a wonderful job of discussing uteruses, vaginas, and other senselessly taboo subjects of the female body, but this ‘openness’ is all in the name of spiteful vengeance. While the ad is definitely funny, most of its humour derives from the very fact that this mother is celebrating her daughter’s menstrual cycle. It does not depict genuine celebration of one’s period, but rather seems only to ridicule the idea that periods should be celebrated and even suggests a girl’s menstrual debut as a tool for humiliation (seriously, is it just me or is it disturbing how pettily vindictive this mother is?). Essentially, this is the story of the girl who was punished for being period positive.

Any girl who anticipates her period as rapturously as the one in this ad has my full respect and admiration. I can’t speak for all women, but I know that in my pre-period days I was terrified of getting it. And hey, to an 11 year old, there were so many reasons to be! What if I bled everywhere at school? How much would it hurt? Did getting my period mean my childhood was over? How the hell does a tampon work? If on top of all that I had to worry about the possibility that my mom would throw me a grand welcome-period soiree, I probably would have gone in for a hysterectomy right then and there. In my books, If this gal is excited enough about menstruation to fake it, she should probably be knighted.

The more opportunities we have to talk openly about our bodies the better, but quite frankly this ad seems only to give young girls a darn good reason to keep their new friend a secret from their parents. While I heartily commend Hello Flo for their bold steps in the right direction, we really do want girls to feel comfortable talking about their periods so they can get the right information and feel good about their bodies, now and for the rest of their lives. To me, that seems a hell of a lot more important than teaching that a harmless fib is the most heinous crime to which one can subject their families. So let’s actually encourage girls to get excited about their period, whether they be real or fake! Periods are normal, natural, and beautiful, and hey, a world where this kind of “first moon party” actually existed might not really be such a bad thing after all.