The Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) received complaints about the ad for Acti-Fresh liners as soon as it was launched last night.

In the ad a naked young woman discusses vaginal discharge in a white room, her body artfully hidden behind a bunch of white flowers.

Campaign spokeswoman Debbie Selikman said the company wanted to cut through the taboo surrounding the word vagina.

“It’s the first time a major brand has had the guts to use real words, not euphemisms or diminutive terms,” Ms Selikman said.

Ms Selikman, who is also the editor of Beautyhaven.com, said Carefree’s research found most women wanted ads to refer to their anatomy using proper terminology.

She said other names for vagina typically had negative connotations and sent the message that women should be ashamed or embarrassed about their bodies.

Asked why the woman in the advertisement appeared naked, Ms Selikman said it was meant to reflect the “openness” of the campaign.

“It shows women have nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed about and should be confident of their body,” she said.

A spokeswoman from the ASB told ninemsn the ad had received around five complaints so far and the next step was for the ASB to contact the maker of Carefree, Johnson & Johnson Pacific, for a response.

The most complained about ad this year has been Lynx “Balls” ad, which received a total of 145 complaints.

To view the commercial, click here.