The invention concerns an absorbent article (1), such as a sanitary napkin, a panty liner or an incontinence protector, which article has a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction, a front portion (2), a rear portion (4), a crotch portion (3) located between the front portion (2) and the rear portion (4), and a peripheral edge (12), said article (1) comprising an absorption member (5) including an absorbent body (5b) for absorbing body fluids, said absorption member (5) having an upper side (15) intended to face a wearer during use of the article (1) and a lower side (11) intended to face away from the wearer during use of the article (1), and a stiffening element (6) that, at least during use of the article (1), provides the article with a predetermined shape that enhances the fit of the article (1) to the wearer's body. The invention is characterized in that the stiffening element (6) is fastened to the lower side (11) of the absorption member (5) and that the stiffening element (6) comprises a piece of material (60) formed into a layered structure that significantly contributes to the stiffness of the stiffening element (6), wherein the layered structure can be extended to a non-layered structure, wherein the piece of material (60) is provided with first attachment means (25) for locking a rolled up or folded used article (1).
