An absorbent article, such as a sanitary napkin, includes a top sheet and a back sheet with a resilient, composite absorbent core sandwiched therebetween. To decrease the stiffness, the absorbent core includes an outer line and an inner line on each side of a longitudinal centerline. The outer line includes a plurality of slits having spaces therebetween, and the outer line extends convexly when viewed from the longitudinal centerline. The plurality of slits in the absorbent core impart better bending ability of the absorbent article, particular for stiff airlaid absorbent cores.
