An absorbent article having a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension and comprising a liquid pervious topsheet, a liquid impervious backsheet; and an absorbent core disposed between the topsheet and the backsheet; the absorbent article further comprising a barrier leg cuff disposed adjacent to each of the longitudinal edges of the absorbent article and extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article; each barrier leg cuff comprising a structure, wherein the structure is attached to the absorbent article with a proximal end, the structure having a longitudinal dimension, which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal dimension of the absorbent article, a lateral dimension and a caliper, and comprising one or more elastic elements (195, 196); and/or the structure being associated with one or more elastic elements; wherein the structure is a multi-level structure, the multi-level structure comprising a first outermost layer, a second outermost layer, and at least a first intermediate layer, all layers having a longitudinal dimension parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the multi-level structure and being confined by first and second spaced apart lateral edges, and a lateral dimension parallel to the lateral dimension of the multi-level structure and being confined by two spaced apart longitudinal edges, wherein the layers at least partly overlap each other; with the at least first intermediate layer being positioned superjacent the first outermost layer and subjacent the second outermost layer, with each level of the multi-level structure being confined in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and lateral dimension by one of the layers forming the superjacent layer of the level and further confined by another of the layers forming the subjacent layer of the level; the first and second outermost layer (110, 120) being able to shift relative to each other along the longitudinal multi-level structure dimension upon release of a contractive force, which has provided by the stretched one or more elastic elements (195, 16) along the longitudinal dimension, whereby the multi-level structure is converted from an initial flat configuration into an erected configuration in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and the lateral dimension, each level in the multi-level structure comprising one or more ligament, each ligament having a first surface and a second surface, a longitudinal dimension confined by two spaced apart lateral ligament edges, and a lateral dimension confined by two spaced apart longitudinal ligament edges, each ligament being provided between the superjacent layer and the subjacent layer of the respective level and being attached with a portion at or adjacent to one of the ligament's lateral edges in a first ligament attachment region to the surface of the subjacent layer which faces towards the superjacent layer of the respective level, and being further attached with a portion at or adjacent to the ligament's other lateral edge in a second ligament attachment region to the surface of the superjacent layer which faces towards the subjacent layer of the respective level, the region of each ligament between the first and second ligament attachment region forming a free intermediate portion, the ligaments in each level being spaced apart from one another along the longitudinal dimension of the multi-level structure when the multi-level structure is in its erected configuration, and the attachment of all ligaments is such that the free intermediate portions of all ligaments in the multi-level structure are able to convert from an initial flat configuration to an erected configuration upon release of a contractive force, which has provided by the stretched one or more elastic elements along the longitudinal dimension of the multi-level structure, thus converting the multi-level structure as a whole from an initial flat configuration into an erected configuration, wherein the erection is in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal and the lateral dimension of the multi-level structure, the structure being in the flat configuration when the absorbent article is flattened out and when the one or more elastic elements (195, 196) are stretched along the longitudinal dimension of the structure, whereby contraction of the one or more elastic elements (195, 196) applies a force along the longitudinal dimension of the structure, thus converting the structure into the erected, three-dimensional configuration, wherein the structure has a higher caliper in its erected configuration compared to the caliper of the structure in its flat configuration, the erected structure spacing a distal end of the barrier leg cuff away from the topsheet and causing the barrier leg cuff to stand up.