Receiving criticism on social media, the CEO of tampon manufacturer August faced backlash after referring to customers as “menstruators” instead of women, under the guise of promoting gender inclusivity.
August CEO Nadya Okamoto, a 25-year-old Harvard student, was featured in a segment on “Changing the Game” on CBS Mornings with Gayle King. This segment aimed to showcase women making a difference.
During the segment, Okamoto emphasized the significance of periods in enabling human life and described the menstrual cycle as “one of the most natural biological processes of life,” without acknowledging that women are the primary individuals who experience it.
Discussing the brand, Okamoto stated, “We’re also wanting a period positive, gender inclusive brand. We are August, on the pack it says ‘we’re here for everyone who menstruates.’ And I think especially in this age of transphobia it really means a lot to us to be a proudly gender-inclusive brand.”
Her repeated use of the term “menstruators” as a reference to tampon customers sparked an outpouring of criticism on social media, with some arguing that woke culture is attempting to erase the word “women” to cater to a small population of trans and non-binary individuals who also experience periods.
One user commented on CBS’s YouTube video of the segment, saying, “Gayle King is a clown for not stopping this woman when she said ‘menstruators.’”
Another user remarked, “She better hope the trans buy a lot of them. Because I won’t.”
While another tweet expressed, “Let me help her out: It’s WOMEN. Say it extra slow so she can understand.”
And a self-proclaimed “liberal” user pointed out that avoiding the word women “sounds ridiculous.”
