Always Is Removing the Female Symbol From Packaging to Be More Inclusive to Trans and Nonbinary Customers
Procter & Gamble announced Tuesday that Always sanitary products will remove the Venus symbol from all packaging in an effort to recognize transgender and nonbinary customers, CNN reports. The Venus symbol (a circle with a small cross below it) has typically been representative of women, so the move is a large step towards inclusivity.
According to The Independent, the redesign will occur by December, with a full rollout by February 2020.
“For over 35 years Always has championed girls and women, and we will continue to do so," Procter & Gamble said in a statement to The Independent. “We’re also committed to diversity and inclusion, and after hearing from many people across genders and age groups, we realized that not everyone who has a period and needs to use a pad identifies as female. To ensure that anyone who needs to use a period product feels comfortable in doing so with Always, we updated our pad wrapper design."
As CNN notes, the decision comes after several activists urged the company to stop gendering the products. People other than cisgender women menstruate (additionally, not all cis women do), and these products should feel accessible and inclusive for folks beyond just those who identify as women.
Several people and brands have praised Always on social media for the decision.
"Well done to @Always for making sure your packaging is inclusive," @TransActualUK penned. "We've read the Daily Mail article about it and we're quite frankly worried for the women whose sense of self is so fragile that the removal of a symbol from a packet of sanitary towels makes them feel "erased".
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