‘P****-Grabbing-Proof’ Undies Ad Banned From San Francisco Subway

A company that sells period-proof underwear has put a different P word before proof to advertise its product — and officials for the transportation system in San Francisco are not amused.

In fact, Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) officials refused to run the controversial ad, which features a woman wearing the panties and a slogan that cheekily boasts, “p****-grabbing-proof underwear,” in a nod to comments made by Donald Trump that were recently leaked to the press. The posters have been barred on the grounds that the language is “vulgar,” the New York Post reports. The ads were originally supposed to hold court in San Francisco’s Montgomery and 16th Street-Mission stations later this month, according to the San Francisco Gate.

Thinx produces underwear specifically designed to “protect you from leaks and keep you feeling dry,” according to its website. The company became infamous in New York City last year for taking a transparent, feminist approach to subway advertising. It offended the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which runs the NYC subway system, by launching a campaign that dared to use the word period — even though it markets products directly associated with women’s menstrual cycles.

According to Mic, the boldness was absolutely intentional. Thinx co-founder and CEO Miki Agrawal said the company is “committed to breaking the taboo around menstruation.” To that end, the ads used suggestive imagery, such as grapefruits and a cracked egg, to allude to women’s reproductive systems. Though Thinx was careful not to violate the MTA’s guidelines — which prohibit “ads that depict ‘sexual or excretory activities’ or materials that promote a ‘sexually oriented business’ — officials still refused to run the ads, according to Mic. They apparently deemed the very blunt nature of the advertisements too explicit.

The San Francisco Gate points out that BART officials had no problem running a Thinx ad in the past that used the slogan “patriarchy-proof underwear” and another two ads that featured transsexual models. But apparently, “p**** grabbing” is where they draw the line.

In a statement, BART spokeswoman Alicia Trost said the ad “contains words recognized by the community as vulgar, indecent, or profane for display in a public setting that includes minors,” according to the San Francisco Gate. Thinx CEO Agrawal disagrees, countering that “the words p****-grabbing are now on the nightly news,” according to the New York Post, and the P word can even be found in some children’s books — referring to cats, of course.

Furthermore, Agrawal argued to the San Francisco Gate, “the term p**** grabbing is a colloquialism today for sexual violence and has been heard on every national TV station, written on so many newspapers and blogs. Why is it suddenly being banned in the context of what we’re trying to do?” In the past, Agrawal has fought for the right to run bold campaigns and has questioned “why ads that could be interpreted as overtly sexual or objectifying of women are OK while those intended to empower women are not.”

The “p****-grabbing” ad does not come out of left field, though. On its official Instagram, Thinx has made other political statements, including an allusion to “I moved on her like a bitch,” another Trump-ism that has become notorious in media coverage surrounding the Republican presidential candidate. Thinx also posted an homage to outgoing first lady Michelle Obama.

Despite Agrawal’s best efforts, though, the folks at Thinx have decided to back down and change the wording of the company’s latest ad after all. The new ad will market the panties as “glass-ceiling proof,” according to the New York Post, which reports that the company paid $100,000 to BART to post it.

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