Procter & Gamble (P&G) made the decision to remove the female sexual identity mark after mounting pressure from transgender activists who were born female and use the products.
In June, transgender campaigner Ben Saunders reportedly contacted Always on Twitter, questioning why the brand used feminine logos on all of their packaging.
Shortly after, in July, a trans activist using the pseudonym ‘Melly Boom’ tweeted the company asking why it was “imperative” to have the sign on their sanitary products, according to the Mail Online.
The tweet said: “Could someone from Always tell me why it is imperative to have the female symbol on their sanitary products?
“There are non-binary and trans folks who still need to use your products too you know!”
In response to the tweet, Always is said to have assured Melly Boom that it “cares about the needs and preferences of our customers,” and urged them to get in touch.
It read: “We listened to you and our marketing team worked a solution!
“We are glad to inform you that as of December we will use a wrapper design without the feminine symbol.”
The message also stated that the new designs would hit stores by January or February 2020, adding: “We are absolutely grateful for having people like you voicing their opinions.”
While the decision to remove the feminine symbol has met praise for being inclusive, others feel it is problematic.
On Twitter, numerous women have vowed to boycott Always, while others claimed the move was eliminating female biology.
“We’re now moving towards the total elimination of women’s biology. The women’s symbol has been used by feminists for decades.
“This is pure cowardice and virtue signalling from these big corporate brands who are capitulating to the trans agenda.”
“We’re also committed to diversity and inclusion, and after hearing from many people across genders and age groups, we realised that not everyone who has a period and needs to use a pad identifies as female.
