A Finnish company has released its latest tampon with a very specific target market: biological females who identify as men.
Vuokkoset, which has long manufactured mentrual products, lamented the fact that "periods and period products are viewed in our culture: as a 'women's thing'," and billed the latest addition to its lineup as something "for men who have periods too."
"For transgender men, period pains are not just physical. They are a monthly reminder that the sex assigned to them at birth doesn't martch who they truly are," Vuokkoset said on their website. "Not everyone who menstruates is a woman; transgender men and non-binary individuals may have periods too."
The company explained that in order to "break this outdated belief," their new "Tampon for Men" was released on November 15, during Transgender Awareness Week. They added that "a fully gender neutral tampon" was "being considered," though no further information was provided as to what that would look like.
Vuokkoset explained that while the tampon itself would be identical to previous models, the design, packaging, and branding "are consciously developed to not reflect traditional feminized imagery, making it more inclusive and reflective of the diverse menstruating population."
To promote the new product, Vuokkoset featured the story of Dakota Robin, a DEI consultant, transgender activist, and "certified human rights trainer."
"When I was young, menstruating felt not only strange but somehow wrong," Robin said. "Out culture does not really acknowledge the diversity of menstruating individuals."
Vuokkoset defined gender dysphoria as "a feeling of distress caused by mismatch of gender identity and the one assigned at birth," and claimed that, according to a study, 93 percent of transgender men experience "period related dysphoria," feelings which are "further enhanced by having to buy and use menstrual products."
There has been a push as of late to include transgender individuals in campaigns for feminine products, with numerous companies featuring "menstruating people" in their ads.
