Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Reply from the Body Shop re JKR... just so dreadful...

363 replies

onlywomennotmen · 15/06/2020 17:34

Apparently men menstruate too...

^Hello, and thank you for getting in touch with us about our recent tweet to JK Rowling. We wanted to respond to everyone who has reached out to us to clarify our position on this issue.

We are longstanding supporters of the rights of women and girls on issues which affect them and believe it is important to keep having conversations around difficult topics such as this. Every person has the right to live their life free from the fear of violence, especially gender-based violence. The Body Shop has been an active campaigner on this issue since 1994.

The Body Shop’s position on menstruation in relation to trans and non-binary people is that we stand with ALL menstruators. People have periods – women, men and non-binary people. And plenty of women don’t. We value learning from everyone’s experience and we believe the conversation needs to go forwards, not backwards.

We disagree with JK Rowling’s view and wanted to demonstrate our support for trans and non-binary people. We understand why addressing the tweet to JK Rowling’s personal account has been interpreted as an attack on her as an individual, and as a domestic abuse survivor. That was absolutely not our intention. We didn’t get the tone right on this one and we do want to engage respectfully and constructively on these important issues.

We believe it is important to keep having conversations around difficult topics such as this, and doing so constructively. We recognise that our engagement with JK Rowling on this occasion wasn’t as constructive as we would like to be. We all need to educate ourselves, be inclusive and stand together so that we can end the shame and stigma around periods for all menstruators and stand up for what is right in our society.

We stand by our position on the rights of trans and non-binary people, and we will learn from this execution to ensure our communication is stronger and more constructive in the future.

We hope this helps you understand our position. We appreciated hearing yours.^

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
geojellyfish · 16/06/2020 19:49

I had the same reply StandUp. Hopefully they rethought the dreadful response calling us menstruators.

StandUpStraight · 16/06/2020 19:30

I received a reply to my email which was entitled “targeted harassment of JK Rowling”, though feeling cheated that I didn’t get the full monty.
“ Hello, and thank you for getting in touch with us. We welcome hearing different points of view and your comments have been heard and noted by us.
From all of us at The Body Shop”
I’m glad they welcome my point of view, but as a business rather than a charity, perhaps they should be thinking more about my money...

rarathenoisylioness · 16/06/2020 16:28

My email last night has not received a reply as yet!

ComeBy · 16/06/2020 10:00

Judging by their website Body Shop are pretty sure it is men who shave.... so just women who have to be de-coupled from their own definition to allow for Trans Identity?

Thisismytimetoshine · 16/06/2020 09:59

Have inclusive and intersectional conversations about periods.
Sweet suffering Jesus Hmm

Original poster
onlywomennotmen · 16/06/2020 09:55

and now ASDA too...

OP posts:
StandUpStraight · 16/06/2020 07:41

@NameXForThis thanks for the tip! As I was writing my post I was actually wondering what companies in my home country were doing on this topic, since last time I was there I bought some period pants that were definitely “for women”. I will stock up on Libra, if I’m ever allowed back without a 14 day enforced quarantine!

nolongersurprised · 16/06/2020 05:48

There’s been a new appreciation in the last few years with regard to how some labels and language can be dehumanising. There’s a shift away from saying that someone IS a particular disorder/disability/medical condition to saying they HAVE it, or are living with it. It’s much less common to hear things like “Michael is Down Syndrome” or “Renee is severe cerebral palsy”. Now - and rightly so - the person is centred and their diagnosis doesn’t define them.

Except for women it seems, where the language others used to describe us is now reducing us to our bodily functions. And we’re somehow considered bigoted or TERFS if we complain.

PrincessForADay · 16/06/2020 04:36

How is it possible I live in a world where the word woman is being eradicated!? I teach my children as boys and gurus they can wear any colour and play with any toy. But I refuse to teach them that men & women don't exist.

I recently joined Twitter but due to my employer I'm scared to retweet or support JkR, it wouldn't make a difference as only have a few followers but I hate that I can't be authentic.

NameXForThis · 16/06/2020 02:43

@StandUpStraight - Have a look at the Libra website (Australian), it is all about sanitary products designed for women and girls by women. Libra and Libra-girl are definitely for women!

VortexofBloggery · 16/06/2020 00:33

I notice the reference to men having periods, "menstruators" etc is never said out loud on a TV advert, or radio. Only in print. Is that because it sounds as crazy as it is, and the general public will be turned off by any company with the gall to treat them like idiots? There must be market research done on this somewhere.

Melia100 · 16/06/2020 00:21

It's just marketing. Nasty marketing, but marketing nonetheless.

They think it's in the interests of their bottom line to attract a younger demographic, and, tbh, it's a long time since this Gen Xer bought from them.

Business only acts in the interest of itself and its shareholders. The hypocrisy is in marketing their reoriented market as a moral choice. It always comes down to the dollar.

jellybe · 16/06/2020 00:19

The reply I got was similar but also had this on the end 'The past few months have taught us all that we must listen and learn from all experiences. Here’s how to get started and be an ally to all menstruators:
1 Have inclusive and intersectional conversations about periods.
2 Read around other people’s experiences: Nannocare - Non-binary representation in Period Conversations: https://nannocare.com/blogs/news/the-importance-of-non-binary-representation-in-our-period-talkk_
3 Donate to charities
We hope this helps you appreciate a different point of view. We appreciated learning about yours.'

So glad the body shop is telling me how to be an ally to menstruators because as a women I have no idea what having a period would be like.

Vodkacranberryplease · 16/06/2020 00:16

That's what some gay men used to call us. Bleeders. I don't get upset about it because well it wasn't in the media or changing how we live etc.

But this looks a little like the bleeder reference turned around and gone public. Just fucking leave us alone. Women are not usually the enemy of the trans community- most women I know are very supportive. So why are we in the fucking firing line. Again.

Melia100 · 15/06/2020 23:20

We have money we can spend elsewhere

Yep.
And we have word of mouth also.

TBS were nasty to an abuse survivor to make a woke point. That's not just not 'constructive', that's woman hating. So we let people know not to shop there if they value women.

Melia100 · 15/06/2020 23:17

I mean, a plague and before that for me, half the east coast burning, was literally the worst thing about about 2020, but the word 'menstruators' comes a close third in the competition 'What I Hate About This Year'.

mellowww · 15/06/2020 23:13

How old are they? I was going to say 20-something but actually no, they'd be better at filtering themselves.

Smug or what.

I refuse to be termed a 'menstruator'.

greathat · 15/06/2020 23:00

I'm not a fucking menstruator! I'm not defined by my uterus lining shedding on a monthly cycle. They can fuck right off

TheChampagneGalop · 15/06/2020 22:40

@RuffleCrow

In fact, we don't need them at all! They only existed to sell us a dream of womanhood. And now women no longer exist, so does their entire purpose.
Haha, oops! A lot of things cosmetic companies sell are things we don't really need. We don't really need them, but they really need their female costumers.
Scruffyoak · 15/06/2020 22:36

No words :(

Bluefargo · 15/06/2020 22:35

I agree @cloudyvanilla

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 15/06/2020 22:34

I've just been on the Body Shop's FB page.

Jesus Christ but there are some hard of thinking wading into the comments section on there. I wanted to comment a couple of times but then thought - where would I even start? The ones defending the Body Shop's stance were just yelling incoherently about transphobia. It was really evident that they didn't have the reading skills to actually even understand what JKR had originally written; they just wanted to leap up and down with their pitchforks.

Aswad · 15/06/2020 22:33

This is really sad. There are some things that are really really difficult for some women (periods, childbirth) and it’s disgusting that these can be ’claimed’
I’m sure it’s been said before but this is sad so disheartening

Binglebong · 15/06/2020 22:30

Every person has the right to live their life free from the fear of violence, especially gender-based violence.

I thought this was interesting. Especially gender based violence. Why that more than other violence?

Should be sex anyway, that's where it is.

littlebillie · 15/06/2020 22:29

I'm so tempted to play the Hogwarts theme song while I browse at the store some time the I distant future. It is a passive objection but I am sure it would annoy the hell out of the staff.