Terms for feminine hygiene products that don't offend trans-men??

[CocktailQueen]

I was having this debate the other day with a friend and I'm sturggling to understand her POV. We were talking about terms for sanpro - towel, pad, menstrual pad, feminine hygiene products - and my friend said that 'feminine hygiene product' is trans-exclusionary, because trans-men have periods and often do not go by the adjective 'feminine'.

I was like, wtf?? Plenty of women aren't necessarily feminine, or would call themselves feminine, but 'feminine' in this context relates to their sex, not a personality characteristic, so seems suitable for menstrual items.

And why should all sanpro be renamed/relabelled to suit the needs of a handful of trans-men? Her suggestion was 'menstrual pads'.

Hate the term 'feminine hygiene' for so many reasons, not least the suggestion that periods/women could be unhygienic.

But I hate the term 'menstruators' so much more. And it's turning up everywhere, from Planned Parenthood to Woman's Hour. It may be gender neutral but it is also dehumanising, reducing us to our bodily functions not who we are.

I also don't understand why so many transmen are apparently having periods. If I were transitioning, it would be the first thing I would lose. (actually I have already managed to get rid of mine thanks to long acting reversible birth control).

not least the suggestion that periods/women could be unhygienic

I would find free flowing blood to be quite unhygenic, wouldn't you?

I think you really have to work hard to have strong opinions about a descriptive term such as this. It is a product, it is for females so feminine, and it certainly helps with hygiene during a period.

Menstruated v non- menstruator? So presumably, as a woman who hasn't had a period for 7 years (bless you, Mirena coil) I should be grouped with the trans women rather than other women? The notion that I have more in common with the former than the latter is nonsensical, even on the trans agendas own terms.

We need some umbrella term for the category of things that includes tampons and menstrual cups. "Menstrual products" sounds better to me than "feminine hygiene products" for functional reasons, even if you don't take trans issues into account.

Menstrual products sounds fine to me too, and less twee.

(Female hygiene would be more accurate than feminine hygeine, if we must go that route!)

I was going to say exactly what Helen just said.

Yeah. It is female hygiene. Women who are not feminine need pads and so on, too.

'Menstrual products' sound fine until the supermarkets attempt to make a snappy contraction to make it fit on their aisle boards and it becomes 'Menpro'.

may not knowing what to call a sanitary towel or a tampon be the worst thing that ever happens to anyone.

'Menstrual products' sound fine until the supermarkets attempt to make a snappy contraction to make it fit on their aisle boards and it becomes 'Menpro'

LOL.

I have to admit I don't know what they call the toilet paper area in supermarkets, or where they put incontinence pads, including ones for men. I have a sneaking suspicion that male pads are in the sanpro area though.

Can we expect Radio 4 to change the programme name to Menstruators' Hour?

I'm happy to lose 'feminine hygiene' as a) feminine is a social construct and not a synonym for female and b) hygiene?! But I'm not willing to lie and say that people who menstruate aren't female.
Call them female hygiene products if you wish, but dont try to call me a menstruator.

Good grief. I'm surprised they haven't changed menstruating to "womenstruating" to be honest and now it would have to be "personstruating" It's all getting too silly.

Menstruators hour... how about loose menstruators ?! Ridiculous

You what, I couldn't give a flying fuck if it offends transmen or not. I am female and so are they. I'm sick of pussyfooting round and pandering to every snowflake's whim. I have had enough of trans, fuck 'em.

If men who feel like women don't like the word 'feminine' when they are being feminine, and aggressively say that you also shouldn't call then .men.. ..its kind of a sjilar deal..

It's women who identify as men who don't like 'feminine hygiene' as they don't feel feminine. nor do most women
Same women want to be called pregnant people/dads who chest feed their babies

Menstrual products or female hygiene products both seem fine to me. I prefer female over feminine for the reasons PPs have said before (and after all, it is a fact that transmen who have periods have female biology, surely that can't be objected to, it being stone cold reality and all?). I also strongly prefer the term hygiene to sanitary, I don't know why. Maybe because hygiene sounds like it has to do with taking care of yourself to keep yourself well, where as sanitary sounds like sanitising something inherently dirty. Have to say I often use the word sanpro without thinking though, it's catchy.

Whilst I feel that menstrual products or female hygiene products are both acceptable terms, I would strongly object to being forced to use the term menstrual products only in case the latter term upsets anyone by reminding them they are female. Other posters are quite correct that artificially manipulating language like this erases the fact that menstruation overwhelmingly affect women and girls. And that fact is important. It is a womens' issue, even if it also affects some transmen.

In summary, I have no problem with transmen using terms like menstruator, chest feeding, pregnant person when talking about themselves. I take huge issue with those terms being forced upon women. Words mean things, language and how we use it is massively important and influences how we think about things in ways we don't even consciously realise the majority of the time.

Hang on. According to that batshit chart, the word 'women' should be replaced with 'people'? Have I read that correctly?

Fucking hellfire. So we shouldn't actually exist at all now?