Vagina havers

[GNCQ]

I have had a reasonable reply from Tampax after complaining about the use of the word "vagina havers" instead of women/girls in one of their articles about swimming on your period. I've copied it below.

I understand you are unhappy the verbiage on the website, and that you find it misogynistic. I recognize how you feel, and am going to pass along your comments to make your voice heard

Please know the most significant impact on our company, and its products is input from consumers like you. We appreciate your time, and value your feedback.

Thanks again for reaching out, it was a privilege to help you. I encourage you to let us know anytime you have questions or comments - we are here for you.

The article many of us complained about has now been removed.

It's an important question "can you swim on your period?" what all those sharks and such, so I do hope they reinstate the article with more sensitive wording.

The rest of their website does overuse "you" this and "your" that, but doesn't erase women and girls entirely and no longer seems to reduce us to genitals.

Congrats women here xx

Female dogs bleed during the oestrus cycle - I daren't use the traditional term in case the algorithms go nuts. I know this because in my youth we had a female German Shepherd and had to store all our newspapers to cover the floors when she was in heat.

Interesting. My rabbit doesn't but she's been done (female rabbits not neutered are at risk of cancer!) Maybe she'd have a similar heat if she was not done!
*She jumps male rabbits face on a regular basis though so...

My female rats have a cycle every 5 days. I'm sure it would cost them a fortune in sanitary protection if they were human!
As an aside, as a veterinary nurse, we have already heard of another practice where someone inserted a tampon into their female dogs vagina during her season. The dog died of toxic shock syndrome.
So it's not outwith the bounds of reason that someone would read 'vagina havers' and assume its for any being with a vagina. Sounds bonkers to your average person, but there you go.

Who tf would put a tampon in a dog? and how?

I don't know why I ask these questions when there are people who think its perfectly reasonable to call women vaginal havers.

@TheWeeDonkey

Who tf would put a tampon in a dog? and how?

A very sick person. Very very carefully.

Gosh I wish I had a nice whale/dog/rabbit cycle.
I'd put up with being in heat every so often if I got to trade away painful, inconvenient periods.
Is it just me or do they get worse the older you get? Times gone by I was a three day no cramp wonder.
What a bitch I was!

Is it just me or do they get worse the older you get? I'm not sure but mine definitely changed after childbirth. It's like a bloody tsunami once a month since then.

Did you know there was a bit of a schism in the Havers family? Not sure it involved either Vagina or Nigel themselves, but there was definitely a lot of bad blood between the Havers and the Havers-Knotts.

Hooray for the Penis Haver-Knotts!

@GNCQ

I was having a brief look and came across another ridiculous phrase "women and other people who bleed". I mean, "people who bleed" is nonsense.

(I can't be bothered trying to find it again to provide a link, there are so many different areas and articles most starting with "Hi I'm a gynecologist!")

My Dad sometimes cuts his finger when he's cooking. Am I going to recommend a Tampax to stick in his thumb?

I don't know why they avoid "people who menstruate" so desperately. Is saying "menstruation" stigmatized too now?

In fairness I did see someone use a Tampax for a nose bleed once. It was pretty effective.

I read somewhere that military medical people have tampax in the medical kits, as they're great for all kinds of bleeding when you're in the middle of a warzone.

@MyVisionsComeFromSoup

I read somewhere that military medical people have tampax in the medical kits, as they're great for all kinds of bleeding when you're in the middle of a warzone.

I think that’s probably an urban myth.

The authors have been tampoozled.

emj.bmj.com/content/35/8/516.responses

Honestly thought this was a parody but my god they really are using that term in their articles!!!!’ Completely bonkers.

I got that reply too

Brilliant we got it changed

So all mention of vagina havers are gone?

Great stuff

But surely if we used Penis-Havers and Vagina-Havers (Penises and Vaginas) then we would arrive at a world that GC feminists want: that of single sex spaces, sports, prisons that are segregated according to biological sex rather than gender identity.

Vagina Tennis would remain for vagina-havers and Penis Tennis would be for penis-havers regardless of their gender feels. And obviously drug use is forbidden.

I mean yeah the language change is a bit wanky but it’s an accurate description of the categories that GC feminists want?

It does reinforce binary position again but so far this term is being pushed by one group onto women and it’s on products where we are the core market.

The other thread was deleted as bar one poster who was adamant TW don’t mind the term, reality is they likely would object. TM too.

So really it’s people expecting women to deal with erasure in language and the impact that has.

So glad it’s changed.

If some people were categorised as Penis-havers in any meaningful sense, it wouldn't stand five seconds.

@Lessthanaballpark - but what then happens after SRS?

A person who was born a “penis-haver” and then has sex reassignment surgery: are they then an “ex-penis-haver” or a “neo-vagina-haver”?

And similarly for a person born a “vagina-haver”, who then has reassignment surgery - do they become “ex-vagina-havers” or “neo-penis-havers”?

Don’t we just get back to the same point we are at now?

@Lessthanaballpark

But surely if we used Penis-Havers and Vagina-Havers (Penises and Vaginas) then we would arrive at a world that GC feminists want: that of single sex spaces, sports, prisons that are segregated according to biological sex rather than gender identity.

Vagina Tennis would remain for vagina-havers and Penis Tennis would be for penis-havers regardless of their gender feels. And obviously drug use is forbidden.

I mean yeah the language change is a bit wanky but it’s an accurate description of the categories that GC feminists want?

Yes I'd agree to an extent but the objection comes down to the fact that the word "woman" already exists for vagina havers.

@MarshaBradyo

Brilliant we got it changed

So all mention of vagina havers are gone?

Great stuff

Nope. Still found elsewhere unfortunately including the "does using a tampon take your Virginity" article.

Also upset by all this kind of language - wondering if we are going to see products designed for men/health services for men using language like 'prostrate owners', 'semen ejaculators', owners of gametes that are kept outside their bodies in vulnerable sacs'

Nope. Still found elsewhere unfortunately including the "does using a tampon take your Virginity" article.

Just sent them a complaint about that one

@macj1

Also upset by all this kind of language - wondering if we are going to see products designed for men/health services for men using language like 'prostrate owners', 'semen ejaculators', owners of gametes that are kept outside their bodies in vulnerable sacs'

Of course we won't, that's the thing that annoys me the most and no one on "that side"will answer why it's only women who's language needs to be "inclusive", of course it isn't that our language needs to be inclusive of transmen, it's so our language can't be used when transwomen can't be a part of it.