Asda praised for changing name of ‘feminine hygiene’ aisle

‘The term “feminine hygiene” belongs in 1822, not 2022’, commented one user on social media

‘Period is not a dirty word’, said one social media user (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Shoppers have taken to social media to praise Asda supermarket for its decision to change its store signage for menstrual products from “feminine hygiene” to “period products”.

The retailer began rolling out the changes at the end of 2021 in a bid to update language which many say implies that periods are unhygienic and to be more inclusive for those who have periods but don’t identify as female.

“AMAZING news!” wrote one Twitter user. “Let’s see @BootsUK @superdrug and all other retailers do this. The term ‘feminine hygiene’ belongs in 1822, not 2022.”

“I never understood the feminine hygiene name for this section, hygiene suggests cleaning products and this isn't what pads and tampons do,” commented another. “Period products literally describes exactly what they are for.”

“Excellent news! ‘Period’ is not a dirty word. Let's stop using sugar coated language to hide what it actually is - a normal biological function that is night shameful nor gross,” said another.

Other social media users tagged other retailers, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Boots and Superdrug, calling on them to follow suit.

The Independent has contacted the retailers to clarify their position on this.

Gabby Edlin, founder of Bloody Good Period - a campaigning group which “fights for menstrual equity and the rights of all people who bleed” - said: “It’s absolutely brilliant news. This is something that Bloody Good Period has been campaigning for for years, with our Mind Your Bloody Language Campaign.

“This new name/announcement displays an inclusive attitude to gender with periods, which is so important to make sure everybody is able to talk about periods. It also removes the stigma of periods being dirty, or something we need to hide away or not talk about.

“Having very matter of fact period products rather than ‘feminine hygiene’ tells you what it is, with no euphemism to hide behind, and no shame or stigma.

“On a practical note, you know what you’re going for in the aisle, so it is a sensible thing to do.”

A spokesperson for Asda said: “We're proud to have made this change in our stores to better reflect shoppers' attitudes around period products.

“These items are an essential part of the shop for so many, so this change in wording helps us move towards removing the stigma from periods and period products.”

A spokesperson for Superdrug said: “We passionately support any moves to make shopping for period products as inclusive as possible, which is why we were proud to lead the high-street on introducing inclusive language on our Luna range of own-brand period products in 2020.

“In our stores, you’ll find period products listed under “personal hygiene” rather than “feminine hygiene”, and our period products are listed online under “menstrual care”, reflecting all those who menstruate.

“We continue to look for ways to increase inclusivity in our online and in-store shopping experience and our teams are listening and responding to our customers all the time.”

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