‘Dehumanizing & Erasing’: Feminine Product Company Draws Ire For Calling Customers 'Bleeders'

Yoppie, a subscription-based feminine products brand, was founded in 2016 and aimed at “busting the social stigma” around period blood, while promising to be inclusive to “people who menstruate who are not women”.

A London-based feminine products company has come under fire on social media after referring to its customers as "bleeders".

"Most bleeders know how they are impacted by their period, but unfortunately aren't in touch with their feelings and symptoms in the other phases of their cycle. We're here to change that," the subscription-based company Yoppie had posted earlier on Instagram.

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© itsyoppie/instagram

Zeroing in on a term that many perceived to be "dehumanising" and "erasing" women, users rushed to voice their indignation on social media platforms.

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© Milli Hill/twitter

Users demanded the company answer why it was “dehumanising women”, their client base.

Others wondered why the company, founded in 2016, which marketed itself as “busting the social stigma” around period blood, and inclusive to “people who menstruate who are not women", suddenly referred to the menstrual cycle as if it was some “illness.”

The approach was branded as “beyond insulting".

Some comments on Twitter posed the question whether the company that provides “vegan and eco-friendly tampons, pads and liners” had done its market research and if it stopped to consider that “this language might be objectifying in the extreme”.

Going still further, others on social media appeared to call for a boycott of Yoppie products.

The backlash prompted the company’s CEO Daniella Peri to attempt to clarify their use of vocabulary.

"I recently referred to women as 'bleeders', but also in the same post used 'women'. I used the word 'bleeders' for our new campaign 'Ride your cycle' as I feel it best describes the point we are trying to make; that 'menstrual health' is so much more than the days you bleed. Yoppie is focused on being a brand welcoming all those who have a menstrual cycle - it's what we do," Peri posted on Instagram.

According to Peri, the company believes "all women, girls and people with a menstrual cycle should feel welcome at Yoppie."

"We're proud to host a safe space for anyone wishing to take charge of their menstrual health," summed up the company’s CEO.

However, this attempt to placate clients appeared to fail, with many on Instagram persisting with calls to “never buy” Yoppie products in response to the “offensive" language.