It’s not just women who get periods. A new series of ads in one of New York’s busiest subway stops reminds passengers that trans men can menstruate, too.
Thinx, a company that sells period underwear designed to be worn in place of tampons or sanitary napkins, launched a new ad campaign at the start of the week (May 16) featuring the trans male model, Sawyer DeVuyst, wearing period underwear. The ads are prominently displayed at the Union Square subway stop in Manhattan. It’s probably the first time a trans man has appeared in an ad for a period product.
The co-founder and CEO of Thinx, Miki Agrawal, told Bustle that the new ads are meant to break the taboo around menstruation:
“We’re hoping this is another step in normalizing periods in the public sphere,” Agrawal says. “Just as with any of our other campaigns, it’s going to be a little jarring to have it plastered all over somewhere as bustling as Union Square, but that’s what it takes to break taboos. … It’s a very real and inclusive portrayal of periods as we experience them.”
Thinx and DeVuyst have collaborated previously. According to an interview DeVuyst did with the Cut, Thinx reached out to him and DeVuyst consulted the company on a new line of underwear for trans men and genderqueer customers. In November, Thinx launched gender-neutral boyshorts, and published a video interview with DeVuyst in which the 30-year-old explained that he continued to get his period for about five years between the time he came out as trans and started taking hormones.
“I would wear multiple pairs of underwear with a pair of boxers on top of that, just to make sure I didn’t leak anywhere, or that no one knew I had my period” said DeVuyst in the video. The video is titled, “People with Periods.”
DeVuyst said in an email that he doesn’t use Thinx because he no longer gets his period. “I do wish Thinx were around years ago! I’ve had discomfort involving my period since I first got it, but didn’t have the language at 13 years old to comprehend that it was dysphoria related to my gender,” DeVuyst said. He gave the Thinx underwear from the photo shoot to his little sister and, “she loves them,” he said.
Thinx has a tradition of being gender neutral. One of their first ads read, “Underwear for Women With Periods,” with a disclaimer that added, “Or any menstruating human.”
The company became internet-famous its first series of ads, also posted in New York subways, featuring women standing or sitting around alongside halved grapefruits and egg yolks. The ads were criticized as too suggestive for New York subway riders, and were removed shortly thereafter. After an outcry on social media, the MTA relented and an MTA spokesperson said, “Of course they will be approved.”
This post was updated with comments from DeVuyst on his use of Thinx underwear.