Thinx Underwear Ads Featuring Women On Their Periods Considered Too

Mic.com reported that the MTA did not participate in conversations between Outfront and Thinx, and the MTA and Outfront have not officially refused the company from advertising on the city’s subway.

In an email exchange obtained by Mic, an Outfront representative told Thinx CEO Mike Agrawal that the ads “seem to have a bit too much skin”, and that the egg and grapefruit “regardless of the context, seems inappropriate”.

Thinx is a company that makes absorbent menstrual underwear and, like many companies, it wants to advertise its product. Those ads have included one for a protein powder and a woman in a yellow string bikini with the text “Are you beach body ready?”

But to Thinx co-founder Miki Agrawal, the pushback from Outfront is nothing less than a “sexist double standard”. No copy was ever rejected and the current copy is still in the MTA review process. We suggested changes that we felt were appropriate for the riding public and were hoping to work with the advertiser to refine the copy. Another ad, from 2014, was for a breast augmentation service that featured an image of a woman frowning while holding small oranges in front of her breasts, next to the image of the same woman who is smiling while holding larger grapefruits up to her chest.

Also, regulators have previously approved ads for the movie “50 Shades of Grey”, as well as for exhibitions at the Museum of Sex.

So this woman isn’t showing too much skin for the subway, but menstruating women wearing long-sleeved shirts are? Next to the images are the words ‘for women with periods’.

While the campaign may have been considered as provocative by a few, its goal was precisely to spark debate about an absolutely normal occurrence that remains stigmatized and carefully swept under the rug.

According to the MTA’s guidelines for ads, ads depicting “sexual or excretory activities” or materials that promote a “sexually oriented business” are prohibited.

There’s nothing subtle about these ads from Thinx for its female-targeted product. In spite of this, the chances that the campaign will eventually be approved remain slim, as Outfront continues to view it as suggestive and lewd.