A Japanese store is asking its female employees to wear ‘period badges’ to let colleagues and customers know that they are on their period.
Michi Kake in Osaka, Japan, sells products related to female s*xual health and periods, including bedding, clothing, and sanitary products.
The store is encouraging its female employees to wear ‘period badges’ to break the stigma surrounding menstruation.
But, the store’s step was slammed by Internet users as some called it a ‘Stupid move’ while others called it a ‘Terrible idea’.
One user took to Twitter and wrote: ‘End period stigma by having menstruating staff wear a period badge to announce they’re bleeding. Seems like a perfectly sane and not at all terrible and stigmatising idea.’
While another user wrote: ‘It’s all kinds of wrong. You can just imagine people saying she must in a bad mood because of PMS. Makes me sick to my stomach. Stupid move in 2019.’
While the third one wrote: ‘Any employer that asked me to wear a badge when I’m on my period would be getting sued.’
The ‘period badge’, which the company is asking its female employees to wear, represents a manga character named Seiri-chan – Little Miss Period.
After receiving the backlash on social media, the store manager, Takahiro Imazu told WWD: “In Japan, there is a tendency for women’s sexuality and periods to be subjects “not to be mentioned.”
“Not all customers will react positively to [this shop], but the fem techboom is growing, and the values of young people are changing with it,” she added.
The store managers said that the store’s only motive behind these ‘period badges’ is to break the stigma surrounding menstruation but not everyone is taking this step positively.
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