Countdown First in the World, Period

Shoppers at New Zealand supermarket chain, Countdown will no longer see euphemistic language like “sanitary” or “feminine hygiene” products to describe pads, tampons and menstrual cups after the chain said it would be the first in the world to use the word “period” to describe the items, Charlotte Graham-McLay reports for The Guardian.

No other local or international retailer used the word “period” to describe the products shoppers buy for menstruation, according to a spokesperson for Countdown.

“Words like ‘personal hygiene’ and ‘sanitary products’ give the impression that periods, which are an entirely natural part of life, are somehow something to hide to yourself, or that they’re unhygienic,” Kiri Hannifin, the representative, said in a statement. “They absolutely aren’t, and we can play an important role in helping change that.”

The change follows the introduction of a New Zealand government policy to provide free period products in every high school in the country. The initiative was launched at 15 institutions this month, with all schools able to opt-in by next year.

Original article by Charlotte Graham-McLay, The Guardian, June 26, 2020.

Photo by Josefin.