During the latest episode of “CBS Mornings,” the network show brought on the founder of a feminine products brand named August that prides itself on producing menstruation pads for “menstruators” of all genders.
During the segment, August CEO Nadya Okamoto talked about the importance of coming up with new absorbent and environmentally sustainable pads that are also “period positive and gender-inclusive,” designed for “everyone who menstruates.”
Okamoto added that part of the inspiration for her new August pads was that “we live in an age of transphobia.”
CBS Mornings host Gayle King introduced Okamoto on Thursday morning, offering praise for the gender-inclusive and “period positive” pads.
Reading the description of the new women’s product, King stated, “The aim is to reimagine and redefine that period experience to be powerful and dignified.” The host added, “And to that I say to you Nadya, where we you when I was 11?”
As the segment continued, the August CEO noted that periods are “potentially one of the most natural biological processes of life,” but on several occasions, declined to refer to women as those who menstruate.
Rather she used the term “menstruators,” a noun used to include trans men (biological women) among those who have periods.
In one instance, she said, “It’s potentially one of the most natural biological processes of life. And yet history and society has built up this stigma that makes menstruators feel so ashamed.”
In another, Okamoto claimed, “And I think that it always breaks my heart to hear so many stories every day of young menstruators who get their period and have never heard about it, right?”
Later in the segment, the CEO explained her reasons behind creating the new pads, saying, “August to me is a result of spending years in the space, identifying pain points whether they be around sustainability, like I grew up hating pads. Most pads have enough plastic for three to five plastic bags. So, very stretchy, comfortable. But also, wanting a period-positive gender-inclusive brand.”
Okamoto declared, “So we are August – wanting a gender-inclusive name. On the back it says, ‘We’re here for everyone who menstruates.’ And I think especially in this age of transphobia it really means a lot to us to be proudly a gender-inclusive brand.”
She added, “Everything about the product we try to be super thoughtful about from how we design it to be as comfortable, as absorbent as possible, but also as sustainable as possible.”
