Thread by @scheafferoo

Foremost, the key problems with the pads from #MyAlwaysExperience were the burning, irritation, itching and even vaginal infections that were associated with the plastic top layer. what we call the PE film

https://twitter.com/aprzhu/status/1083278886283239425?s=20

https://twitter.com/scheafferoo/status/1220578953984909312

The PE film is what traps in moisture and heat in warm climes like where we are in Kenya causing the horrendous outcomes that women had already stated.

Read more

https://twitter.com/aprzhu/status/1083278683480227840?s=20

Remember that existence of PE film was initially denied when women complained and P&G told us that their pads are the same everywhere🤣During the meeting, they admitted that the new "improved" pads still had PE film but in a finer softer form.
For shame!

https://twitter.com/aprzhu/status/1105688420112711680?s=20

The issues with PE film are legitimate and problematic. Meaning that these "improved" pads have a residue of plastic so their use of words like "gentle to the skin" or "comfortable top sheet" on their various ranges are unproven

We noticed that many of the new pads were now longer and claimed to more absorbent than before so we asked where had this been tested and for how long.
Answer: These pads were tested in Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Egypt not Kenya. WHY?

On top of this diaspora testing, extensive research was carried out in Kenya before improving the pads.
We asked for specific sample sizes of who these Kenyan women were age groups, counties, social status, physical activities etc there was none. So which women did they talk to?

We then questioned the standards used for these allegedly improved pads and if they were similar to pads in the Global North. It came out that well, abroad pads are abroad specific. So disparities exist which I understand since regions vary but when quality varies I ask WHY?

We asked about who had approved these new pads locally so we can be sure they're safe for women to try bcz last time we asked KEBS we realised the bar was layers below ground level. Again no clear answer so who in KE checked that these current pads are actually safe?

We then discussed the fact that they had in March 2018 denied any shortcomings then went deaf only to come back with an ad in 2019 as a response to millions of women who complained, is an insult. Using cute optics to diminish the real-life issues women raised is below the bar.

How did they think that using activist aesthetics is proper when they know activism is a weaponised term in Kenya making it easy for them to play victims in their failure in delivering quality pads to Kenyan women and girls?

The ad distracts and creates an illusion of them hearing Kenyan women and girls which if they did, first thing would've been to make a statement about exactly what they had heard, acknowledge publicly that they had fallen short and state what they are doing to course-correct

By reducing the complaints of women to an activist box erases the movement of #MyAlwaysExperience to a few disgruntled feminist lite middle-class women as is the theme of their ad when this was and still is bigger than this kind of framing.

Way forward

we suggested that P&G publicly come forth and make a fault acknowledgement statement, pull down their belittling ad, embark on the transparency of their product improvement agenda, figure out how to get us zero PE film pads and grant us menstrual dignity.

I see the minimal steps they're making but I refuse to settle for less
I refuse to negotiate any form of PE film on pads be they fine, feather-soft or gentle on skin, they're just variations of plastic
I refuse to accept black women and girls adjusting their bodies

So, we keep pushing and raising the bar for quality pads and this we shall champion till the end.

Bless
Scheaffer wa quality pads...

sorry mixed the years * March 2019 and then new ad is 2020