Empowerment sells. Wir alle wollen feministische Firmen unterstützen, die innovative Produkte von Frauen für Frauen produzieren. Aber was, wenn sich nicht nur das Arbeitsklima in der entsprechenden Firma, sondern auch ihr Produkt als toxisch herausstellt?

THINX produziert Periodenunterwäsche und wirbt mit progressiv-enttabuisierend-feministischen Slogans dafür, zum Beispiel "Strength, dignitiy and freedom for all women", doch Journalistin Jessian Choy hat die Unterhosen in ein Labor schicken lassen und die Testergebnisse waren alarmierend.

”My Thinx “organic” brief and “organic” BTWN Shorty underwear for teens had high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), especially on the inside layers of the crotch. Some PFAS are associated with cancer, decreased immune response to vaccines, decreased fertility, and more. Exposure to PFAS at even the lowest concentrations has been shown to harm human health. The crotch in my underwear had 3,264 parts per million (ppm), and the one for teens had 2,053 ppm, according to Peaslee’s particle induced gamma ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy test. That’s high enough to suggest they were intentionally manufactured with PFAS.”

Was macht das mit unserer Einstellung zu "Conscious Consumerism" und Feministischer Self-Care?

Beyond the fact that a thing cannot be feminist (feminism is a lens and a goal, not a shoe), plenty of women have been the faces of businesses, products, and ideas that actively undermine feminist values and serve intrinsically sexist and disempowering agendas since the beginning of time. Women can found a company, and then abuse their workers; women can create a product, and harm their consumers. In the case of Thinx, women can do it all.