Tampon maker Libra has caused a storm of controversy with its latest television commercial, which has been branded ‘outrageously transphobic’ by critics.
The advert, which has already been aired in New Zealand, opens with a drag queen standing next to a blonde woman in a nightclub toilet.
The pair compete with each other as they put on mascara, re-touch up they lip gloss and adjust their bras.
The blonde then pulls out a Libra tampon from her handbag which causes the drag queen to storm off. The advert closes with the tagline: ‘Libra gets girls’.
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Critics believe the advert implies transgender people ‘are not real women because they do not menstruate’.
Libra disagrees with this view but has apologised for any offence its advertising campaign has caused.
“It was never intended to upset or offend anyone. Independent research was undertaken and the advertisement was viewed positively during that testing,” the company said in a statement.
“Libra takes all feedback very seriously, and in response to this, we will immediately review our future position with this campaign based on the feedback received,” it added.
