(WHDH) — Kleenex says it is rebranding its “mansize” tissues after more than 62 years on the market due to complaints of sexism.
When the tissues first debuted in 1956, Kleenex sold consumers on the notion they would “stay strong when wet.”
The company plans to change the name to “Kleenex Extra Large” after receiving an increase in complaints about the branding on social media.
https://twitter.com/LisaMHancox/status/1049986428107726848
Thank you @Kleenex for showing us how far #gendered #advertising can really take your #brand: #Mansize – strength you can trust. #Feminism pic.twitter.com/Wg0FZPnj1G
— Katharina Borchert (@lyssaslounge) October 31, 2016
Kimberly-Clark, the parent company of Kleenex, told CNN in a statement that the tissues “in no way suggests that being both soft and strong is an exclusively masculine trait, nor do we believe that the Mansize branding suggests or endorses gender inequality.”
Kleenex Extra Large are expected on store shelves later this year.
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