AITA for telling my managers off after they made me hide a box of feminine products to our clients?
A Reddit user shares an incident where she was asked by her male managers to hide feminine products while bringing them to the restroom at her workplace. Despite being told it was about “professionalism,” she found it absurd and unnecessary since periods are a natural experience for many women.
Read the full story below to see how she stood up to the awkward situation and handled her managers’ strange request.
‘ AITA for telling my managers off after they made me hide a box of feminine products to our clients?’
So basically! I work in a studio right? While i was working it felt like i started my period. So like any woman would, I went to the bathroom on the studio floor and searched for some pads and tampons and there were none in there. So I cleaned myself up and went in the back to ask for feminine products and if i could put some in the bathroom on the studio floor.
They said yes and i grabbed some boxes and as I was going to walk out my MALE (key note) manager asked if i was going to take the boxes on the floor and if i could take the back door that leads to the other side of the building to ultimately hide the feminine products. I said yes im going to the floor and asked why he wanted me to hide them?
(annoyed atp) He scoffed and said never mind just go ahead. So I walk out and before i even get to the floor where our clients were, another MALE manager asks if im gonna just “show the boxes to everyone?” as if the pads and tampons were something inappropriate? I said “what is the issue and why is everyone asking me to hide the feminine products?”
He goes on to say it’s “professionalism” and “it’s unprofessional to be walking around with them…” and I respond with “every woman in this room has had a period before so i’m not sure what the issue is..?” he didn’t say anything and i walked off to put the products in the restroom.
Am I wrong for feeling like feminine products are nothing to be hidden or something seen as “unprofessional” ?? Or should I have just used the back door? We had a decent amount of people on the floor… But still. AITA?
EDIT !! : i forgot to mention that when i asked i said a client was asking for them, not for me. so thats why i wanted to put them in the bathroom.
See what others had to share with OP:
Aggressive_Cattle320 − NTA You were working to stock products in the studio floor restroom for any female employee or guest who needs to use them. If these grown adult men have never seen them before, then a slide show presentation should be put on for them by HR so they know what they are and what they are used for.
Feminine products should be available in every unisex restroom because that is one of the orders of “business” that takes place in a rest room that females use. Have they ever been in a pharmacy, supermarket, or retail store? Ever seen ads on TV? They are adults, and I’m sure they can handle this.
deuceful_ − Definetly NTA. What’s unprofessional, is their attitude, because how could you get hired with low common sense as to what females need.Let alone, anybody on this Earth. It’s not a d**g, and every female who has reproductive organs need these types of things smh. no matter what they have going on.
Ancient-Platypus5327 − Just reading this post makes me want to
1: follow the managers orders in the most attention-drawing manner possible. Eg, take pads/tampons around by back route, all the while loudly and repeatedly warn people that you are carrying pads/tampons, and not to look at the boxes.
2: ostentatiously “sneak” around with the boxes, hiding them under a jacket. Ask people, in the most suspicious manner possible, if they “want some”
3: Run around shouting “Oooh, spooky, I’m the Halloween pad/tampon monster.
GradeAltruistic5266 − NTA. Your managers are acting like pads and tampons are some kind of scandalous contraband when, in reality, they’re just basic necessities for half the population. It’s ridiculous to make you feel like you have to sneak around for something so normal.
GrumpyGirl426 − NTA, Only way YTA is if they would have asked you to hide toilet paper too. Its not any different. I can see hiding bodily functions and the products for dealing with them in a professional setting, but they should want to hide all of them.
I’m a bit old and was raised by members of the silent generation. Bodily functions were not considered polite things to even admit existed, to them. I’m glad you put the products where your female clients can get to them.
They too have unexpected events and it is only a basic kindness to provide products. I wonder what your management would have done if you could have told them you were specifically taking them FOR a client? Edited to put my actual AH perspective first.
KaliTheBlaze − INFO: How is restocking other common bathroom items treated? Soap, paper towels, toilet paper, etc. Expecting period hygiene products to be treated the same as other hygiene products is totally reasonable.
So if you would openly carry TP and bathroom soap through the busy gallery, N T A, but if that’s usually done discreetly and out of sight of the clients, then Y T A.
Mistermeena − Loudly remind them that feminine products don’t go in the *back door*
ConstructionMean8109 − NTA. It’s only rude if they’re used. Men are so emotional.
Any_Brilliant_7991 − NTA, this is something they should’ve gotten over in high school.
WhatTheActualFck1 − NTA. They’re a s**tty company
Do you think the Redditor was right to challenge her managers’ views on hiding feminine products, or should she have complied with their request to maintain “professionalism”? How would you have responded in a similar situation? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
