Pinky Embarrassing

What comes out when two men try to solve a made-up menstruating problem was on social media yesterday: a shitstorm. Here's the deal.

On Monday night, it was time again for the show "Die Höhle der Löwen" (DHDL). Joining the show was start-up Pinky, which makes a disposable glove for disposing of menstrual products such as pads and tampons. While the founders from North Rhine-Westphalia successfully closed a deal with Ralf Dümmel, a social media shitstorm followed on Tuesday, especially under the hashtag #pinkygate.

Most criticized the two male founders for designing a product for menstruating people without including them in the development. "What have women been doing all these years without this invention?" asks one user under a post by Pinky on Instagram, for example. She alludes to the fact that menstruating individuals have also previously found solutions for disposal. It seems reasonable to assume that if menstruating people had been included, it would have quickly become clear: the glove solves a problem that didn't exist before.

On DHDL, founders Eugen Raimkulow and André Ritterswürden talked about how they came up with the idea. They said they were disgusted when they saw their roommate's discarded tampons in the trash can. While in their later statement on Instagram they talk about always being "against period stigma," the words on the show sounded like disgust towards menstruation.

The glove "suggests that periods are unclean, unsanitary and should not be seen. Not even in the trash can".

Kati Ernst and Kristine Zeller, founders of the start-up Ooshi

In contrast, other start-up representatives are now lashing out. The glove "suggests that periods are unclean, unhygienic and should not be seen. Not even in the trash can," comment the founders of the start-up Ooshi, which produces the menstrual underwear Ooia. The video on Instagram now has almost two million views. They are not alone. The horror on social media showed up in the hashtag pinkygate, in numerous statements and posts. Involved were far beyond the start-up scene both activist accounts and wide-reach influencers such as Mirellativegal, Jana Heinisch or Diana zur Löwen.

Pinky's situation shows above all a phenomenon of the start-up scene that has been criticized again and again. Feminized topics are perceived by male investors as a successful idea, especially for male founders. Products for women, on the other hand, are often not seen as having a profitable market.

"Basically, this is manifesting on TV what is reality: men giving men money"

Tijen Onaran, entrepreneur and investor

As an example, Ooia was used in the social networks, mainly because of the statement of the two founders. Kati Ernst and Kristine Zeller had competed on DHDL two years ago with their menstrual underwear. Result: no investment. Today, the company is very successful selling its period underwear, an environmentally friendly and practical way to deal with menstruation. Entrepreneur and investor Tijen Onaran comments on the comparison of the two start-ups: "Basically, this manifests on TV what reality is: men giving men money."

The start-up met further criticism for its pink glove colour and the accompanying choice of the name "Pinky". According to the critics, this confirms the outdated stereotype that women love pink things and are therefore better at attracting them as customers. Also, the glove is another product that menstruators would have to spend money on and create more waste for.

The founders themselves were quick to address all the criticism, apologizing in their statement on Instagram, "We didn't mean to hurt anyone." They said, "Of course, menstruation is a natural thing that no one should or should be ashamed of at all." The Ooshi founders rate the statements as "authentic," but this leaves their criticism of the product untouched.