An Australian transgender reality star has blasted trans women for accepting endorsement deals from tampon brands.
Jolene Dawson, who has appeared on Trial by Kyle and E!’s Botched, said it was misogynistic and ‘insulting’ to biological females for women who were born male – and therefore will never have periods – to promote menstrual products.
In a fiery TikTok video, the 27-year-old also said that if tampon companies want to be more inclusive they should market their products to trans men, who can still actually menstruate because they have female sex organs.
‘For a transgender woman to accept a sponsorship for that kind of product… it’s not a gimmick,’ Dawson said.
‘Most of the women in my life really struggle with their periods, whether it’s because they have endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome, or even just sometimes the shame of having to ask for these products from someone if you’ve forgotten them.’
Australian transgender reality star Jolene Dawson (pictured) has blasted trans women for accepting endorsement deals from tampon brands
Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney, who will never have a period, is pictured holding a tampon in a social media video
‘Growing up and having your first period, these are all things that myself and other trans women will never experience,’ added Dawson.
‘What business is it for you [trans women] to take that money and promote a product that is going to insult people?’
Dawson also said she’d previously turned down an endorsement for period underwear because she knew the brand was just trying to ‘capitalise on the queer and trans community’.
‘I think you’ve got the wrong demographic,’ she told the brand at the time.
‘There are some trans men creators who you might be more interested in working with because they are more likely to benefit from your products.’
Jolene is best known for appearing on E!’s Botched (pictured) and Channel 10’s Trial by Kyle
Non-binary influencer and activist Jeffrey Marsh previously sparked backlash for promoting period products in a paid sponsorship deal.
The 45-year-old, who was assigned male at birth but now uses they/them pronouns, said the endorsement was to help ‘people with periods’.
‘They decided to work with me so that people, regardless of gender identity, can feel seen respected, and included,’ Marsh said on Instagram at the time.
Marsh has previously called it a ‘ridiculous notion’ that trans women are ‘erasing’ biological women, and also claims biological sex does not exist.
Non-binary influencer and activist Jeffrey Marsh (pictured) previously sparked backlash for promoting period products in a paid sponsorship deal
Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney caused outrage last year after accepting a PR package from Tampax.
Mulvaney, 26, also made multiple videos about carrying tampons in her purse, but clarified she did not use them herself.
Despite not being paid to plug tampons, Mulvaney has become a sought-after brand ambassador for the likes of MAC Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty and Kate Spade.
‘A lot of the initial deals were tailored to my queerness and to my transness,’ Mulvaney told The Creators newsletter in October.
‘For some of these major corporations, I was actually their first trans creator. It’s exciting to make money to support myself since I lost my job, and to have my transition surgeries be covered too.’
As previously reported by DailyMail.com, Mulvaney was set to earn more than $1million in 2022 – just from promoting teeth-whitening strips, lipsticks, and other products on TikTok.
Transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney caused outrage last year after accepting a PR package from Tampax (pictured)
Industry insiders who broker commercial endorsement deals for TikTok creators say Mulvaney nets at least $100,000 each month from showcasing brands in her popular ‘Days of Girlhood’ series.
The influencer’s meteoric fame was buoyed in October by her sit-down interview with U.S. President Joe Biden, who said states should not be able to regulate the availability of transgender surgeries.
‘I don’t think any state or anybody should have the right to do that,’ he said when Mulvaney asked if red states should have the right to pass laws limiting access to so-called ‘gender-affirming’ treatments.
‘As a moral question and as a legal question, I just think it’s wrong,’ Biden continued.
‘Sometimes they try to block you from being able to access certain medicines, being able to access certain procedures, and so on.’
Mulvaney has become a sought-after brand ambassador for the likes of MAC Cosmetics, Ulta Beauty, and Kate Spade. (She is pictured at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on February 5)
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