Kleenex to rename 'Mansize' tissues to 'Extra Large' amid complaints of sexism

Josh Hafner | USA TODAY

Kleenex is rebranding its "Mansize" tissues amid cries of sexism from consumers. The new name? Simply, "Kleenex Extra Large."

That's according to a statement from Kleenex's Texas-based parent company, Kimberly-Clark.

The tissue titan's Mansize product hit store shelves 60 years ago in the United Kingdom, the company said, pitched as a disposable alternative to large cotton handkerchiefs popular at the time. It's only sold there since.

They're the most popular tissue brand in the U.K, according to Britain's The Telegraph.

"Thanks to recent feedback we are now rebranding our Mansize tissues to Kleenex Extra Large," Kimberly-Clark said in a statement. "Consumers may see the new name on our larger boxes in stores already."

As of Thursday afternoon, Kleenex's site still advertised the product as Mansize, describing them as "confidently strong, confidently soft with a touch of silk" — not to be confused with its Ultra Soft tissues, which are "beautifully soft and silky for your face."

In a statement to the Telegraph, Kimberly-Clark elaborated on concerns behind its Mansize brand.



"Kimberly-Clark 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. Our Mansize tissues remain one of our most popular products, with 3.4 million people buying these tissues every year."

Kleenex masculinized its tissues in 1956 with the release of Kleenex "For Men," according to the newspaper.

The shift follows a spate of pushbacks on the product's name, with the company responding to several complaints on Twitter in the past month alone.

Lisa Hancox, a marketing chief in southeast England, told of how her 4-year-old son asked whether "boys and mummies" could use Mansize tissues, too.



"He suggests you should call them 'very large tissues,'" Hancox said in a tweet to Kleenex last week. "It is 2018."

Hi @Kleenex_UK. My 4yo son asked me what was written here. Then he asked, why are they called mansize? Can girls, boys & mummies use them? I said: I don’t know & yes of course. He suggests you should call them “very large tissues”. It is 2018 pic.twitter.com/SeOg32RsDV — Lisa Hancox (@LisaMHancox) October 10, 2018

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