Discovering your menstruation as a spiritual practice
Yasmine understands her menstruation as a spiritual practice and shares in this interview how she is connecting more with her own body through cycle awareness.
Since the death of George Floyd, a new wave of anti-racism has arisen and voices against police brutality are becoming louder and louder. Supporting the Black community, showing solidarity with the protests and the Black Lives Matter Movement can take place in many different forms. We are all learning how to better support each other. Some of us go to the protests, others read books, some sign petitions and others donate to organizations. We can all make our contribution and it can be very different for each person. Let us introduce you to six inspiring Black women in the period world.
Menstrual justice is just one example from the multitude of systematic racism that we all have to face. In search of a way in which we at Vulvani can support the voices of Black people, we want to introduce you to six inspiring Black women in the period world today. They run a company selling period products, have founded a menstrual NGO or are committed as individuals to better menstrual education. They all share a mission: All menstruating people should be able to experience a happy, dignified and carefree period.
Bea Dixon founded The Honey Pot Co. in 2012. In addition to expanding her own business, she has made it her heart’s desire to support other Black female entrepreneurs. Dixon started her company because she herself had been suffering from bacterial vaginosis for months. With the power of herbs, she managed to calm her pain and turned her vision into a reality. The products range from various period products to detergents and care products for expectant mothers. The focus of all products lies in offering chemical-free, plant-based and environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional products. By buying these products, products are donated to people who could not afford them otherwise.
Ruby Love was founded by Crystal Etienne in 2015. While helping her daughter through the turbulent reality of periods, she kept asking herself: Why are there no better period products out there? Why do we have to settle for products that were developed decades ago? That’s why Ruby Love offers menstrual underwear and innovative swimwear for your period. Both products have a special dri-tech mesh in the crotch area to provide leak-proof protection. For teenagers there is also a “first aid kits” for menarche.
Nene Fem Health was founded by Nerissa Irving-Olugbala six years ago. It is a vegan, environmentally conscious brand that shows holistic ways in care. Besides various sizes of menstrual cups, Nene Fem Health also offers yoni eggs and yoni steaming. Many of the products are still made at home at Nerissa’s place. They also offer workshops for teenagers to support them during puberty and to share their knowledge with them. The focus of their educational work is mainly on the changes in the body, the cycle and different period products.
Chelsea von Chaz founded the non-profit-organization We are Happy Period in 2015 together with her mother, Cheryl Warner. To help all menstruating people to manage their periods with dignity, they distribute period products to people with a low income, who live in poverty or are homeless. These are people who cannot afford menstrual products but still need them. The NGO also aims to end the stigma and racist inequalities within the menstrual world.
Here you can support the organisation with a donation.
Vianney Leigh is a menstrual coach, the founder of Status Flow Co. and host of the podcast Periods & Power Moves. Her focus lies in cycle awareness and combines it with topics such as business, success and productivity. Her goal is to help menstruating people find their flow and live in harmony with their menstrual cycle. She offers 1:1 mentoring as well as online courses.
Janelle King is a registered nurse and specialist in public health. She is also known as The Nurse Note. As an expert, she also uses her social media channels and her blog to openly and honestly educate people about menstruation, vulva, contraception, sexuality and everything that comes with it. She devotes herself to topics that many would rather not talk about.
In an interview with us she talks about her period and which menstrual products she only recently learned about.
Sharing is caring. Which period brands by Black founders do you know? Are there perhaps also some on the German or European market that we have not mentioned here? Which inspiring Black women in the period world do you know? Are there BICOP menstrual activists who are still missing in our list? Mention them in the comments section so that everyone can benefit from this conversation.
One way to support the #BLM-movement is through intentional consumerism. Because shopping is political. In the end every single decision we take and action we make is a political statement. It is up to us where our money goes and who we finance with our purchases. This is one way in which we can (financially) support the Black community and change the distribution of power long term in an industry that is predominantly in white hands. Therefore it is important that we support inspiring Black women in the period world – no matter in which form. Maybe you feel like trying their period products, follow them on social media, attend their workshops, book them for your next conference or donate to their projects!
We at Vulvani are often asking ourselves: What can we do? We want to use our platform and share it with you to portray the diversity of the menstrual world and celebrate all voices in the period revolution. That’s why we offer free product reviews in the form of an SEO-optimized blog post to five different period companies or organizations founded by inspiring Black women. An interview portrait with amazing Black menstrual activists is also possible. Feel free to share this opportunity with those who might be interested in it! Write us a message if you are interested in our offer or have further questions. We look forward to getting to know you better and telling your story on Vulvani!
Yasmine understands her menstruation as a spiritual practice and shares in this interview how she is connecting more with her own body through cycle awareness.
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…and empower countless women to make empowered choices about their bodies!
