Periods are much more than a monthly visitor. Menstruation is a loaded topic, but it goes beyond just the physical. Smashing the stigma around periods opens up conversations about larger topics like body image, beauty standards, self-care, self-acceptance, gender norms and feminism. And there are a few Canadian companies who are leading the charge.
Here are seven local brands who are changing the way we think about periods.
Lunapads
Lunapads is a Vancouver-based company that helps people have more positive and informed experiences of their period, and by extension, their bodies, with reusable pads and liners. They also sell their own underwear and thongs with built-in liners. The company is the result of a former fashion designer and a chartered accountant both wanting to ensure a better future for menstruating people and the planet.
DivaCup
DivaCup is a major company when it comes to the menstrual revolution. DivaCup started p menstrual cups mainstream back in 2003 and has since been named one of Canada’s fastest growing companies to date. Created by a mom and daughter duo in Kitchener, Ontario, menstrual cups have existed since the 1930s but it was the breakthrough of DivaCup that has since empowered women to connect with their bodies and menstrual cycles.
Easy Period
Hate that tampon companies aren’t required to list the ingredients in their products? Say no more. Easy Period is a Toronto-based subscription service offering organic feminine hygiene products. But the brand goes much further than just products. Easy also hosts wellness workshops covering topics like self-care and creative confidence and panel sessions that bring together local female entrepreneurs, representing the intersectional menstrual community within the feminist movement.
Knixwear
When it comes to dealing with your period, you have the choice of a wide range of products including period panties, which have been gaining serious popularity over recent years. Knixwear is a Toronto-based company that makes leak-proof underwear to ease the woes of staining, stress over leaks and general discomfort that come with Aunt Flo.
Mother Nature Partnership
Mother Nature Partnership works to make reusable menstrual supplies accessible for women in Africa—but it’s more than just an NGO; it’s also a community. Located in Toronto, Mother Nature Partnership has previously come together with companies like Easy Period and Lunapads for panel discussions and events to revolutionize the stigma around periods.
Red Tent Sisters
Found on the Danforth, this sister-owned business offers different healing services for women in regards to reproductive health, fertility, motherhood and sexual empowerment. They offer shamanic counselling, arvigo therapy, business coaching and more. They also have something called a Sacred Cycles program, which is for those who want to heal their menstrual cycles not only on a physical plain but also on mental and spiritual levels.
The Village
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhiJxsWBdtb/?taken-by=thevillagebloomery
Pending the legalization of marijuana in Canada, the crossroads of the cannabis industry and periods is about to be lit. Although still fairly low key, there are a handful of cannabis companies across the country working to support women’s health. Owned and operated by Andrea Dobbs, The Village is a local dispensary in Vancouver that has a niche focus on women’s issues such as PMS and menopause. The Village is stocked with a variety of cannabis products like bath bombs, tinctures and CBD oils specifically for that time of the month.
What do you think of these brands? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image: Instagram/ @lunapads