“In 1973 I set out to do drawings of women’s genitals for use in sex education groups. I wanted the drawings to be lovely and informative, to give pleasure and affirmation. I organized the drawings into a coloring book because a major way we learn to understand the world, as children, is by coloring. As adults many of us still need to learn about our external sexual anatomy.” -Tee Corinne
Ladies Rock Camp Vancouver is a 3-day version of Girls Rock Camp Vancouver, which had its first session in summer 2009. Girls Rock Camp is an international non-profit organization that was created as a forum to help girls ages 8-18 build self-esteem through music creation and performance. But ladies want and need to rock too! At LRC Vancouver, ladies of all ages and skill levels will get a chance to do just that – they will form bands, write songs together, and perform their original songs at an amazing showcase. And the coolest part of all is that all the proceeds from LRC go toward providing food and supplies for Girls Rock Camp Vancouver.
Visit the GRCV website to learn more >>
One of Suzanne and my favorite things about working at Lunapads is being involved in a vibrant community of women entrepreneurs.
One of the most remarkable ones to have have crossed out path recently is Natalie Sisson of Womanzworld, founder of the Suitcase Entrepreneur movement. Natalie’s gig is finding online tools to help people run their businesses from pretty much anywhere in the world, and she does a fine job in setting the example herself. An uber social media savvy consultant, she has been a great help in taking the Lunapads social media practice to the proverbial next level. We have also enjoyed hearing about her current experience of life in Buenos Aires via Facebook, and looking forward to meeting her in person at the upcoming World Domination Summit in Portland OR.
When Natalie approached us about doing an interview about our journey as entrepreneurs, she sent us some great questions:
Check out the video to find out the answers!
Further to my earlier post about the new documentary Orgasm Inc. by award winning filmmaker Liz Canner, we are delighted to announce we have obtained a handful of tickets to attend the screening. So, we are giving them away to our fans!
Where: SFU Woodwards Cinema , Vancouver BC
When: April 28, 2011 at 7pm plus a Q&A with the director after the film
I’m really looking forward to attending the film and connecting with some of the attendees of the Medicalization of Sex conference, also being held in Vancouver. Here’s what others have been saying about the film:
“CRITICS’ PICK – As entertaining as it is relevelatory.”
-The New York Times
“A MUST-SEE! Informative, amusing, expertly crafted and well-laureled…a common-sense attack on Big Pharma’s shameless corporatization of health.”
-Variety
How to enter: post a comment on the blog confirming you are interested and available to attend the screening. Check back on the blog on Monday April 25 for an announcement of the winners.
You can also purchase tickets here: http://ocs.sfu.ca/gsws/index.php/ms/ms2011/schedConf/registration
I am really excited about this video, and hope that it will be the first of several about how women connect with their fertility cycles on a spiritual level.
Back when I first started making Lunapads, I was intrigued by Goddess spirituality and would often participate in women’s rituals around Vancouver in the company of my Goddess-loving BFF, Signy Wilson. They were very moving and beautiful and I fondly remember the power and magic of being in community with other women in this unique way. What has stayed with me from those experiences is a profound sense of Sisterhood (chief among Lunapads’ core values) as well as a deep awareness of my connection to Nature’s other cyclical mysteries via my menstrual cycle.
As if we weren’t already jealous and mildly tweaked when we saw Kotex’s progressive “U by Kotex” campaign last year engage millions of girls and women to talk positively about periods – the folks at Kotex have done it again. But this time, with the help of a celebrity fashionista, Patricia Field of Sex and the City fame.
In their latest campaign, called “Ban the Bland“, with the help of a cool online tool, budding artists are asked to help design a limited edition fashionable menstrual pad and win a trip to New York Fashion Week. Wait a minute: a fashionable menstrual pad? Isn’t that what Madeleine set out to do 18 years ago when she made her first set of Lunapads? Sheesh, we’re really starting to feel like Kotex is taking a page from everything Lunapads has done to make periods cool, stylish and fun.
Kudos to Kotex for investing in positive messages about periods (in a way that we could never afford to do!) and revitalizing the feminine hygiene product category. But let’s not forget that at the end of the day they are still pushing disposable pads and tampons (that happen to be priced up to 50% higher than other disposables.) Disposable feminine hygiene products are an ugly environmental blight to our planet; according to E-magazine, Franklin and Associates reports that over 12 billion pads and tampons go into North American landfills every year. I haven’t worn a disposable pad in a decade but remember how they feel: sticky, sweaty and made from plastic and other synthetic materials. Is that cool? I don’t think so.
What’s your take? Do you like what Kotex is doing? What ideas do you have for us to help get our message out to girls and women that Lunapads have always made beautiful menstrual pads that are better for your body and the earth? We want your ideas!
Inspired by my courage to talk about lubes in my last post, I’m now going to talk about (are you ready?) orgasms! Yikes, what’s going on with me? Well, I think I am going to chalk it up to the new found freedom of hitting my forties and realizing that there are fewer sacred cows out there. Life is too short to worry about what other people think; I’ve come to realize that at this stage of my life it is more important to find ways to enjoy life, and, if I can, speak out for the benefit of women who are listening!
What has got me riled up lately is my interest in the new documentary Orgasm Inc.
“Extraordinary behind-the-scenes access reveals a drug company’s fevered race to develop the first FDA-approved Viagra for women – and offers a humorous but sobering look inside the cash-fueled pharmaceutical industry.” – Hot Docs Film Festival
Always on the look out for great products that embody eco-positive messages, it made perfect sense to introduce Hathor Lubricant to our collection of “Extras” (the category name we use for additional great products we love).
Hey, wait a minute! Am I really talking publicly about lubes? Yup, I have become such a fan of this product that I’m willing to go all out and publicly attest to its outstanding quality and efficacy for it’s intended purpose (wink!).
Further to my earlier post in this series about women’s “hip” (read inner mojo) power, I’d like to share a couple of examples from a more creative perspective.
I recently revisited Lucille Clifton’s classic poem “homage to my hips” and felt compelled to share it for those who have not yet had the pleasure. Please check it out – this is such a powerful message about women’s power and body positivity.
March 8, 2011 marks the hundredth anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD). In keeping with our annual tradition, we are celebrating at Lunapads by offering 20% off everything on the site for 3 days as a thank you to all of our fabulous customers. While we’re at it, we are also going to be donating 1% of total sales to Pads4Girls during the sale.
