Honoring the Many Incredible Womxn Who’ve Changed History
While we truly need more than one month to honor womxn’s history, now is a great time to celebrate the progress we’ve made in womxn’s rights: To celebrate Women’s History Month, let’s start by talking about some of the women who have changed – or are continuing to change – the way we see ourselves and operate within the world.
They are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives, but above all, they are bold, brave, and badass.
It’s hard to pick just seven, but we honor these women because they remind us that body positivity, advocacy, and innovation are powerful forces in championing womxn’s equality and supporting the rights of others. So, who are these bold, brave, badass women that are changing our lives? Without further ado, we present to you:
1. Leona Chalmers
One day, back in 1935, Leona Chalmers filed a remarkable patent: a rubber cup that revolutionized the world of menstruation. Her paradigm-busting invention was inspired by her days of being an actor and not having a period product that could keep up with her grueling schedule.
Back in the day when we dared not say the words “menstruation” or “vagina” (I mean, come on, it’s not ladylike 🙄), Chalmers evangelized for a pad and tampon-free world. Her patent challenged notions of “feminine hygiene” and helped us open the revolving doors to alternative period products.
2. Estelle Griswold
Outside of the Supreme Court, you may not know anything about Estelle Griswold or the legacy she left behind. Well, how do you feel about the right to privacy? How about access to birth control? As the executive director of Planned Parenthood in 1961, Griswold was one of the first to open a birth control clinic in New Haven, Connecticut. Only 10 days later, she was arrested for dispensing contraceptives to a married couple.
Griswold didn’t stand down! When her case eventually made it to the Supreme Court in 1965, she was instrumental in overturning Connecticut’s law that banned contraceptives. This helped to further establish our constitutional right to privacy. Thank you, Estelle, for propelling our right to control our own bodies.
3. Joan Ball
Online dating has existed far longer than Tinder and Bumble have been around – and for that, we can thank virtual dating pioneer, Joan Ball. Of course, a group of men at Harvard were credited for the first computerized dating service, called ‘Operation Match.’ It was actually Ball, however, who first came up with a way to determine compatibility using a computer.
Ball founded Com-Pat (short for “computerized compatibility”) in 1964, a full year before ‘Operation Match’ created a successful match with their computerized service.
4. Serena Williams
An acclaimed tennis player and staunch advocate for womxn’s rights, Serena William holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Taking on the patriarchal policies in sports with her unabashed representation of what it means to be a strong womxn (remember that purple tutu she wore in the 2018 French open?)—she embodies the feminist we need in sports right now.
Her advice for those of us struggling with body image? “You are who you are—you can’t change it, and you’re beautiful.”
5. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Congresswoman AOC has been shaking up the status quo since 2019 by showing the world that there’s a new breed of politician to contend with – a kind that sticks up for genuine equality and universal human rights.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is breaking down barriers for womxn and minorities in politics and has a progressive voice on issues like environmental sustainability and tax reform. From the Bronx to Capitol Hill, she’s an inspiration to all and a reminder that powerful womxn can come from anywhere.
AOC lives and breathes empowerment: “The idea that a woman can be as powerful as a man is something our society can’t deal with, but I am as powerful as a man and it drives them crazy.” Tell me she doesn’t ignite the feeling that you can do anything.
6. Lauren Schulte-Wang
While pitching menstrual discs to boardrooms, entrepreneurs, and investors, our fearless leader, Flex® Founder and CEO Lauren Schulte-Wang, flipped the period market on its head by launching The Flex Company.
It was through hard work, perseverance, and innovation that Lauren revolutionized the period game (yes, the tampon was created by a dude some 80+ years ago) with the Flex menstrual disc, a body-safe alternative to tampons, pads, and menstrual cups that can be worn for up to 12 hours at a time.
In addition to that, Lauren’s built a badass team of Flexperts who’ve made it their mission to create body-positive, life-changing experiences. We don’t need antiquated period products—we deserve a choice.
7. YOU
If you didn’t know it already, YOU are a bold, brave, badass woman. You inspire us every day by just doing you. You help us create a powerful force of women who aren’t afraid of taking on the radical concept of self-care, and who aren’t afraid of loving their bodies.
For far too long, women have been shamed for their periods. Because we truly see ourselves through you, our customer, we continue to create innovative and empowering period products for womxn. We created Flex because you deserve body-safe, comfortable, goes-with-you-anywhere period products.
As we take this month to honor all of the bold, brave, and badass women in our lives who empower us every day to be innovators, advocates, and educators (again, we seriously need more than one month), let’s take a moment to celebrate our bodies and our periods. Vaginas are amazing! We’re not ashamed to admit it. That’s why Flex was created for you. Period!
