Self-care has become such a loaded term in online discussions today. Even more so since we are working from home—or are we living at work now? In these times, caring for ourselves in the ways that we want to be cared for can feel like just another chore to check off the list. Schedule appointment with therapist? Check. Face mask before bedtime? Check. Have a good cry over the weekend? Check. Sometimes it feels less like self-care and more like saving face – anybody else relate?
This can be especially irksome for menstruators, who are often expected to take on feminine forms of labour like care-work. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of what emotional labour can look like:
- planning everybody’s meals through the week,
- ensuring the house is clean,
- making sure that the fridge is stocked with nutritious food as well as snacks,
- listening to everybody talk about their day, and
- doing ALL of it behind-the-scenes on a daily basis,
- while ALSO showing up to do the intermittent work of menstruating (yes, it is a form of labour), pregnancy and birth-giving, and maintenance sex, with little time for rest and leisure [pauses for a breath] can feel draining!
While one can hope that things are changing and we’re flipping gender roles at home, research has once again shown us that the more things change, the more they stay the same after all.
At That Sassy Thing, we want to make things easier for people of marginalised genders. We see the pain, frustration, and monotony of your labour, and our products encourage you to take the time to return to your body, show yourself some all-natural love, and flip the bird at patriarchy while at it!
During the lockdown, many of us have learnt to embrace parts of our bodies as they are—they did after all get us through more than one wave of this devastating pandemic. People have talked about how their soft tummy rolls, the hair on their heads as well as other parts of the body, seem to remind them that we are alive and growing! Many of us are acknowledging our need for human touch (sexual and otherwise) after months of on-camera everything! We are ready to be loved for the parts of us that come to us naturally!
And that’s why we created Bush, which as the name suggests is, a pubic hair oil. Grooming down there does not have to only mean taking an epilator to it or douching anymore. Instead, open up a bottle of Bush and take in a whiff of this calming concoction. Proceed to dab on a few of drops of the super-light oil on your fingers and gently stroke your pubic hair. Made of hemp and chamomile oils, users often tell us about how Bush has helped calm their razor bumps, soothe prickly ingrown hair, while also keeping the area infection and itch-free!
For people who wax or shave, we encourage using Bush right after. It contains Clary Sage oil that helps with the redness, while the Lavender oil keeps the skin feeling smooth, supple and folliculitis-free.
Once your bush is all groomed, maybe you’re DTF? Perhaps you’re feeling adventurous and want to explore your body and your partner’s? A couple of pumps of our DTF lube is all you need for a pain-free quickie. Non-sticky and free from all sorts of pH-upsetting ickiness, DTF is water-based and can be used with all condoms. Time to slide right into some sexy-time, no?
And how could we forget all the times our uterus decides to dissolve because we decided not to have babies? Cramps, bloating, and mood swings got you dreading your periods? This is the closest we could get to building a magic wand, and we want you to have it. Presenting to you, Soothing Stick—an easy-to-carry roll-on with the anti-inflammatory properties of hemp and geranium oils, as well as the pain-relieving goodness of wheat-germ and lavender oils. Just a few circular rubs on your lower back, forehead or thighs can help to relieve pain. Massage it gently with your fingers as the oil seeps into the skin, and get back to chilling or the grind, depending on what your day looks like. Easy does it!
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About the author:
Tejaswi is a media professional and researcher focused on pleasure & joy in areas of public health. Their attention is captured by post-colonial human relationships at a time of the Internet of Things.
Tejaswi is autistic and identifies as queer in more ways than one.
