While selling products to make periods more bearable, The Girls Company is also actively working to make the topics of periods and women's health less taboo.
Abby Warner, Zoia Ali and Taimi Kennerley founded The Girls Company their junior year in the entrepreneurship program at BYU's Marriott School of Business. In a class that challenged them to find a problem and solve it, they turned to period cramps.
They created a thin, heated band that can be worn throughout the day. After launching in 2020, the Cramp Alleviating Band is now available at Target and Amazon. As the business grows, it also combats the stigma around periods.
"When we started, we were in this class of mostly men, and we were getting up every couple of weeks and giving these presentations about periods," Warner stated. "People in our audience were so visibly uncomfortable."
Warner explained that in their entrepreneurship class of around 50 people, she, Ali, and Kennerley were three of six girls who happened to be grouped together in the class. Because of this, they were labeled "the girls," their website explains.
"It was really interesting to see — as we continued presenting and talking about periods — the growth just within our class over the semester," Warner stated. "By the end, people were so much more comfortable. They were engaged and they were asking questions."
Warner said their classmates started telling them about their wives' and girlfriends' period experiences. She said they were able to see how the efforts they made to destigmatize the issue created change in their community.
"We saw that when you give someone permission ... to talk about it or feel like they can talk about it, they will open up," Kennerley added.
Warner explained that while talking to people about their periods, they found cramps were something many were affected by. They also discovered that most of them were not happy with any of the available solutions.
Kennerley explained when it comes to women's health and periods, it can sometimes feel scary and highly sterile. "We wanted to make it feel warm and approachable," Kennerley said.
The Girls Company website states their vision clearly: "We Educate. We Innovate. We Support."
Warner explained they also want to uplift other women-owned women's health businesses in addition to removing the taboo around women's health.
On Sept. 20, The Girls Company hosted its first Period Summit at Utah Valley University. At the Period Summit, attendees could go to "Period University" to learn about the menstrual cycle, support other women-owned businesses at their booths and listen to panelists and speakers break down the stigmas around periods and the effects they have on the body.
"There are many problems that we just go through, and it's also a very isolating time," Kennerley explained. "So, our goal —including the Period Summit —was to make you feel like you're not alone and that it's not so bad," Kennerley explained.
The Girls Company can be found on Instagram and TikTok, where they regularly post content aimed at breaking the stigma around periods. Their products are also available on Amazon, Target and their website.