My pelvic area is a disaster: abnormal bleeding, an absurd amount of pain, and every day, as a girl, you are reminded that this is simply part of the path to becoming a woman.
I was blessed to welcome my unimaginably beautiful daughter and son into my life as a young woman. The birth of my son nearly cost us our lives. My beautiful baby was turned around, became stuck in the birth canal, and entered the world with great force. During the first years of his life, he cried a great deal and very loudly.
The birth of my little miracle brought considerable devastation with it. My nether regions were torn apart: ripped, cut, and stitched. I could no longer poop because of the tear in my anus, and urine ran down my legs. During a bowel movement, I screamed in pain. Shaking, drenched in sweat, and hyperventilating, I gave birth to my stool. I stopped eating and lost 20 kilos. I was 28 years old, incontinent, and exhausted.
The rape in my early teens had a huge impact on my mental health. I experienced a great many depressions. Fighting this pain became my greatest challenge. Sexually, something breaks inside you; the playfulness disappears. I have had countless conversations with psychologists, and to this day I can suddenly be overwhelmed by reading a newspaper article or watching a film. Sexual violence is very close to home every day. Sometimes it feels paralyzing that my children have to grow up in the same world I grew up in.
On top of all this, I was diagnosed with LS at a young age. I also had to live with an adenomyosis uterus for twenty years. This is a form of endometriosis. Hallelujah: my uterus was surgically removed toward the end of my thirties. Thanks to the best specialists, my LS is beautifully under control. I have lovingly embraced this condition.
I don't think I owe anyone an explanation for why I started developing my own underwear. My vulva shit has led me to design and sell the softest, most female-friendly underwear to women all over the world.
And all of these are women with stories. Stories about pain, loneliness, illness, and finding their way back to themselves. My Pavone is underwear that brings stories together, acknowledges conditions, and sees and hears women in what they need. Women with lichen planus, vulvodynia, incontinence, eczema, lichen sclerosus, vulvar cancer, ulcerative colitis, pemphigus vulgaris, dermatographism, and also women without these problems but with sensitive skin.
I see you.
I listen to you.
I hear you.
I feel you.
And I will continue doing everything I can to design underwear that makes you feel supported in this oh-so-intense world.
