Founder Letter: Don't Poison Yourself

Dear Rosewoman Community,

Being sick is the worst, and yet so many of us are  sick or weak or tired from the so-called "lifestyle" diseases. The ones that are mainly caused by daily habits, and are preventable with food and exercise choices (like certain kinds of diabetes, heart diseases, liver problems and more).

I attended a conference recently where the most prominent exhibit was a large pharmaceutical company spanning 25 booths. They were primarily recruiting for clinical trials on diabetes and heart disease. Ironically, the conference had only fried foods and sugar drinks on offer, and the exhibit booths included many providers of toxic glue-on hair and glue-on lashes and glue-on nails. And at the same time, there were two booths for sufferers of uterine fibroids and two for breast cancer. Other diseases were also represented. And death plots. I was slightly encouraged to see two providers of non-toxic period products, and a couple for exercise. 

But overall, the tableaux was stark: seeing it all in one place hit me differently. I couldn’t help being activated! People are so sick and it's so obvious why. Where is the giant booth on owning your health outcomes by keeping as many chemical toxins as possible from the body? On eating for radiance instead of diabetes? On remembering who you are outside of these poisonous beauty standards?

I know it's a layered issue, intertwined with economic questions such as the affordability of organic foods and premium skincare, but I felt this week I just had to re-presence and contextualize  the toxin thing with our community. 

The latter decades of the 20th century, especially the 1960s 70s and 80s, were marked by an influx of convenience foods: processed, frozen, and packaged. Coinciding with this dietary shift was the surge in household environmental pollutants. Cleaning agents, plastics, carpets, and fabrics, previously hailed as markers of modern living, were slowly unmasked as carriers of microfibers and microplastics. We've since recognized that particles, especially those less than 150 microns, can enter our bloodstream, adding an undue burden on our body's detoxifying mechanisms.

During the last 70 years, we have been running a massive experiment on our bodies. We don’t yet really know the long term effects. We do know however, that traces of all of these things show up in our skin and eyes and gut biomes and... well, everywhere in the body.  

Since the 1980s, there's been a staggering 300% rise in liver and kidney cancer incidence. These organs serve as our body's natural detoxifiers, filtering out harmful substances. Given the increasing bombardment of toxins in our environment, it's no surprise that these organs are overtaxed. This relentless work to purge can detract from the body's other essential functions, like cellular repair and maintenance, which are critical for overall bodily health.

In our journey to care for our bodies, we often grapple with the intricate decisions surrounding our dietary choices, skincare regimes, and overall health management. What we consume and apply on our skin isn't just about immediate wellness- it's a life-long thing. 

Dietary choices have sometimes been co-opted as moral signifiers. The 'clean eating' trend, for example, has unfortunately been tinged with elements of elitism and judgment. But let's reframe it.  Lasting change comes from LOVE. From loving the new way more than hating the current way, it comes from getting attuned and centered and asking is this good for me. 

So, please choose lovingly.

As a mama, I say to my daughters and to this community... Please NO toxic products, especially near your vulva, vagina, armpits, mouth, nose or eyes. It is a fundamental form of self love to care about what you put into and onto your body. 

If the choices and the knowledge don't match up all the time, congratulations, you're human. It's been shown that framing a change with the language of identity optimizes outcome. For example, you might say,"Because I am a person who loves herself and is grateful to life for giving me a body, I try not to poison myself with toxic food and toxic household chemicals, and I regularly advocate for clean air, water and safer ingredients."

I have many resources for you on the site if you want to read more, and there's A Free Download of The Invitation to Daily Intimate Self Care

And as always, we aim for high standards in all of our offerings, with products and practices for clean intimate care, skin care, and accessories.

See you live on 10.18? Follow us on social media to get reminders for the new monthly show. This one is called The Free Period: Midlife Joy. Kind of excited and a little nervous.

Christine 

Christine Marie Mason

Founder, Rosebud Woman

Host The Rose Woman Podcast on Love and Liberation