POSTED: 14 Nov 2018

Who is Freda & What Are They Doing To Tackle Period Poverty?

Periods, periods, periods. They are simply private, not secret. They are most definitely not taboo, or shameful to discuss. So ladies let’s use our voices and say the word. In fact while we are at it, let’s banish ‘Aunt Flo’, and say goodbye to phrases like ‘time of the month’ because a period is a period and we should be having open discussions about them without embarrassment! Here on The Modern Salon we want to talk more about issues that affect all women worldwide daily beyond beauty and skincare. With 1 in 10 girls aged 14-21 in the UK alone being unable to afford sanitary products which is a basic human right, Period Poverty is high on our list. Beyond this, unequal access to period care spans worldwide. We had the pleasure of meeting Affi Parvizi-Wayne at Stylist Live this weekend and her company Freda has a message we would like to share with you all.

What is Freda?

“Created by women for women”

Affi Parvizi-Wayne is determined to make periods easier. She founded Freda in 2016 – the period subscription company dedicating its energy towards the menstrual needs of women. She aims to make feminine-hygiene products accessible to all, safe, and eco-friendly.

It has become very apparent that as consumers we’re demanding more from brands to be ethically, morally and eco-conscious. This applies to females of all ages when it comes to our periods. Freda recognises this and has designed products that are natural, sustainable, comfortable and most importantly effective. Let’s be honest, a tampon which does not do its job cannot be sustainable in the long run – for us or the planet. Freda’s products are 100% certified organic cotton and free from any chemicals, fragrances and dyes often apparent in many high street brands. In addition to all of this wonderfulness, you can get them delivered to your door. I myself signed up straight away when I came across their stall at Stylist Live; I couldn’t quite believe that I’d never heard of them before. I was not a hard sell. The products spoke for themselves. What sealed the deal was my ability to customise which products I received every month and how many. This is great because as they say… ‘periods are universal, but everyone is unique’. I am pleased to say that I will be like a kid at Christmas when I get my assortment through the post at a fraction of the price I usually pay.

Wider Mission

Freda’s impact has gone beyond giving women and young girls amazing products and a reliable. affordable door to door service. They care about our planet and share the values of their customers. What more could you ask for? Pledging to be relentless in their selection of suppliers and partners, they demand materials used to be natural, organically grown and sustainably sourced. They are aware that perfection is impossible, but sees this as a challenge. Freda uses this motivation to push for more and more change wherever possible. Something which truly inspires me to take more time and thought when shopping in the future, especially when it comes to my health and carbon footprint.  On top of this, their social purpose is what impressed me the most. They are striving to be a meeting place for socially conscious women who desire to challenge the way society looks at both period products and menstruation. This is something that hugely resonated with me as for so long I felt the stigma. If we demonise periods as shameful and dirty when they are arguably one of the most natural and human processes, then how do we expect to make progress forward?

Accessibility 

In addition to this, Freda recognises the lack of accessibility of period care globally and uses their collective voices to amplify the issue. As noted above 1 in 10 UK school girls cannot afford to buy the period products they need. Many of whom improvise with sanitary wear, using tissue paper or clothing items like socks! Period poverty effects many different strata’s of society as socio-economic factors come into play it becomes an intersectional issue not just one isolated to gender. With rising levels of homelessness for example, women who sleep rough do not have regular access to bathrooms, least of all pads and tampons. This too applies to the growing number of refugee and migrant populations in the last few years; one of the main inspirations Affi found to start this company.

With this in mind, Freda’s business model has a give back pledge which supports and empowers women and girls in need. They utilise social media to campaign also for the equal rights to education for all women. Presently, they have joined forces with other groups such as Bloody Good Period, The Red Box Project and A Bloody Good Cause. All of whom are also doing amazing things!

We hope you have been inspired by the work of Affi and her company as much as we have. We cannot overstate the importance of making these conversations normal, more frequent and most of all not a secret! This is the only way to further educate and raise awareness of Period Poverty and other women’s health issues. If you liked this post then please share, and explore the rest of our articles on The Modern Salon for more cultural, lifestyle, health and beauty pieces. Leave us a comment below and let us know what you think and if there are any incredible woman-owned business and female entrepreneurs that you would like us to profile.

What next?

Check out our previous interview with Sophia Ukor, the hugely inspiring owner of media brand Violet Simon.

Want more YouTube and Sunday beauty tips from us? Check out our last Sunday vibes post….

Don’t miss our recent skin food Saturday post featuring a delightful Blueberry and Walnut smoothie!

Head over to our skincare routine pages for everything you need to create your own personalised skincare regime.

Check out our skin concerns pages to answer all your skin problems or aesthetic treatment questions.

Authored by:

Dr Amel Ibrahim
Aesthetic Doctor & Medical Director
BSC (HONS) MBBS MRCS PHD
Founder City Skin Clinic
Member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Associate Member of British Association of Body Sculpting GMC Registered - 7049611

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