Lingerie maker goes public about her sexual assault
(photo: Oddo)
Oddo is a new lingerie brand launched via Kickstarter by Shira Wheeler, a New York City-based designer and brand strategist.
The 100 per cent cotton underwear was designed not only to be comfortable and sexy, but also to spark a conversation about sexuality and women’s health.
“Your underwear is the most important garment you can put on your body in terms of your overall health,” Wheeler tells Refinery29. “There’s an active biological environment right there, on our bodies, that needs care and respect. The vagina is a self-cleaning, anatomical powerhouse that has to function properly in order to stay healthy.“
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But there’s also something sexual that comes from talking about underwear.
“You can’t talk about that area without talking about sexuality. It’s traditionally been taboo and uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t be,” says Wheeler.
To prompt the conversation, Wheeler recently opened up to Refinery29 about being raped as a teen.
“New Jersey, New Year’s Eve, 1999. Four teenagers. Two boys, two girls, cruising through the suburbs,” she begins.
She then goes on to describe her 15 year old self getting drunk, having sex with one of the boys and then passing out only to be woken up later by a different boy on top of her.
“My entire high school knew by first period [the following Monday].”
Wheeler at 15 years old (Instagram/oddobody)
It took Wheeler nearly 16 years to come to terms with what had happened that night.
“I know what happened to me was completely wrong. But I also don’t see the situation as black-and-white,” Wheeler says. “I think about those lessons [in health class] that taught me about wet dreams and male ejaculation. And the magazines I read about ‘how to give the perfect blow job.’ But I had no information on how to discover my own pleasure!”
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So, when she decided to found an underwear brand, she didn’t want to go half way with it.
“I want to provide women with access to a ton of resources that don’t judge them — that promote open conversation without pushing anyone one way or the other,” she says.
Oddo guidebook. (photo: Oddo)
Each month, Oddo will create an educational guidebook to go with their underwear, which is designed to spark conversation about women’s health and sexuality. The first issue will focus on female pleasure and will have input from a variety of health professionals and artists.
“Underwear is clearly a powerful symbol,” Wheeler says in her Kickstarter video. “It informs how we feel about our bodies, enriches our sex lives and effects our health.”
What do you think of this new approach to selling women’s underwear? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
