Annette and Brigitta (you can call them A+B) are the gals behind the brand Red Babes Club. They design and sell period t-shirts to support charity and banish the stigma surrounding periods while they're at it. 

How did you meet?

On one fateful day in front of our school’s art supplies store, we locked eyes as we were about to enter. One of us asked hesitantly, “So...did you buy everything for tomorrow?” And now, here we are! We ended up having every class together our freshman year, and similar classes all throughout college. We have been best friends ever since. 

I love that you are both on the same cycle. Some serious solidarity there. When did you figure it out and how did you turn it into an act of activism?

After all the cramps and chocolate cravings we went through together, we figured out that we were actually on the same cycle. It became an ongoing joke that we assumed a lot of friends must resonate with after syncing up. When one of our class assignments was to make a t-shirt to catch people’s attention, the syncing thing naturally seemed like the most relatable and funny idea. We ended up receiving so much positive feedback (to our surprise) and decided to sell the shirts to raise money for charity and to help deconstruct the taboos surrounding periods. We are so lucky to have each other’s backs and we believe that every girl should have that kind of support system. This is why we are very passionate about empowering other women and contributing to this idea of sisterhood.

Tell us about Preemptive Love!

Brigitta had seen a post about Preemptive Love on her Instagram and we both felt excited and passionate about the cause. A lot of women living through war zones in the Middle East suffer from a lack of period hygiene supplies–even more than food and water. Even though we would never truly understand how it would feel to be in such an unfair, tough situation, we knew that we had to do something to help. We thought it would be the perfect organization to donate to because of what it's doing to ignite conversations about period taboos and the oppression of women.

 

 

What reaction do you generally get from people when you wear your shirts?

Most of the time, women give very positive feedback. We have gotten a lot of giggles from passersby–comments like “I love your shirts, girls!” or just a smile with a thumbs up. Girls in groups often find it funnier because they relate to our situation. Men also have laughed or smiled at our shirts but stare more. We have gotten confused or weirded-out looks from some people but we hope by wearing it, we can challenge them to reflect why they might have a negative reaction to period talk in public. The more we see, talk, think about it, the better.

Tell us how to get involved!

You can follow us on Instagram @redbabesclub. We will be uploading rad photos of people that have bought the shirts but our Instagram is also based on any updates on the latest female empowerment events and awareness for different charities. You (and your BFF) should also buy our super cute t-shirts in our shop. 100% of our proceeds go to donate to @preemptivelove. Help our sisters out!