Consuelo Easy Access to Vaginal Healthcare
What was once considered “a private matter” is now open for global public opinion. So, now is the perfect time for Alejandra Crites, Co-Founder of Casa de La Luna, to disrupt the taboo over discussing vaginal wellness for all ages. This article is a synopsis of our interview with her on Episode 54 of the Life Lnxx Podcast.
In 2020, Alejandra packed up and left Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, heading to New York City with little else but her luggage. No friends, no family, no job… just a sense of wanting to discover her tribe. She found more than that in meeting Savannah D’Orazio, her fellow Co-Founder, who had a vision of a wellness store where women of all ages could access camaraderie and support for vaginal healthcare.
A societal taboo here in the U.S., vaginal care is not a household topic in Latina families either. Generational evolution is tricky for those who don’t like change. But for those who thrive on it, evolution brings opportunity. With Casa de La Luna, Alejandra and Savannah are disrupting how “vagina owners” experience the changes of life from menarche, a girl’s first period, to beyond menopause.
Breaking Through Cultural & Societal Barriers
Edith Almaguer Crites, and Grandmother, Lilia
For many of the people here in the U.S., societal barriers are rarely known. The day-in and day-out of living tends to follow the generations that came before. Life changes dramatically when a diverse population and a new generation come to the forefront. With that newness, comes the courage to make life on their terms.
Born in Mexico, Alejandra moved to Pittsburgh with her parents and endured what most First Gen’s face in a country different from their parents’; a sense of disconnect and isolation. Still, she thrived in both worlds, exuberantly living her Mexican heritage out loud while loving her American upbringing.
Even so, she faced discrimination early on from fellow students regarding her skin tone. In high school, after a summer of outdoor splendor, one girl exclaimed, “The reason you look like that is that your people lived outside and worked in the fields. But mine were inside being served.”
Listening to Alejandra, it’s stunning how compassionate and grateful she is regardless of her experiences. It’s that gusto that Alejandra brought to Washington Heights, celebrating her Latinidad fully and breaking free of societal barriers. With that freedom, came the enthusiasm to join Savannah in launching a store for “care down there”.
Being fluent in 4 languages makes it easier for Alejandra to communicate with others. But truly, she is a people person through and through. So, having a conversation over vaginal care is easy for her and if people don’t like it, “they just have to deal with it”.
Sephora for Your Vagina
Together Alejandra and Savannah want to welcome girls and women into a retail experience that soothes the unease of vaginal conversations. They envision young girls coming in wanting knowledge about their first periods. Or, single fathers needing assistance for their daughters.
The retail space would offer products for vaginal wellness in a new era. Information is free flowing and geared to the individual. Gone are the days of sterile pharmacy aisles where vaginal products are squeezed between condoms and baby diapers.
In all, the most epic of life’s experience has been brought out of the shadows and into the celebratory light of camaraderie and support. A new frontier is here to gather strength in numbers against a society trying to repress women’s reproductive rights and body ownership. All thanks to two Latinas that wanted to change life for women globally.
Follow Casa de La Luna on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Support and contribute to their WeFunder campaign to bring the Brick & Mortar store to life!
Reach out to Alejandra through her Instagram or LinkedIn profile.
