sex & relationships
Being Mad at My Doctor Compelled Me to Start a Vibrator Company
www.meetrosie.com Instagram @meetrosieofficial
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’m Georgia, founder of O Blooms, and I talk about sex… a lot. Ever since I hit puberty, I’ve had painful periods. I always thought that the amount of pain I experienced during my time of the month was normal. Everyone hates their period, right? The thing is, that wasn’t the only pain I experienced. Growing up, I understood sex to be a positive, enjoyable thing, but for me it was always eye-wateringly unpleasant. I spent hours googling what on earth was wrong with me. Was my vagina broken? It seemed like I was the only one in my group of friends who was experiencing issues. When I went to my family doctor about the discomfort that I was experiencing, they told me that I could ‘cure’ my painful sex by simply ‘relaxing’. I was mad. Like, REAL MAD. Then one day I was rushed to the ER with extreme pain in my abdomen. Diagnosis? Appendicitis. Twenty-four hours later, I came out of the hospital – one appendix lighter – but with something much heavier weighing on me: a second diagnosis. This diagnosis, I soon learnt, was going to be a lot trickier to handle than a measly ruptured appendix. During the operation, the doctor discovered that I had endometriosis. That’s how I came to learn the cause of my excruciating, can’t-get-out-of-bed periods and the painful sex I was experiencing. Oh, and that the doctor who told me to just ‘relax’ was full of shit. Everyone knows someone with endometriosis these days. Like, where was this illness ten years ago? It was there, alright, but doctors simply brushed it off as ‘period pain’. So, what sparked change? What made doctors wake up to endo as a real thing? It was women and those that menstruate. They used their voices to break the stigma and bring to light the #endostruggles. I realised I wanted to use my own voice, too, to truly break the sex stigma that comes with the condition. That leads me to Rosie. For so many of us with vulvas, penetrative sex is not an option. All of these people deserve to have that mind-blowing orgasm; I wanted to give it to them. The Original Rosie is a clitoral suction vibrator that hits your clit in all the right places. You’ll feel INCREDIBLE. But it’s more than that. Rosie is a community full of self-love and sex-positivity. All those who have historically been denied it should be able to explore their sexuality in a way that feels right to them, to have more options when it comes to self-pleasure. And that’s why this company is so important to me.
The stigma around women ‘getting off’ is very much still a thing. I was met with very judgmental looks when I announced the O Blooms venture to some. Although I’m surrounded by a lot of really supportive people, there’s definitely been times when I’ve doubted the whole thing. Is that because it’s ingrained in me that sex is meant to be shameful for women? That if you like it, you’re a ‘slut’? I don’t know. What I do know is that I am so over the narrative that women can’t talk about sex. And not just talk about sex in a hot, steamy way that satisfies the male gaze. Let’s talk about everything that sex is. Sex can be awkward; it can be painful. It is different for everyone. I want every single person that has struggled with this to know that they’re not alone. They’re not weird. There is not something wrong with them. Rosie is all about breaking the stigma surrounding sex and redefining what ‘normal’ sex is. It’s about including all women in the sexual pleasure movement. I hope that Rosie can become a platform for other people experiencing issues like painful sex, endometriosis, and PCOS to share their stories. To feel liberated. I want these people to feel in control of their sex lives. And I’ve got some big plans for the future. Not to spill all my secrets, but you can expect to see new lines of toys, a revolutionary platform for all things sex positivity and some raunchy bedroom goodies. I launched O Blooms in February 2022 and have been juggling full-time work with starting a business for the past few months (no big deal, right?). A typical day in my life right now is waking up at 5 am and packing orders. It makes me so happy to see Rosies going out to incredible people all over the world. I’m then at work for the next eight hours. As soon as I get home, I’m on the gram, chatting with women and people from all over the world who are experiencing painful sex. I feel so privileged to have connected with others just like me, to get to hear the stories that they choose to share. Knowing you’re not alone in all this is freaking awesome. I am truly so excited to share O Blooms with the world. It’s something that is super important to me, and I feel like I’m living my dreams (well, minus the 5 am wake-up call). And my confession? I love using my Rosie. Every. Single. Day. ✦
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