Frida, a company specializing in prenatal and postnatal care products for new parents, has recently made headlines due to its innovative approach to addressing censorship and promoting women's health.
The company's CEO, Chelsea Hirschhorn, has been vocal about the challenges faced in advertising their products through traditional channels such as TV networks and social media platforms.
The focal point of Frida's recent attention has been its perineum massager, a device designed to stretch the area between the vagina and the rectum during pregnancy. Despite its potential benefits for expectant mothers, Frida encountered difficulties in promoting the product due to censorship issues.
Hirschhorn shared that the company received numerous messages from consumers seeking guidance on how to use the perineum massager, indicating a strong interest in the product's functionality and potential benefits.
In addition to consumer inquiries, Frida also faced questions on Amazon regarding the usage of the perineum massager. This further underscored the need for clear and accessible information about the device's intended use.
However, traditional advertising methods proved to be challenging, with Frida's attempts to air an advertisement during the Oscars in 2020 being rejected by ABC for being too graphic.
To circumvent these challenges and provide uncensored information to their customers, Frida adopted an unconventional approach. The company partnered with Asa Akira, a well-known adult film actress, to serve as the face of their new website, Frida Uncovered.
This platform offers unfiltered "how-to" videos, including topics such as at-home insemination, prenatal perineal massage, and pregnancy-related breast care. Akira, who has appeared in over 689 adult films and is a mother of two, was chosen for her comfort in showing her body and her expertise in the subject matter.
Hirschhorn emphasized the importance of providing women with accurate and uncensored information about their bodies, particularly during transformative life stages such as pregnancy and postpartum. The launch of Frida Uncovered was met with positive feedback on social media, with many users expressing gratitude for the informative content.
The partnership between Frida and Akira also sheds light on the challenges of moderating nudity and sensitive content on social media platforms. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has faced criticism for its convoluted and often unworkable approach to moderating internet nudity.
An oversight board told Meta in 2023 that the rules on female nipples are extensive and confusing, particularly as they apply to transgender and non-binary individuals. The company has implemented a combination of human moderators and AI moderation to monitor and censor social media posts, but there have been instances where the approach has been flawed.
Frida's initiative to provide uncensored educational content through Frida Uncovered not only serves to inform and empower women but also highlights the complexities of navigating censorship and content moderation in the digital age.
By addressing these challenges head-on, Frida is setting a new standard for open and honest discussions about women's health and sexuality, and the partnership with Akira is a bold step toward normalizing conversations about these topics.
