ADDRESS: 123 WILLOW BROOK, LA,CA 90029 TEL: 213-123-4567
A COMMUNITY OF WOMEN PROTECTING THEIR GYNECOLOGICAL HEALTH TOGETHER
DATE: 12.17.2020
TOXIC LOVE ALTERNATIVE GYNECOLOGY PRACTICES
NO.3
TOXIC TRIO COLLAR N
CTIO
DATA
R E A DING T HE T EST T U BE DATA
PEER-TO-PEER DATA SH A R ING
Each collar tracks exposure to the toxic three chemicals. The liquid in the test tubes changes color over time depending on exposure levels. The test tubes fit snuggly in the clear panels on the collar, so the color change is visible. The tubes are easily removable if you want to manually read the toxicity levels using the toxin color chart provided with the collar.
The device works in a peer-to-peer network fashion. When it detects levels of toxicity that reach an unsafe threshold the collar alerts not just the wearer with a red light, but all of the women wearing the collars, so they can collectively work to reduce exposure for an individual at a certain period of time, for example by switching responsibilities.
CI T IZEN SCIENCE GY N ECOLOGY
W EL L-WOM A N A MM U N I T ION
“I could find almost no studies on salon workers who either are women of color or work with women of color, and work with the different products that are marketed to women of color—the hair relaxers,certain kinds of dyes, the hair glues for extensions.” The data collected also lives in an existing Github repository called “Missing Data Sets” that captures blank-spots in otherwise datasaturated spaces.
We think it’s absurd that it’s the woman’s responsiibility to have awareness of and collect information on occupational hazards for his/her/ they’s clinicians. But, until there are systemic changes in gynecology, this device does help educate women on what good care is and external factors that can severely affect gynecological health.
E PROT L A UN COMM
IS U SED FOR
NOT
IZATION
SELF-OPTIM
FILTRATION UNDERWEAR
AU T HOR S OF OU R OW N BODIES
The underwear is made of the chemical information for the most reproductively damaging products that are often grouped together under the term “fragrance” or buried in hard-to-understand product safety data sheets.
FEM A L E-CEN T R IC S A FET Y HOOK S
The designs use durable material, drawing on protective gear, but the fabric is contrasted with delicate feminine clasps to visually subvert safety gear that’s often designed for male bodies.
FILT R AT ION BELT
Employees are often not provided the correct protective gear - only respirators, not dust masks, actually can protect against chemical gas and vapors found in many hair and nail salons. Each underwear set has a respirator with a person filtration system.
DU R A BL E M AT ER I A LS
This process involved working with women to find an underwear fabric that was comfortable, but also durable to make the item feel “protective” rather than delicate and flimsy like women’s underwear often does.
TOXIC LOVE’S GEAR COMPLICATES THE PARADIGMS INHERENT IN MANY WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGIES. INSTEAD OF SELFOPTIMIZATION THE GEAR IS MADE FOR COMMUNALPROTECTION. INSTEAD OF STANDARDIZED, BIOMEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BODY, IT PROVIDES LOCAL & CONTEXTUAL DATA. INSTEAD OF
FEMINIST INFO.MODELS TOXIC LOVE
WOMEN’S HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES
Woman 1
Woman
Woman
3
2
INDIVIDUALISTIC CARE Self-as-Project
COMMUNAL CARE Trifecta-of-female-support
POLITICS OF KNOWLEDGE Information as convoluted, standardized, incomplete
AUTHORS OF OWN BODIES Information as legible, accessible, experience-based
REDUCTIVE, TIME-BASED PORTRAIT Reductive, time-based construction of well-womanhood
EXPANSIVE PORTRAIT Constructing an expansive view of well-womanhood noticing dynamic patterns
POSTERS TO H A NG ON COM MUNITY BOA R DS, SA LON WA LLS, IN WOMEN’S HEA LTH CLINICS, ETC.
POSTERS TO H A NG ON COM MUNITY BOA R DS, SA LON WA LLS, IN WOMEN’S HEA LTH CLINICS, ETC.
C I e v X O o
Community Meet-up: ToxicLove COMMUNITY WELL-WOMANHOOD
Date: Friday December 6 Time: 1;00pm- 3:00pm
Join the ToxicLove community A discussion about the gear, & strategies for protecting your gynecological health at work.
T
.
L
Place: WCCW
2425 Glover Pl Los Angeles, CA 90031
+
a radical feminist clothing line of suits, masks & collars designed to protect your gynecological health.
4721 1/2 Willow Brook Avenue Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Beverly Hills
Inglewood
South Gate
Hawthorne
Los Angeles Salon Map. Head online for maps of different neighborhoods. Use the location markers, to select where to hang posters. [Free poster on the next page!]
Gardena
Compton
“It’s like everything. You have to do both. You have to work in the reform arena and take reformist actions. You can’t just rely on a more revolutionary approach.”
This month we had Carol Downer join our Toxic Love meet-up as a guest speaker. She’s an activist who helped start and kept the self-help feminist movement alive.
Gynecology’s job is to keep women in line. How can you on practical level stop patriarchal control right now. The immediate thing is making them behave” raising the standards“ not through rules and laws” but educating them on what good care is and what it includes.”
Find us on Instagram! @toxiclove.la