By Yvonne Marquez
The worst part of Zipporah Jarmon’s period is that it forces her to wear panties for a few days out of the month. The problem is—as a 26-year-old masculine-presenting gay woman—she doesn’t usually wear panties. Instead, she feels more comfortable in men’s boxers. But during her period, Jarmon’s options are limited. Women’s boxer briefs are often still very feminine and shorter in length than she prefers. Men’s boxers, her usual go-to, don’t have a place for a pad. Jarmon wondered if there were any solutions.
A Chicago-based graphic designer with southern familial roots, Jarmon is used to thinking of ways to bridge gaps and create solutions. After an especially frustrating day at work where she bled through a brand new pair of light blue demin jeans, Jarmon went home and started researching which period companies carried boxer briefs. When she didn’t find what she needed, she started sketching out ideas for a period-friendly boxer brief—a step that would ultimately lead her to build her company, Pyramid Seven.
Jarmon came up with a simple design: a boxer brief made to support menstrual products. Pyramid Seven’s underwear eliminates the extra space normally built in to traditional men’s boxer briefs and has an additional piece of fabric on top of the gusset to hold a pad or pantyliner—it even has space for wings to be folded underneath. The company’s name is a combination of two concepts: the uterus is triangular in shape, and when made 3D, becomes a pyramind. Plus, in astrology, the number seven represents the completion of a cycle—very fitting for a company centered around menstrual cycles.
“If the big companies don’t want to make this product, then you know what, we have to make it.” —Zipporah Jarmon. Photo courtesy Pyramid Seven.
Jarmon says she couldn’t wait around for someone else to make the product she needed, and felt compelled to take action. “I have at least 20 more years of periods,” she says. “I don’t want to feel uncomfortable and dysphoric wearing panties. I was like, I have this idea and it can help people. If the big companies don’t want to make this product, then you know what, we have to make it.”
Jarmon brought her concept to life with the help of queer fashion designer Michelle Janayea, whom she met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. The two collaborated on the design, style, and colors to ensure the product was breathable, functional, and form-fitting. Janayea, who graduated from Columbia College Chicago with degrees in fashion design and fashion business, created the pattern for the boxers and hand dyed and hand made the first batch of boxer briefs. A little over a year after Jarmon started sketching out ideas, Pyramid Seven officially launched in June of this year to incredible fanfare.
“The people who understand and see the reason for the product are ecstatic,” Jarmon says. She has heard from people of all genders and gender presentations who wear the boxers, including masculine-presenting women and trans men. Jarmon says the most incredible responses are from trans and genderqueer kids and their parents who are thankful they’ve found underwear that aligns with their gender.
Pyramid Seven’s underwear eliminates the extra space normally built in to traditional men’s boxer briefs and has an additional piece of fabric on top of the gusset to hold a pad or pantyliner—it even has space for wings to be folded underneath. Photo courtesy Pyramid Seven.
Jarmon notes that mainstream companies aren’t making similar products because they don’t see the queer menstruating population as a viable market. “This market isn’t niche,” Jarmon counters. “Queer people, trans people, and people with uteruses have been around for how long? We’ve always been here. There’s this huge market and part of it is companies are ignorant to the fact that we’re a huge community and we have issues like this.”
While Pyramid Seven is currently sold out of their boxers, Jarmon is planning to debut a new line with a better product, more color varieties, and more sizes within the next few months.
Going forth, Jarmon says she will absolutely continue her open dialogue around gender and menstruating. “I think it’s important to have this conversation, especially in the climate that we’re in with [president] 45 and other people taking away our rights and making people feel bad about who they are,” she says.
On a more personal note, Jarmon says that she felt a weight was lifted off her shoulders when she finally wore the boxer briefs of her dreams. She says she feels more comfortable and more like herself in her Pyramid Seven underwear. “It’s changed a lot of how I feel about myself when I’m on my period,” Jarmon says. “I feel more confident.”
For more information, visit pyramidseven.com.
