iroha x There She Rows - Empowering Women Together

March has always been a special month for iroha, as it is our birthday month, and it also includes International Women’s Day and the Japanese Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day). iroha started as a brand developed by three women hoping to make a difference for women in Japan, wanting to normalize the idea of self-pleasure for women in the country. Now that we are at our 11th-year mark, we are happy to say our initial goal of inspiring and creating an environment where women can freely express themselves remains, but now we are aiming bigger, we hope to help all pleasure seekers feel comfortable with themselves and have the power to decide how they want to express themselves!

 

As we enter our 11th year, we would like to continue our mission of inspiring and empowering more women. To achieve such a goal, we would like to highlight 4 amazing women; Victoria Monk, Ana Žigić, Abbey Platten, and Ellie Reynolds from There She Rows. These 4 women took on the World’s Toughest Row, and we would love to share their inspirational stories with you. We had a chance to ask one of them, Victoria Monk, a few questions. We hope this blog will in turn inspire you, so keep on reading to find out more!

Contents

What is There She Rows?

There She Rows image 1

Image sourced from @worldstoughtestrow

At the end of 2023, iroha was honored to sponsor There She Rows and their journey across the Atlantic Ocean, the World’s Toughest Row. There She Rows is a group of 4 women, Victoria Monk, Ana Žigić, Abbey Platten, and Ellie Reynolds, and the four of them band together to take on this challenge. The Atlantic Challenge is 3000 miles of unassisted rowing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua in the Caribbean. This trip symbolizes the power of women working together, a test of endurance, and an inspiring act to encourage more girls and women to take on sports. They hope to make a difference, where “Sport is Sport, and for Everyone”. On top of that, this trip also fundraises for endometriosis, eating disorders, and more.

iroha x There She Rows

There She Rows reaching their destination

Image sourced from @worldstoughtestrow

We are happy to say iroha is one of the sponsors for There She Rows. We found their story empowering, as four total strangers met online and had never rowed before, got together, and were able to finish rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in 39 days, 12 hours, and 25 minutes. This shows their determination and more, on top of that, their goal of raising awareness for women in sports, endometriosis, and eating disorders is extremely inspiring. We hope to support and empower more women, whether that is by taking on things that might be deemed unachievable or difficult like There She Rows has done, or by breaking conventional taboos surrounding sexuality and self-pleasure like iroha.

Interviewing Victoria Monk from There She Rows

We asked Victoria Monk some questions regarding how she likes to unwind, what advice she would give to others, and her values. Keep on reading to find out what she said!

What is Your Self-Care Routine?

Victoria: For me, self-care is about finding the space and time to dedicate to yourself. Sometimes that is nurturing physical self-care, and other times mental. I like to run – it gives me clarity of thought and nothing beats fresh air for calming my mind. I also like to unwind before sleep in a form of ‘self-care’; sometimes that means a short meditation session, other times winding down with a book or a bath, or using my iroha products.

Do You Have a Favorite iroha?

Victoria: My favorite iroha is the SAKURA. I love the silicone feel – it feels soft and luxurious, which is exactly what you want to feel during any self-care. I like that so many iroha products are more discreet and designed with women in mind – the colors and textures are calming and relaxing, no longer aggressive and affronting (as other products in years gone by).
Victoria showing off her favorite iroha

What Does Empowering Women Mean to You?

Victoria: Giving women the confidence to be their most authentic selves. Lifting women up, and arming them with the self-belief that they can be whoever they want in life – and achieve any dreams they set their mind to.

Women have always been seen as the underdogs in society, however, by providing the platform and support for women to feel inspired and empowered, women can achieve things greater than ever before (crossing oceans, as well as success in all walks of life).

What are Some Pieces of Advice You Have for Your Younger Self?

Victoria: You are the sum of your parts; don’t be afraid to take risks and chances – all of your experiences will make you into the person you are today.

Have the confidence to pursue your ambitions; you can achieve anything you set your mind to. No dream is too big – and inspire and empower those around you to do the same. Lift up other women as you rise. There is still a long road to creating gender equality and equity in society – act in a way that creates positive change for the future.

Lastly, How Do iroha’s Goals and Vision Align with Yours?

Victoria: There She Rows and iroha share clear value alignment in the message we are hoping to spread around female empowerment.
Empowerment for women is at the heart of everything we believe in – empowered women go on to lead fulfilling lives that shift the dial for gender equality in broader society both personally and professionally.
iroha challenges the historic stereotypes around self-pleasure and sexuality for women – empowering women through self-pleasure.

There She Rows image 3

Image sourced from @worldstoughtestrow

Similarly, There She Rows united as four strangers to take on the journey of a lifetime – completing a record-breaking row across the Atlantic Ocean. Our mission is to inspire and empower millions of women around the world. To say; if we can cross the Atlantic Ocean in a tiny rowing boat (having never rowed before), then you can be inspired and empowered to cross your own ocean, whatever that looks like.

We see genuine value alignment with iroha - championing inclusivity, empowerment and a hunger to forgo taboos and breakdown barriers. There She Rows also have a resolute belief that the world - and sport in particular - should be a place for all, where everyone can be their most confident and authentic selves.

We are resolved to creating a better world for the future and make a commitment to positive change.
iroha divider

There She Rows wants to show more women and girls that if the four of them can achieve the goal of crossing the Atlantic Ocean, then anyone is capable of tackling whatever obstacles in front of them. As for us, iroha wants to highlight stories like There She Rows and take on the challenge of helping more people feel comfortable with themselves through the act of self-love and self-care. We hope you are a bit more confident in taking on a new challenge after reading this, while keeping in mind that it is important to take some time to show yourself some self-love every now and then.

Learn more about iroha’s commitment to empowering women here!

Curious to know more about There She Rows? Check out There She Rows Instagram here!