A Holiday Gift Guide for the Kick-Ass Woman in Your Life

Including 30% off a yearly subscription to The Vajenda through November 29th.

Are you looking for some holiday gift ideas but need some inspiration? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered with 14 gift suggestions for the kick-ass woman (women) in your life. Or buy something for yourself! This is everything the GOOP gift guide isn’t. Rest assured; this is a coffee-enema system and vaginal jade egg-free zone. 

Donate to the Online Abortion Resource Squad (OARS)

OARS runs a 24/7/365 online support forum on r/abortion, and their volunteers help people navigate the complexities of getting an abortion, provide emotional support, and help connect users with the best resources for their needs. As you can imagine, since Roe v Wade was overturned, they are busier than ever. They are helping about 4,000 people a day (and get around 1 million hits a month). That takes a lot of staffing. They will use these much-needed funds to train more volunteers, upgrade their software, and hire paid staff. They really deserve your support. Your feminist friend would love a donation in their name, and you can click here to donate. This is a great no-carbon footprint gift.

Donate to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust or Buy Some of Their Merchandise

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is a charity in Kenya dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating elephants and rhinos (but other orphan wildlife are welcome, too), with the goal of reintegrating them into the wild. They also have mobile vet units that care for injured animals and help intervene to limit and prevent human-elephant conflict (as that can turn out poorly for the elephant). They have an amazing rating as a charity.

Adopting a baby elephant or rhino in someone’s name (and also no carbon footprint) is a great gift idea. They also have merchandise (I just bought their calendar), and they have various partners who sell elephant-related gifts where the charity receives a percentage of profits. I start every day with their latest Instagram post, which often leaves me so sad for the trauma experienced by the animals but so grateful for the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Mother elephants who now live wild even bring their babies born in the wild back to visit! Here is the link to their website.

Trader Joe’s Sunscreen Primer

I fully admit I am no skincare expert. At all. But I read the rave reviews online and was motivated to try it because of the $8.99 price point and the benefit of not visiting a specialty store to buy it. And I love it. It’s also a great primer, and I wear it every day as sunscreen. I am lazy, and I need products that can do double duty.

While I might not be a skincare expert, my son, who is a drag Queen, seems like a semi-professional and has spent hundreds of hours learning about and practicing skin care. He normally scoffs at my sad skincare routine (or lack thereof), and so one day, when he was out of sunscreen, I had him try this, and he was sold. Now, he uses this daily as well. It’s a great stocking stuffer or small gift, and nothing says “I love you” more than “I want to protect you from skin cancer but also feel fabulous at the same time.” Sorry to my non-US followers, Trader Joe’s is only in the United States. 

A Great Book: When Women Were Dragons, by Kelly Barnhill

This is a book about the incandescent rage that is a response to the pain inflicted by the patriarchy. Say no more, right?

It’s a fantasy-fueled, fierce delight about the consequences of putting women in boxes instead of letting them be the glorious creatures they were born to be. I couldn’t put it down. And I sobbed. And I was enraged And found myself muttering, “Oh my God, yes.” Feminism plus fantasy. I mean…

The paperback is currently $16.98 on Amazon, but if you want to support Independent bookstores, look for it on indiebound.com or wherever you buy your books.  

Aquis Hair Wrap

I am serious about curly hair care. I can’t speak about how this towel works for those with straight hair, but if your feminist friend is (or you are) a curly-haired person, this Aquis wrap is amazing. I have tried so many microfiber towels, cotton t-shirts, pillowcases, and wraps, and nothing has made me feel anything more than, “Meh, maybe that’s a little better?” Then Stacy London gifted me this, and it has revolutionized the care of my curly hair. Right now, it’s on sale for $19.59 on Amazon. After using it the first time, I immediately bought two more, which is something I have never done before.

A Mug That Says Fuck

If your feminist pal is sweary (and hey, most of us are, because *waves hands* the fucking patriarchy), then nothing says, I get you, more than a mug that says fuck. This article has links to several wonderful mugs that say fuck, including this favorite of mine in the photo below. Prices range from $12 and up. If you want to support the Winnipeg Women’s Clinic, you can buy their Feminist as Fuck mug here ($20 Canadian). 

Bitch I’m From Winnipeg Merch

Someone was trying to be mean to me online, and my retort was, “Bitch, I’m from Winnipeg.” I mean, as if. The wonderful people at We Heart Winnipeg printed that saying (with my blessing) onto shirts, mugs, and tote bags. It’s okay if you aren’t from Winnipeg; if you would tell someone who is bugging you to fuck right off, you have some Winnipeg in your soul. Look, it’s minus 40 Celsius in the winter; you have to plug your car into a heater so the oil doesn’t freeze (no lie, really) and use gas line antifreeze. We’re not even gonna talk about the mosquitoes in the summer. Like some snark is gonna do what exactly? Please. Bitch, I’m from Winnipeg. Winnipeggers are super nice and welcoming (Friendly Manitoba is actually true), but we don’t have time for your shit. You can see the collection here. If they don’t have the style you want in stock, contact them at shop@weheartwinnipeg.ca or through their contact form on their page. And yes, they ship outside of Canada. My only profit here is the joy I get from seeing my words out there and the privilege of helping a local Winnipeg business.      

A Discounted Annual Subscription to The Vajenda

A yearly subscription to The Vajenda purchased through the link right below, will be 30% off through November 29, 2023. An annual subscription is typically $50, so for $35, you will get one year of access to all the content, including everything behind the paywall, the ability to comment, as well as access to the subscriber-only Hormone Menoverse Series (everything I think you should know about menopause hormone therapy, which I have been adding to every 10 days or so). 

Give the gift of quality health information to a friend (or to yourself).

An Autographed Copy of The Vagina Bible or The Menopause Manifesto

I am happy to pop down to my local independent bookstore, Book Passage, to sign books. You can request a personalization. Some favorites are “Fuck the Patriarchy,” “Don’t Listen to Men,” and “Be the Orca” (the last one is a specific menopause reference, as orcas also live past their reproductive years). They don’t ship outside of the US, but if I see you on book tour, I’ll gladly sign your books. And, of course, you can order your friends a book without a signature from any bookstore (both The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto are available in many languages in many countries). You can order The Menopause Manifesto from Book Passage here and The Vagina Bible here. And really, you can ask for whatever you want for the personalization or ask me to surprise you!

Pre-order a Copy of my new book, Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation. 

In the United States, you can order from Book Passage (here) if you’d like an autographed copy. If you don’t want a signed copy, you can get it from wherever you get your books. Here are the links to pre-order in Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Pre-orders help an author a lot, so if you are thinking of buying, please consider pre-ordering. You can also help by requesting it at your local library! (US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand covers on the left, Canada on the right).

Buy a Ticket for an Event on my Blood Book Tour

The Blood book tour is taking shape! There are lots of US and Canadian dates for January and February 2024, and I might possibly be in the UK in March. Many of the events are ticketed, so if I’m going to be in your city on a date that works for you, why not get tickets for you and your feminist friend and make a morning or night out of hanging with an evidence-based crowd and talking about periods, politics, and the patriarchy. You can find tour dates here (and there are more to come, so check back if the links aren’t live yet for your city). 

Hand Painted Shoes or Other Leather Products from Alepel

These hand-painted shoes from Alepel were following me all over Instagram, and I finally caved. They absolutely exceeded my expectations, and their customer service was incredible. But they do so much more than shoes. You can get a hand-painted passport holder, card holder, or makeup bag for under $100. They have stunning designs of their own, but you can also get a custom order so that you can take the personal aspect of the gift to the next level. The painting is exquisite, and the leather is lovely. Here is the link to their site and a photo of my beautiful shoes!

Pajamas from Printfresh

I love cute pajamas. Like, love them. When I put on my pajamas, I sing one of my two “Jammy Time” songs (as my husband, affectionately known as Dr. Jen Adjacent, rolls his eyes and smiles at the same time) to give you an idea of pajama importance in my life. I saw these beauties from Pintfresh and couldn’t resist. Their prints are stunning, and they offer inclusive sizing (up to 6X and extra-long pants). It looks like everything is 30% off now for the next 2 days (it says 40 hours and counting as of the time I am writing this). Here’s the link. 

Dr. Gunter Shoes, from Fluevog

This is the priciest item on the list, but if you know your feminist friend/lover’s shoe size (or heck, if it’s for you!), these are by far my most commented-on pair of Fluevogs. They come in three different colorways and are soooo comfortable.

When I saw they had a pointy toe, I was a little worried. I shouldn’t have been because they fit like a glove. I often wear these when traveling or going to work, and it’s not uncommon for me to do 10,000-plus steps a day in these beauties. I’m a size 10 1/2 to 11, depending on the shoe, and the 11s were perfect for me. But it’s best to ask a Fluevog specialist about your size. Here’s a link for those who are interested. 

Don’t just take my word for it. Check out some of the comments from the Fluevog site.