Katie Sturino has no problem talking about uncomfortable stuff. “I think the louder we get about the things that we find shameful, the less power they have,” she says. You’d be forgiven for assuming that she’s referring to body size, a topic the entrepreneur and body-acceptance advocate has been vocal about on social media, in her book Body Talk, and with none other than Oprah during a livestreamed event earlier this year. But this time, Sturino is talking about butts — hemorrhoids, specifically.
Seventy-five percent of Americans will experience hemorrhoidal symptoms at some point in their lives, according to estimates. “I’ve had them; my business partners both got terrible hemorrhoids with each of their pregnancies. But no one wants to talk about it,” she says. Maybe that’s about to change. Sturino’s company, Megababe, just launched Butt Stuff, an ointment that helps relieve hemorrhoid symptoms such as pain, itching, and swelling. “I didn’t want Butt Stuff to have the stigma of the products you’ve seen in your parents’ or grandparents’ drawers, which are tucked away and have shame around them,” she says. “I want you to be able to leave it out on the dining-room table.”
Getting people to feel less shame about their bodies is kind of Sturino’s thing. After building a community via her fashion blog, the 12ish Style, she launched Megababe with Thigh Rescue, a balm that reduces friction between body parts to help prevent chafing. She says it took years to get people to acknowledge publicly that body chafing was even an issue (now companies like Dove and Ban also make anti-friction sticks), and she expects the same resistance with her new product: “Not to get too deep, but I think not talking about things like hemorrhoids — I mean, it’s not just hemorrhoids; there’s a bigger picture — that’s what keeps us in a patriarchal system where women are supposed to be small, we’re supposed to be quiet, we’re supposed to be good girls and follow directions.”
There are plenty of people who would prefer that Sturino keep her mouth shut. “Someone called me unladylike in a public forum recently,” she says. “But I find the more I’m, quote, unquote, ‘unladylike,’ the more comfortable I feel and the more people’s energy around me changes, too. You can see people shifting and dealing with their own stuff. And that’s the key, because once you’re not worrying about things like fitting into a certain size or the expectations that society has put on you, then you can focus on what you are here to do.”
“I asked my followers to guess the next product Megababe was making, and most people guessed that we were making something for cellulite, which I thought was so off brand,” Sturino says. “That’s not the vibe. I’m not sure that’s something we’ll ever attempt. I’m not even sure how effective cellulite creams are. We’re not here to change what you’ve got; we’re here to help you work with the issues that you’re having.”
For her, that purpose is helping other people get more comfortable in their bodies — especially now that she feels good in hers. “I’m grateful I’m starting with a good base; I have good skin,” she says. “But, you know, fighting the patriarchy doesn’t mean you can’t use skin care.”
Hemorrhoid Products Sturino Swears By
“Once a week, if I’m doing an Everything Shower, I do this on my face, butt, chest, back of arms, legs — I put it on my whole body because it’s just a good reset. It’s such a great exfoliator and gives you a nice glow.”
“When you have hemorrhoids, you feel like you have a razor blade in your B-hole, so we put 5 percent lidocaine in there. It’s the maximum you can get over the counter — you need that to numb and soothe. And then there are skin-loving ingredients like cocoa butter and glycerin to make it better for your skin. We’re disrupting the hemorrhoid category!”
“I have a Kohler smart toilet, with a bidet, and I love it. It’s in my house in Maine. I would live in my bathroom if I could.”
“I take this fiber to keep my digestive system moving, and I find that helps prevent hemmies.”
“No one at my company wanted to make the Bidet Bar. They were like, ‘If we’re gonna do a soap, it’s gotta be this or that.’ And I was like, ‘No. I don’t think people are cleaning their buttholes properly. And I was right! It’s, like, one of our top-selling SKUs.”
Send your questions to [email protected]. (By emailing, you agree to the terms here.)