There are so many things to love about being a woman, but I think we all can agree period cramps are not one.
Once a month, mother nature pays us a visit to remind us who's boss while silently beating our uteruses into submission. You've probably heard stories of women whose cramps are so painful that they it inhibit their everyday lives during that time of the month. Some women have to miss out on work and life's precious moments for the simple fact that their period keeps them bed-bound. Every woman doesn't experience period cramps the same but we can agree period cramps can be a bit aggravating.
One thing that may slip our minds about our period, is that the cramps we feel a due to a muscle (in our uterus) contracting in order to shed and keep the blood flowing. Like other muscle cramps, there are some great ways that you can beat your period cramps without turning to painkillers every few hours. Of course, period cramping is a spectrum, ranging from intermediate pain to severe. Those who fall at the latter end of the spectrum may indeed need to seek a professional, however, starting with some at-home remedies never hurt a soul.
Here are 6 for you to try:
Heating Pad
This is the age-old and most common answer to period cramps and that's because it works. The heat from the pad does wonders for soothing the pain associated with your period. If you've been sleeping on this you need to get with the program. Of course, this isn't a viable option for on the go.
Warm Bath
This is another one of the not-so-secret age-old remedies that work especially when you're home. Not only will a warm bath be what the doctor ordered for your cramps, but it also gives you an excuse for some much needed self-care.
CBD Muscle Cream
You may have been hearing about the hype surrounding the wonderful healing powers of CBD, but guess what? It's not hype and what you've heard is true. Many people use creams or balms with CBD for muscle soreness (specifically post-workout) but it is also great for period cramps. CBD can be applied topically to soothe cramps but it can be also used in other forms throughout your cycle (i.e. sublingually, through CBD infused snacks, Vaped). In addition to being the ultimate cure for period cramps, CBD is also a great way to deal with other PMS symptoms that some women may experience during that time of the month, such as anxiety and depression.
Pineapple Juice
This tasty fruit juice is more than the perfect mixer for your favorite cocktail. Pineapple juice contains an enzyme, brolemine, that is a natural muscle relaxer. Many people run to pineapple juice to induce their period because it helps the uterine lining shed but it also calms cramps.
Orgasm
If sex is your favorite form of exercise (or your only), you're in luck. A little (or a lot) of penetration has been proven to lessen period cramps so you may need to pencil in a D appointment or two with your partner during that time of the month. When you have sex, your body releases endorphins such as oxytocin and dopamine that act as natural pain relievers. If period sex isn't your cup of tea, you may want to reconsider.
Exercise
Same concept as sex--when you exercise, your body produces those natural mood lifting endorphins that also make coping with period pain 10 times easier. Even if you aren't usually in the gym, hitting the treadmill or taking a light jog outside is a holsitic way to minimize the cramps you experience.
Period cramps might seem like a pain - literally and figuratively - but they're not impossible to beat. What are some of your favorite ways to alleviate your period cramps?
Featured image by Getty Images
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And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
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And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
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In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
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And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
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Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
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We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff