Bellesa, Montreal's Fave Vibrator Company, Sales Have Risen 2000% During The Pandemic

Bellesa is a Montreal-based company that's the premier destination for all things sexuality, built on a simple premise: "What would adult entertainment look like if it were created in the vision of a woman since day one?"

The company caught the attention of Cardi B when they gifted her with multiple vibrators and other goodies on her birthday.

We had the chance to chat with Bellesa CEO Michelle Shnaidman about this local company, which is built "by women, for women."

This company and the women behind it are inspiring females around the world to embrace, explore, and celebrate their sexuality, unapologetically, and on their own terms.

Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

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What made you start this company?

I was looking at porn one day and I became overwhelmed by how abrasive the experience was. The titles and images, even after all this time, are still somewhat shocking to me.

There was this sobering moment — I was hit with one of those "grow your penis by four inches" ads. It became glaringly obvious that this website was not meant for me. I couldn't help but feel like I was trespassing.

I thought: women account for 50% of the population, how could this entire demographic be so overlooked?

That was the start of Bellesa.

From a desire to create a space for women to really celebrate their sexuality. I wanted to create a platform on which women would feel included and safe — a place where they can feel empowered by their sexuality, not like they had to hide it or perform it. So that's what we did.

Young people today are often watching sex before they're having it.

Given the majority of what's currently out there (violence, incest and coercion), this can set up really dangerous expectations — for both men and women.

We believe, deeply, that by changing the way that sex is represented online, we can change a whole lot more.

Why was it important for you to create a safe space for women to talk about sex?

Bellesa's mission is to empower women to embrace, explore and celebrate their sexuality unapologetically. This starts with destigmatizing and normalizing female pleasure.

It is critical that we, as women, understand our bodies and our pleasure, first and foremost. We simply cannot expect a partner to get us off if we don't know how to get ourselves off.

By empowering women to explore their bodies/desires, and to do so without shame, this empowers waves of more women around them to do the same.

When we talk openly about certain topics that have been deemed "taboo" by society, we chip away at the stigma, "that's where the power is."

Have you seen a rise in sales during the pandemic? If so, by how much?

We've seen a significant rise in sales during the pandemic, to the tune of 2000% on just Bellesa Boutique alone.

Giving back to our community during these tough times has been paramount for us, especially as we're seeing increasing success.

Over the pandemic, the company has given away nearly 10,000 vibrators and a ton of gift cards.

We also extended free or highly discounted priority shipping during the summer months.

We know that we are what we are because of the Bellesa community, reinvesting in them is always going to be a top priority.