Shout Out to the 'Bra Fairy'

As the country prepares for another government shutdown, there is one woman in Washington, D.C. who is trying to make life a little easier for those affected by it: the ‘Bra Fairy.’

The ‘Bra Fairy” is Dana Marlowe, who the Washington Post reports has been giving out free bras and feminine hygiene products (which are often limited in shelters) to homeless women and non-binary people in the city for years. Starting in 2015 giving out some of her old bras after losing weight, Marlowe has since expanded her mission into a nonprofit “I Support the Girls” working with organizations across the country.

When the government shut down last month, Marlowe put out a Facebook call for anyone affected by the shutdown who couldn’t buy new bras or hygiene products. “It’s getting stressful because my husband’s car broke down,” one woman wrote in. “We have three teenage girls, so of course we use a lot of feminine hygiene products. Can you help us?” With a basement full of bras and sanitary products, Marlowe tells the paper she’s helped about 100 women, many whom she notes are single mothers, who work for the federal government and can’t afford to buy them themselves.

Marlowe is also prepared for another shutdown, which the President has already casually threatened. And those who depend on the federal government are bracing themselves for another extended nightmare. As Jezebel reported this week, that includes domestic violence shelters that rely on federal funding, leaving the people who depend on them for safety in fear.