Battery-run gilet created to ‘develop empathy’
THE MenoVest was commissioned by Over the Bloody Moon, a menopause support group, and is designed to simulate hot flushes commonly experienced during the menopause to help men understand what their female colleagues are going through.
The gilet, which was built by Thread Design and partly funded by women’s health firm Theramex, is fitted with pads which are connected to a rechargeable battery. It is programmed to heat up for three minutes at a time from the chest to neck at random intervals.
The vest has been made for use as a ‘training tool’ in supervised corporate workshops to ‘cultivate menopause allies’ and help wearers ‘develop empathy’ for women experiencing hot flushes, according to its website.
The cost of the corporate workshops, which started this autumn after a launch event in Parliament earlier this year, is not disclosed by the firm.
The vest has already been donned by high-profile men – including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting along with broadcasters Adrian Chiles, Jeremy Vine and TV judge Robert Rinder. Sir Iain said of the garment ‘if (males) had this, we might be complaining lots’, while Mr Chiles said he was ready to take it off after just an hour.
The menopause kicks in when a woman’s monthly periods stop due to lower hormone levels, which usually happens between the ages of and 55.
Common symptoms include hot flushes, night sweats, decreased sex drive, problems with memory and concentration and mood swings.