You can read my original review of the Lobloo Areoslim for Women here
You can save 10% on all cups and accessories on lobloo.com with the promocode SYLVIE-PROMO
Lobloo is helping get the female Areoslim to female fighters in Thailand
I’m a big fan of the female groin guard by Swedish company Lobloo. I reckon it’s accurate to refer to it, really, as the female groin guard, because I’ve never seen any others that are as practical, functional and comfortable. When I first started talking about the Lobloo, the overall response from women all over the world was, “oh wow, is there such a thing?” As anyone who has ever suffered a knee or taking a foot in the lady bits during a simultaneous kick with an opponent, yes… it hurts and we need protection.
I believe that raising awareness about the female groin guard – and our need for protection – can revolutionize the way female Muay Thai is viewed. That sounds a bit fantastic, I know, but men seem to consider it a kind of romantic valor to have to protect their balls behind a hard plastic or, in Thai cups, a steel cup. I’ve worn a male cup in fights, which does protect you but it’s terribly uncomfortable, unnecessarily bulky (for women’s shape, as we don’t have to “fill” the cup) and comes as quite a shock when you feel an opponent’s cup on you during clinch when you’re fighting a woman. The flat design of the female guard eliminates the unnecessary bulkiness and having a bulge in your shorts, as well as being a hard plastic instead of steel so it’s very lightweight and comfortable. The boys at the gym have seen me carrying my Lobloo to and from the restroom when I put it on or take it off, and a number of my cornermen have caught a glimpse of it when I’m getting my massage or changing into shorts before a fight – these are all males and their response is always one of total fascination and curiosity. The boys at the gym are just astounded that a woman would need protection because they never considered that we hurt when struck in the groin; the men in my corner are more fascinated by the design, as they understand the point but have never seen anything like it. I’m uncomfortable having them gawk at it while I’m wearing it, but other than that I’m very happy to see the intrigue because it raises awareness and changes perceptions about female fighters. What’s truly remarkable is how many women share the male assumptions that women don’t need or, more widely, simply don’t have any options for protection.
my video review of the new and improved Lobloo groin guard, above
The head of Lobloo has sent me a sample of the improvements made to the design recently. The plastic shield that lays flat over your “lady garden” (my favorite expression that has come out of talking to women around the world about groin guards) is the same, but Lobloo has added a removable silicone rim that goes around the edges. It’s much softer and absorbs a bit more on impact, and from what I’ve heard from Emma – whose partner wears the male cup designed by Lobloo – that feature is a highlight of the male cup. It does offer a moderate increase in comfort for me, particularly in wearing the guard for longer periods of time. I once wore the Lobloo on my motorbike when going between two gyms and that was pretty uncomfortable due to how one sits on a motorbike, but clearly that’s not when one wears a groin guard. However, there are times I have to wear it for really long stretches, if there’s not a restroom nearby to where I’m fighting and I have to put it on long before it’s time to fight I will be sitting around in it for over an hour sometimes. This silicone addition makes that much more comfortable. And I do suspect that it has a greater impact on the comfort of the groin guard for curvier women. I’m what’s referred to as “flat screen” in Thai and the groin guard lies pretty flat against my anatomy without much interaction with surrounding anatomy; but the same as how a bra strap will cut into your skin near your underarms or back, having a buffer between your soft, beautiful pillowy skin and hard plastic or elastic makes for a much more comfortable experience. I think this silicone addition is a big improvement for our curvy nak muay ying.
The other two improvements are in the straps. The leg straps are a cylindrical cord that follows roughly the same line as the elastic around your legs in a pair of bikini underwear. The old cord is really strong and pretty thick, which I’ve tightened so much a few times that it was bit like a tourniquet on my leg. There’s nothing wrong or dangerous about the old cord, but the new one is thinner and a bit “looser” in elasticity. It also appears a bit shorter as a result of not being as stiff, which is fine for me because I cut the excess off of the old cord after fitting it to myself but have noted with the new one that you really have to tie it in a knot at the front of the plastic guard before slipping it on, otherwise the cords pop out. But once tied it stays in place. It is more comfortable, again with greater impact on longer periods of wearing the guard. And the waist strap is a softer material as well and now has “Lobloo” written across the band. I like how it looks and it’s far more like the soft elastic band of a pair of boxer briefs. It looks shorter than the old strap when it’s just sitting there because it’s more stretchy, but when you stretch it out it’s just as long and it does accommodate to a large waistband; the leg straps are also the same length as before but softer and more stretchy.
If you already own a Lobloo you can get these improvements as “accessories” on the Lobloo website, and the promo code works for those purchases as well.
I can’t stress enough how happy I am to have this product available. Not only has it protected me for direct hits in both fights and in practice, which otherwise would have caused intense pain and swelling, but wearing it also gives me confidence because I know I’m protected. Like wearing a mouthguard and not wearing a mouthguard. You bite down and stand in when you know you’re not going to chip your teeth, and you’ll kick and knee with the same freedom when you know you’re not going to take one in the groin. I do believe every woman should have one and the women who have ordered their own and reported back to me are always very excited. You can order directly from Lobloo and they ship free to anywhere in the world.
Talking to 11 Year Old Thai Fighter Podee About the Lobloo
In the video above is included this footage, but I also post it here separately. As I was filming my review at Petchrungruang gym here in Pattaya one of my favorite little fighters came up and started asking me about it. He’s eleven, and so damn cute. We call him “Kitten Face” at home, you’ll see why when you see his little face.
You can save 10% on all cups and accessories on lobloo.com with the promocode SYLVIE-PROMO
