Cramps and Chaos Animated
When I started my podcast, Cramps and Chaos, in my head the idea was born with the intention to make animation shorts with some of the best segments from the podcast.
But let’s take a step back. What’s Cramps and Chaos?
It’s a podcast on endometriosis and other related illnesses, and it centers on spreading stories told by women and people with a uterus who suffer from it. Endometriosis is a chronic disease that affects at least 1 in 10 women and those assigned female at birth globally, although the number could be higher. It occurs when cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus grow elsewhere, such as the pelvis, ovaries, fallopian tubes, bladder, intestines, and even the lungs, causing pain and debilitating symptoms that can disrupt daily life.
Endo is one of the most painful diseases. It can be disruptive both physically and mentally, and yet it remains underdiagnosed, undertreated, misrepresented, and underestimated. There’s still a lot of misinformation - not only about what endo is, but also about its causes, symptom relief, and treatment.
Each episode features a different guest, a conversation about what it means to live with endo, from gaslight, to chronic illness, crying in pain on the bathroom floor, infertility, motherhood, advocacy, and somehow finding power in pain.
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So yeah… endo, periods, pain, animation, sparkles - all baked together. That’s Cramps and Chaos.
Why Animation? And what’s gonna be used for?
Through its abstract and metaphorical nature, animation brings to life things that are hard to imagine, Through its magic-like qualities.
Having 8+ years of experience in the animation industry, the idea of including animation as part of the project came naturally to me. Starting with a short frame-by-frame animated intro (see below) that I designed and animated, the intent is to build a short film that includes some of the best segments from the conversations had during the podcast.
The short film follows Lu in her intent to interview women and individuals assigned female at birth about their experience with endometriosis and other related issues, combining real-life stories with narrative.
Each real person from the podcast is represented in the animated short by an illustrated character. Lu’s intent to build a web of connections is driven by her own desire to build relationships with other women and individuals assigned female at birth who suffer from endometriosis, like she does herself.
The story is set in a futuristic reality, where people and anthropomorphic animals coexist, blending serious topics with colorful and abstract visuals.
There will be blood...talk - This podcast and short film aren’t just about sharing stories, but about changing the narrative. By mixing humor and serious topics, with vivid and fun visuals, they both open the door to a discussion that more often than not is in the dark, while never shying away from brutal truths and subjects. Animation will help raise the bar by providing more visibility, allowing the message to reach a wider audience.
Styleframes and Character Designs
The Podcast
Hello !
First of all, thank you for scrolling this far. It means a lot :3
My name is Giulia Frixione, and I’m a 2d animator, illustrator, and director with 7+ years of experience, originally from Italy. I’m 32 years old, and I was diagnosed with endometriosis when I was 29, and later on with uterine fibromas. Like many other women and individuals assigned female at birth, I waited years for a diagnosis. I was dismissed by doctors, gaslit, made to believe that my pain wasn’t real, that my body was not to be trusted, treated like my curiosity over my OWN body was an inconvenience, like I had no right to know what was going on inside it, even after receiving a diagnosis, which I had to painfully and patiently wait for.
The loneliness that comes with conditions like endometriosis is brought not necessarily by the disease itself, but by how our society stigmatises it, and it fuels the creation of Cramps and Chaos. Alongside anger and feeling burned out.
I want Cramps and Chaos to be a platform where amazing women and individuals assigned female at birth who suffer endometriosis can safely tell their stories, raise awareness, and connect: unfiltered and unhinged. Endometriosis is a topic on which there isn’t much common knowledge, and given its nature (as illness of the female reproductive system) is often silenced; that’s why C&C is a project rooted in sharing the words and the stories of these incredible, strong women. We talk about endometriosis, its symptoms and treatment offered, what it is like to be a person with a uterus, the gender gap in health care, heteronormativity, motherhood, infertility, and other ralated topics.
