Erica Chidi Cohen
Laura Rysman meets the woman standing in front of a very different sort of classroom.
- Words Laura Rysman
- Photography Justin Chung
- Styling Jesse Arifien
- Hair & Makeup Nicole Wittman
- Photo Assistants Austin Calvello and Gray Hamner
The sanctuary-like Los Angeles headquarters of Loom—a bright white box with sun-filled and soft-hued interiors—stands distinct from the surrounding single-story strip of drab, Mid-City commercial sprawl. It is a visibly fresh beacon extolling a new approach to sex, bodies and healthcare. A community and education center that opened in 2018, Loom is a for-profit enterprise, but its mission feels downright political in the face of America’s current rights-limiting legislation and an increasingly negligent medical system.
“The body is political and how we’re able to understand it has a political component,” says Erica Chidi Cohen, the 32-year-old CEO of Loom who founded the company with Quinn Lundberg. “When people have body literacy and can advocate for themselves, they have...
