You can't talk about Flare without addressing how terrible it is that a product like this needs to exist. Quite frankly we hate that we are here. Our survivor stories are not at all unique and that is a huge problem.
Historically, safety companies perpetuated victim-blaming and claimed to “solve safety.” Telling us to hold back, be quiet, avoid events, adjust our goals. Giving us whistles and pepper spray, which often do more harm than good. That's incredibly damaging. The onus isn't on women, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized communities.
We were tired, fed up, and angry. We started Flare to change the industry and offer a modern, practical tool built from personal experience. A tool for people to discreetly take control when needed.Flare is not a solution. We are a stop-gap for today while real change is made.
Our mission is simple: to put ourselves out of business and create a world where Flare is not needed. We are proud to support and work with amazing groups tackling this issue from multiple angles. Some of them are listed below.
Safety isn't one-size-fits-all and we don't have “the answers.” We worked with thousands of people over 4 years to develop Flare and are committed to constant improvement, breaking down our own assumptions and privilege, and continuing to make our tools better until they're no longer needed.
The real problem is our culture and how it enables bad actors. We will not stand for it or allow them to prey on us. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but in the meantime we are a small team working tirelessly and an army of people who are prepared. #WearYourFlare