New Startup is Redefining Puberty Culture for Gen Z Girls

Miami Herald

5 days ago

Cloudstate is a category shift at the intersection of youth undergarments and youth-empowered digital tech.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS / ACCESS Newswire / May 28, 2025 / Cloudstate, the first brand built for girls with girls, is redefining how they experience one of the most emotionally charged purchases of girlhood - buying a bra. Through research, girls openly shared that they feel like order numbers, sold a product, and left without the emotional support they need to navigate everything else.
Cloudstate's innovative bras, designed by Jayne Pascale, the technical mastermind behind one of the best-selling bras for Aerie, feature adaptive pad technology with thoughtful construction that flexes, molds, and supports each girl's unique shape, pace, and growth journey. No rigid sizing. No awkward gaps. No outdated rules about what her body should look like.
Cloudstate's bras are made with safe, sustainable materials, prioritizing physical health alongside emotional wellbeing.
A U.S. study revealed by age 13, 53% of girls report being unhappy with their bodies, a figure that escalates to 78% by age 17. On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, one in three girls says she feels badly about her body at least weekly. It's a crisis happening at the exact moment when girls' self-worth, mental health, and emotional resilience are being built.
"The rise of misinformation aimed at young girls across digital underscores an urgent need for credible resources, empowering products, and emotionally safe communities," said CEO and Founder, Meg Smith.
Smith is not new to the space. Featured in The New York Times, Entrepreneur, and more, she brings a strong background in intimates as the founder of impact-driven brand Love, Lexxi, where she built product and community from the ground up with an ethical supply chain and renowned manufacturing partner.
Smith is supported by a leadership team with decades of experience amongst them: Co-founder, Dr. Jessica Shepherd, Head of Strategic Growth & Corporate Affairs, Blake Simpson, Head of Brand & Community, Nell Shapiro, Head of Finance & Profitability, Meghan Couture, and Operations & CEO Advisor, Kim Walsh.
"I've never been more excited about the team surrounding this brand. These are women who get it, who lead with heart and hustle, and who have the experience to not just move the needle - but redefine what's possible," says Smith.
Cloudstate is currently in its Pre-Seed raise as the team prepares for two major launches: GTL (Girl Talk Live), a first-of-its-kind digital platform where girls can safely and anonymously ask the puberty, body, and mental health questions they're often too uncomfortable to ask elsewhere, connect with mentors, and access expert-backed advice in a fun, engaging environment, launching in July. This will be followed by an e-commerce debut of the brand's highly anticipated bra collection in the Fall to align with back-to-school.
"Today's teen girls are navigating puberty and emotional development in a world no previous generation has known, one where their bodies, confidence, and mental health are influenced as much by social media algorithms as by their own biology," says Smith. "Cloudstate is letting Gen Z girls rewrite the rules of puberty culture. They have a lot to say and it's time we all listen."
SOURCE: Cloudstate
press release