The Female Axis

Building Values from Blindspots

Black and white photo of a modern interior with stairs, mirrored walls, and contemporary light fixtures reflecting people standing and walking.

MAMAMUSE

Lucy Nicholls
Daniela Andrade

2022 - 2024

MAMAMUSE began as a personal exploration into the psychic tensions of early motherhood. Using free-writing, image-making, and self-inquiry rooted in psychoanalytic practice, the project sought to trace the origins of internal strain and to question the cultural narratives that confine women’s identities.

What started as an intimate inquiry soon expanded into a study of how man-made systems define visibility and frame identity. Co-led by technology executive Lucy Nicholls and Harvard student Daniela Andrade, MAMAMUSE launched as a pilot platform for informal discourse at the intersection of commerce, economics, and biology.

The work interrogated structural blindspots: why algorithmic systems routinely suppress content linked to women’s health and female-lens commerce, while amplifying sexually commodified imagery shaped by economic incentives, generative AI, and outdated regulation. In doing so, MAMAMUSE explored how cultural and technological filters determine what can be seen, sold, or silenced.

Though the platform was sunset in September 2024, its impact continues. Lucy integrates its insights into her artistic practice, while Daniela was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to extend this line of research in the Netherlands and to expand one of the world’s largest entrepreneur communities through WWVLabs.

MAMAMUSE was recognized by the UNFPA Equity 2030 Alliance and fostered collaborations with the FemTech Association Asia and Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship. The project contributed to a growing international effort to address the barriers it surfaced—barriers that remain urgent and unresolved.d.

mamamuse

@ New York Tech Week 2024

Poster for a media and tech event titled "On Free Female Expression" with a black and white image of a woman holding a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture. The poster includes text about algorithmic suppression and censorship of female speech an
A presentation slide titled "The Split" discussing framing female object property and function. It features a system error message box with a pink header, gray background, pink X symbol, and the text "System error" and "ok." The slide explains that g
Image split into two sections showing digital billboard advertising. The left side displays a billboard on a yellow taxi cab with the text "Scores New York" and "Prime Time" along with a woman in revealing clothing. The right side shows a cityscape w
Black screen with the words "Missing Language MATRESCENCE" in large white font, centered. Small text above says "Missing Language."
A digital collage of various articles, headlines, and social media posts about deepfake porn, sexual education, and online trends, displayed on a black background. The prominent text reads 'Exhibit B:' in large white letters.
A girl with a finger over her lips in a shushing gesture, with text on a red background reading 'Female Censorship Deep Dive' and on a black-and-white photo 'MAMA MUSE TECH NY WEEK'.
Graphic with a black background and white text that says 'censorship' on the left, and a white background with black text explaining censorship on the right, with a small 'NYC TECH WEEK' logo at the bottom right corner.
A black-and-white photo of a woman with shiny lipstick holding a tampon with 'SHHH...' written on it in her mouth. Red background on the left side with text 'FEMALE CENSORSHIP DIGITAL SUPPRESSION' and 'MAMAMUSE.' Blue background on the right side wit
Collage of social media ads and posts from women’s health companies, with a large black overlay text reading "CENSORED."
Two-page spread with black and white text discussing Meta's ad policies, focusing on adult products and services, including guidelines and restrictions, with the Tech NY Week logo in the bottom right corner.
Comparison graphic showing Facebook and Instagram ads. The left side, labeled 'Ad that Facebook & Instagram rejected,' features a woman running outdoors with text promoting pelvic health technology. The right side, labeled 'Ad that Facebook & Instagr
Comparison of rejected and allowed Facebook and Instagram ads; on the left, an ad with the message "Mental health is not all in your head" from heyfreya.co on a muted green background; on the right, an ad from hims promoting money-back guarantee on a
Presentation slide titled 'What technical practices cause digital suppression?' with the heading 'Automated Content Moderation Systems.' The slide describes the content moderation model in three steps: 1. Automated Moderation using keyword and image
Quote by Vint Cerf about the internet and society, on a purple geometric background, with logos for MAMAMUSE and TECH WEEK in the bottom right corner.
Text displayed on a split background. The left side is black with white text reading, 'Why we need female free expression. Innovation and effective solution design and development are founded on the free flow of speech, information, and collaboration
A graphic with a red and purple background split vertically, displaying large white text that says "Thank You." The bottom left corner has smaller black text that reads "NY TECH WEEK MAMAMUSE."

“The Equity 2030 Alliance envisions a world of infinite opportunities for all. The Alliance leverages the collective power of positive disruptors to close the gender-equity gap in science and technology design. The Alliance seeks to accelerate actions to normalize gender equity in science and technology by introducing data-driven arguments and strategies. We believe our actions will lead to an inclusive, sustainable and gender-equitable future in which women’s voices are heard, their needs are met and their potential is fulfilled.”

UNFPA Equity 2030 Alliance

@United Nations Population Fund

equity 2030 alliance 2024 impact

Credit: UNFPA Equity 2030 Alliance
Cover of a report titled "EQUITY 2030 ALLIANCE: COLLECTIVE IMPACT REPORT 2024 AND BEYOND" with purple background and colorful abstract shapes.
Group of diverse men and women standing together at the Equity 2030 Alliance event, with a background banner displaying the event logo and branding.
A vibrant graphic with a portrait of a smiling woman wearing a colorful headscarf and white blazer, set against a yellow circle background. Surrounding the portrait, there is text describing the efforts of the Equity 2030 Alliance in promoting gender
An infographic from the Equity 2030 Alliance report, highlighting collective results, research, and advocacy efforts toward gender equity in science, technology, and finance. Features statistics on actions, women impacted, users, research papers, pro
A colorful infographic about UNFPA's mission and impact, featuring sections on vision, focus areas, key results, and a photo of three women in a discussion.
A page from the Equity 2030 Alliance report showing the impact of interventions across sectors, a pie chart of regional representation of members, and descriptive text about the alliance's mission and growth.
Two-page spread from a report titled 'Equity 2030 Alliance: Collective Impact Report 2024 and Beyond'. The left page has purple text and discusses challenges in gender equity in science, technology, and finance, with a section titled 'Facts' and a pa
An infographic with a background divided into red on the left and blue on the right. The top left features 'MAMAMUSE' logo in bold white and black text. The large text on the right reads 'Our Sweat, Blood & Tears' in white and purple. The bottom left
The word "problem" in large bold text on the left side, with a paragraph of text on the right discussing the issue of societal and economic undervaluation of female gender roles and expressions.
Text graphic showing the word 'action' followed by a red arrow pointing right and the phrase 'Driving female-lens discourse.'.
A website homepage with a red background on the left displaying the MAMAMUSE logo in black and white; on the right, a webpage titled "MAMAMUSE NEW YORK" with articles, a description of elevating uncensored female voices, and a screenshot of an event
The image features a split background with red on the left side and black on the right side. The left side contains the title 'MAMA MUSE' in bold text and a subtitle describing the focus on elevating uncut female voices. The right side contains the h
A thank you slide with a red and blue background, featuring the text 'Thank you' in large white letters. The slide includes the names and email addresses of Lucy Nicholls and Daniela Andrade.

@Fem Tech Association Asia

Founded by Lindsay Davis out of Singapore, FemTech Association Asia is the gateway to the women's health and technology industry in Asia. Launched in October 2021, the association is the region’s first and largest specialist advisory and industry network for fem tech founders, professionals and investors uniting with the core focus on improving women’s health through technology solutions. The organization currently represents 80+ fem tech companies across ten countries in Asia, with additional global members.

A pink background with a dropped orange poppy flower, an orange sphere, and pastel-colored geometric shapes.
An online article webpage titled "9 Things we learned about femtech and the future of women's health at FemTech Connect Asia" with a date of July 5, 2024, and an author named Rachel Duffell. The page features a photograph of women attending a confere
Group of women working together at a table covered with colorful sticky notes and office supplies, engaged in a collaborative discussion.
A presentation slide showing a donut chart with data on delegates by country, including Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, USA, Malaysia, and the Philippines, at a FemTech industry conference. The slide also lists percentage f

@Harvard Undergraduate

women in entrepreneurship

Harvard Undergraduate Women in Entrepreneurship (WE) is the foundational ecosystem for female student entrepreneurs at Harvard. By organizing in-person events, developing mentorship programs, and fostering a supportive network of students and alumni, Harvard WE connects innovators, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. This vibrant community inspires and educates the next generation of female entrepreneurs while expanding connections and collaborations with other universities, businesses and organizations around the world. The organization was awarded Student Organization of the Year in 2025 by Harvard College. Congratulations to all of the leaders, young women, collaborators and supporters who built this amazing community.

Women speaking and sitting on stage in front of a large screen, during a conference or panel discussion, with an audience seated and listening.
Four diverse young women standing together on steps outside a building, smiling at the camera, celebrating Harvard undergraduate women in entrepreneurship.
Pink decorative letters spelling 'WE' on a table with pink and gold circular stickers and pamphlets at a table.
Group of women gathered indoors for a photo, smiling, with windows and lamps in the background, on a patterned carpet.

Contact

For more information about this project or for support related to women in entrepreneurship, ecosystem development, and go-to-market activation please reach out to Lucy.

info@mamamuse.nyc

Images of third-party ads reproduced under fair use for commentary.

Hero image: Selfie @ Otto Mirrors, Sydney Australia 2022, by Lucy