Seattle woman sets underwear world record

She might have looked and felt strange doing it, but a Seattle woman broke the world record for the most underwear worn at one time.

The Guinness World record was 250. Janine Keblish topped that by two pairs of underwear. Why? Keblish wanted to bring attention to a cause she’s involved with, Days for Girls.

A few years ago Keblish and Celeste Mergens discovered a shameful secret on a trip to an orphanage in Kenya – a total lack of feminine hygiene products for young women.

“Millions of women all over the world go without, resulting in infection and exploitation and even girls being sold into slavery. They also miss three months of education each year, just for lack of hygiene,” says Mergens. “And you wonder, how could this be happening in this day and age? The truth is, it’s taboo to talk about.”

Mergens started talking about it, and then doing something about it. She founded an international program, based in Lynden, Washington, called Days for Girls to create and distribute washable hygiene kits.

“I just couldn’t look the other way, and even if it was 10 girls we could help or 50 girls or 500 girls. No matter what we had to do, it would be worth it,” Mergens says.

The organization now has thousands of volunteers and has distributed 50,000 kits in 22 countries. I will post a photo tomorrow of what Keblish hopes will be a successful, new Guinness World Record for the most underwear worn at once.

By Linda Thomas