While reading the "If Men Could Menstruate"
reading, all I could think about was Beyonce's song "If I were a Boy". Both the song and the reading talk about the double standard that
exists between men and women. The positive things that men do would have a
negative connotation when applied to women and the negative things that women do,
would have a different spin for guys.
Take menstruation, for example. For some girls, it may be an
embarrassing time of the month, but if men could menstruate, and women could
not, this wouldn't be the case. For men it would be a masculine competition. Men
would brag about whose cycle lasted longer, lost the most blood, etc.
Gloria Steinem said that in this world where men could
menstruate that women would be
considered unclean "without the monthly loss of impurities". Women
would be viewed as dirty, yet in some cultures today, women are isolated during
their menstrual cycles....for being dirty. So basically women are considered
unclean when they have their periods and even when they don't. Women can never
win. As a woman I find it extremely
frustrating that double standards like this exist.
I love this post. Honestly I never thought about this way but it's 100% true. If it's something women do and men can't, then we're the strange ones. But if it's something that men can do and women can't.....then we're still the ones that are wrong? It's so difficult to finally realize that these double standards are affecting us every single day.
ReplyDeleteYour post also reminded me of a Weekly Update skit on Saturday Night Live. Nasim Pedrad as Ariana Huffington says "If men could get pregnant, abortion clinics would like Starbucks: two on every corner and four in every airport. And the morning after pill would come in different flavors like cool ranch and sea salt."
Excellent examples, Kirsten and Kaitlyn. Kirsten, I think your analysis points to the "double bind" that Marilyn Frye discusses in "Oppression." The idea that no matter what you do, it's the wrong choice/idea/way of being. Frye uses the example of female sexuality--women are simultaneously expected to be sexual AND chaste and are punished for both.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really interesting way to think about menstruation, and in my opinion, is completely true. Women are taught to constantly apologize for their bodies and themselves, even when they have nothing to apologize for. We apologize for being hungry, tired, stressed out, having our periods, and using the bathroom. Periods are completely natural and there is absolutely no reason that women should be so ashamed of it. There is definitely a double standard for men and women when it comes to their bodies.
ReplyDelete