It is almost hard to believe, but there is a war on
women. Realistically, it shouldn’t seem
possible. I mean, we’ve had the right to
vote for nearly one hundred years. For
nearly the same amount of time a woman’s US citizenship has not relied on that
of her father or husband. We have slowly
been recognized as actual people. Hooray
for us! I truly believe that if some
have their way there will be a complete about face.
I admit, I’m a bit of a feminist. I feel that women should be able to make
their own choices. There is nothing
wrong with a woman deciding that she wants to remain single and focus on going
as far as she possibly can in her chosen career, or staying home to be a wife
and mother, or even a combination of the two.
To my mindset, being recognized as an equal to men means that we are not
required to follow a certain path but instead follow what we feel our purpose
in life should be, or just doing what we have to do. (And yes, I am also completely behind men
choosing to be the ones to be the stay at home spouse and parent. Some men are wonderful at it.)
Then today I read about something that I thought had to be a
hoax. Then I saw more about it, and
more. I am still hoping, in a completely
delusional kind of way, that it was actually just a joke that somehow began to
be reported and shared on Facebook. The
resources make it unlikely, but I seriously hope that Texas did not confiscate
feminine hygiene products and allow people carrying guns into the Texas
Senate. Keep in mind, I’m not totally
anti-gun. I don’t really like guns, but
in fairness I haven’t used them much because we were raised not to touch
them. (Oh, they were there, and loaded,
but Heaven help our butts if we went near them.) My spouse has a concealed carry license; we
have several guns and a crossbow in the house.
If I was totally anti-gun do you think they’d be in the house? No!
While my husband enjoys shooting and likes guns, he likes marital
relations better. So it isn’t a matter
of me being anti-gun or anything like that.
If the law allows them to carry concealed weapons into the Senate then
fine, that’s their law. (Sounds dumb as
heck to me, but it’s their state and you probably picked up on the fact that I
don’t live there, well if you read some of my other stuff.) My issue is the confiscating feminine hygiene
products for the safety of the Senators.
If you are a guy, let me give you a little DL on menstruation. First of all, it is a bodily function that we
have no control over (with the exception of some forms of birth control that
can produce hormones that will prevent menstruation, but even then it isn’t a
sure thing.) Despite what tampon and
feminine pad commercials will tell you, we don’t like our periods. Oh sure, occasionally we have those “oh thank
God, my period has started!” moments, but it isn’t because we like it but
because we like what it means. Totally
different things. There is not a single
feminine hygiene product out there that will inspire us to spin in circles on a
beach or a field of wild flowers; that is just advertising. It is unpleasant for us. We feel crampy and bleed like a stuck
pig. For some of us, a slasher flick has
less blood. And we have no control over
this. It isn’t like needing to pee; you
can’t just “hold it.” Your body decides
it wants to shed its uterine lining and it happens. I think the best thing I can realistically
compare it to that a guy would understand is it is like a bad runny nose. Imagine a really bad runny nose, and cold
medicine does not exist. Instead you
just have to wipe that nose or let it run down your face. You can’t control it, you’d rather not have
it happening, but it is so you have to deal with it. That’s the intro to what is like to be menstruating. (See, doesn’t sound like fun does it?) So yes, we do need those products. And yes, many women carry one with them even
when they don’t need them because we have all had those “surprise, the period
is going to start early!” moments, plus as a courtesy we will offer them to our
fellow females in need. (Seriously, all
my kids, the whole pregnancy, I had some in purse just in case someone needed
one.) To me, confiscating feminine
products equals a statement of “your scary uteruses that we do not understand
are not welcome here!”
Now, I know they were taken for fear that they would be
thrown. Do you know how much a tampon or
a pad hurts??? I do. Not at all.
See, my boys have thought that tampons were missiles. So they have been thrown, as missiles would
be thrown (you know, the plastic ones that come with toys), and I can say with
certainty that they don’t hurt. Doesn’t
even leave a bruise. (And I bruise worse
than a peach. I have gotten a bruise
from my kids just thinking about jumping on me.) My daughter enjoys dumping my purse, and when
caught she has thrown a pad at me as distraction. It also does not hurt. I understand that for a very delicate male
ego having feminine hygiene products at him could be harmful. To this I say, “Man up!!!” Being near a feminine hygiene product won’t
make people think you are a female (as if there is anything wrong with that
gender) or make you suddenly grow a vagina.
Seriously, if being near a feminine hygiene product caused a man to grow
a vagina I am willing to bet that transgender men wishing to become female
would opt for the fine they’d get for ripping open a few packages of pads and
tampons in the store and rolling around in them instead of paying for the very
expensive procedure. (I’m kidding, they’d
buy them.) Maybe, and I know this is a farfetched
maybe, but perhaps if you are so worried about women throwing feminine hygiene
products at you because they are enraged, then maybe instead of taking these
products away you should consider treating women as equals that are actually capable
of making their own choices.
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