We Have Always Found Periods Unfair. What If You Wake Up In A World Where Men Get Periods?
We all wonder what the world would be like if men had to step into women’s shoes (quite literally, as I am hinting towards men walking around in Stilettoes) and women, in men’s. But what if the whole world was the same? No differences, everyone would be equal. Sounds interesting, right? Read this blog to know how the world would have been had men got their periods too!
I remember having “periodic” discussions about “periods” with my male friends. I cannot get you a fixed number, but I know that I have educated at least 5 men in my life about female physiology. Of course, the number is not big, but it certainly means something for a kid my age (I am 16). My best friend, who coincidentally, is a male, has always been into what-ifs. Last night my periods started when I was taking a stroll with him and I groaned in pain. And I am not exaggerating. There are three levels of pain in my system — the pain of my mom refusing to order a pizza, the pain of getting 89 in a test (and not cross 90. Trust me, this one sucks) and period pain: in ascending order, of course.
As I was literally writhing in pain and cursing my uterus through all the chocolate ice cream in my mouth, we started a discussion on what is more painful, getting kicked in the nuts or going through labor. I assume that you all know that we were watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. when this discussion started. Since we had not faced either (thankfully), we changed the situation of our discussion: period pain and a girl dumping a man. As if there is a comparison! So, I put him into my situation, satisfying his constant need of playing ‘what if’. “What if you wake up in a world where men get periods?”
“Interesting”, he said, and then started a two-hour-long conversation that was actually interesting.
“If I were to wake up in a world where men get periods”, he said, “You will have to get me a Kitkat every 3 hours and cook me some Mac and Cheese too on the second day. And I will finally get the difference between Stayfree and Whisper. Also, it will be a mutual thing where we will check each other’s pants for a stain and I can finally use our codeword the other way. It will be a good world where I say ‘check’ and you say ‘mate’ for a change. Oh also, my favorite change would be carrying the sanitary napkins home in colorful packets and not the brown bags that the pharmacies use to hide the ‘contents’ of the bag.
On a serious note, if I wake up in a world where men get periods, maybe I will be able to comfort my mom the way I comfort you, Jade. There will be no barriers and I can run home with chocolates and watch cheesy romantic movies with her too. I know she knows that I know, but we pretend that I do not know about periods and her mood swings. I am scared of one thing though. The blood! And the mood swings too. With my level of sensitivity, I think I am going to spend a week craving food that I do not actually want to eat and cry my eyes out. And I cannot really imagine pissing blood. It sounds painful to me.
Jade, now that you ask, I cannot stop thinking about the fact that the world would have been a much better place had men got their periods too. Some countries would not be fighting over considering women hygiene products as a necessity rather than a luxury, some countries would not be giving their women an inferior status just because they are in pain for a week every month, men around the world would then know about the trials and tribulations of women and would respect them, MNCs would give equal opportunities to women as men would now have a uterus too, and women in the developing countries of the world would have equal rights and opportunities and would not just be seen as baby-making machines. There would be no myths, no taboos, and all the humans would be at an equal footing. Ah, the world would be a good place to live in if men start getting periods too.
But Jade, what do you think? Would men stop raping women then?”
Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.