period.

As I was invalid from terrible cramps, I was trying to reason with myself: why do I have to have such pain? And I remembered, oh wait, the future of human civilization as we know it depends on the monthly shedding of my (and every other females') ovarian walls and the continuous renewel of my reproductive capacity--cramps and all.

It suddenly hit me: you know, for all that I and millions of other women have to endure to keep humanity rolling, what do we get back? Stereotypes, judgements, complaints, myths and shame about menstruation.

Instead of feeling social gratitude for the week out of the month we bleed out of our vaginas and experience physical pain and discomfort in a variety of ways--we got jokes and comments about being bitchy, assessments that we cannot handle specific job positions because our moods fluctuate, and the shame of the whole unspeakable thing--menstruation, this disgusting monster that we can't even talk about. Why should it be embarassing to buy tampons? You rarely, if ever, even hear a crack about it on a sitcom.

This is what I get back for giving so much?

And don't think women are so innocent. In reality, at most, 1/3 of women experience mood fluctuations on their periods. (Note: mood is different than pain and physical sensations). ONLY ONE THIRD. What does that mean? Instead of saying, something in my life is unfullfilling, I am unhappy with this or that, women at large blame moods or feelings on their period to avoid dealing with actual issues at hand--and perpetuate the already unfounded cultural understandings of the whole thing to begin with.

Next time someone has cramps, don't say ew...have a little gratitude.

And unless you are in the minority of women, don't use your period as a scapegoat for your other shit, its annoying and it effects all other women.