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1994162 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/if-men-could-menstruate/If+men+could+menstruate...2010-03-24+03%3A30%3A15Sam+Richards to If men could menstruate…
At first when Sam started talking about periods in class, I think everybody was a little taken aback and surprised. The way he was describing his wife’s period was a little too descriptive for a lot of the people in the class and everybody was just grossed out. I don’t think people really took the time to think about Sam’s point or why he was bringing it up. Yesterday in class, Sam brought up the point of men having periods. This was very interesting to me, because I never really thought of how the world would be different (especially when it comes to talking about periods) if men were the ones who “bled”. I agree with Sam that this would change EVERYTHING. Men would brag about when they were going through it and it would be something to be proud of and something that made them manly. Why then, should women feel like they need to hide it or feel embarrassed by periods? Why is getting your period one of the single most embarrassing things that could happen to you? In middle school, girls would go to school terrified that you would bleed through your pants and god forbid, letting other people know that you were on your period. It is a completely natural process and it really doesn’t make sense that girls are private about it. But that’s the way it is. Our world sees it as a “gross” thing that should be hidden. So it is NOT the same as your hair growing or having to cut your toenails, because our society has made it that way.
I feel comfortable discussing my menstrual cycle with my friends and my family, I just wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable announcing it to a classroom full of strangers, and that is probably because of the way periods are perceived by others. I think that a lot of people think of it as something you don’t discuss with strangers because it is “bathroom” talk. People don’t stand in front of a classroom and tell hundreds of strangers that they just used the bathroom, I feel like the period shyness is relatable to that. Using the bathroom is a natural process too, but it is not socially acceptable to announce that to strangers.
The original post asked the question, if men had periods would tampons be free? I agree with previous posters, when they say that tampons are a product and companies make a lot of money on them since they are a necessity, so I do not think they would be free. Some people brought up the point of condoms being practically free, but condoms are a necessity for both the man and woman. We are also in a time, where everybody is promoting safe sex, because there are social issues such as abortion rights and STDs. I think this is why condoms are promoted to regularly and are so easy to get. Tampons are not the same and they would not be free, no matter who was menstruating.
Okay, let me start off by saying I do not think tampons would be free for everyone if men also got their periods. I mean, everybody goes to the bathroom and toilet paper isn’t free for everyone. You can’t just stroll into Giant and grab a bunch of rolls and walk out. It’s not like us paying for tampons is some giant male conspiracy where they’re like, “let’s stick it to the women by charging them six bucks a box for something they need to buy.” Just because men don’t experience something we do, it doesn’t mean we are being discriminated against.
Secondly, we don’t talk about periods because they’re disgusting. Yes, they are a part of life. But so is shitting. And we don’t all talk about what our shit looks like. So why Sam felt the need to talk about staring at his wife’s period in the toilet is beyond me. As a girl, I have no problem joking about period stuff with my female friends, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to bring them into the bathroom to stare at it. I get that it’s necessary to procreate, but that doesn’t make it not disgusting. Necessary or not, it’s just not a pleasant topic.
Also, I thought it was kind of out of line for Sam to ask girls who were menstruating on Tuesday to raise their hands. Knowing that it’s an uncomfortable topic, it was sort of awkward for Sam to ask these women to raise their hands. I get that his whole spiel is based on shock value and openness, but I also don’t really think he has the right to talk about the intimate details of his wife’s period. Regardless of whether or not she’s comfortable with it, I don’t think anyone really has the right to discuss the bodily functions of others. Just like I don’t want to hear about Sam’s boners, I’m sure the men in class didn’t want to hear about his wife’s “bleeding.”
There’s kind of an unwritten rule – girls will talk about periods with other girls because they understand. Boys can talk about penis-related things with other boys because they understand. I don’t have a penis so I’m not going to pretend to be well-informed about penis issues and discuss them with my guy friends. And if a guy asked how my period was that day, I would probably punch him in the face.
I know it’s probably not logical, but this is the way things are, and honestly, I don’t care if they don’t change. I’m happy not discussing periods openly. Sorry, Sam.
To be honest I mean it is just not something I want to think about on my own let alone make the choice to take up my own personal time to learn more about it. If my girlfriend or whatever decides she wants to let me in on it and talk about it with me then fine I would do that. But I am not going to go around asking her a million and one questions about it just to learn for myself what is really going on. Because, and I am sure pretty much every guy in the class would agree with me, I like to think about that area on a girl in a much different context than when a girl is “bleeding”. Which by the way is a gross term to describe it as, even if that is what is actually going on, and I really hope other girls do not catch on to it. Kind of skeeves me out every time I hear it. Like I said I would not be against learning more about it if my girlfriend wanted me to know more about it, and it probably would be pretty beneficial to know what was going on. I mean it would help a lot of guys know when to be extra careful and prevent becoming an unplanned dad. So in that sense guys should know more about it. But I think I speak for most if not all guys when I say that this is not a topic we generally want to study or read about. I’ll stick to music and sports for my reading pleasure.
As far as the whole would tampons be free thing I do not really understand what that is all about. Just the fact that guys would need to use them does not have any effect on if they would be free or not. Of course they would still cost money it does not make any sense to think otherwise. Guys need, well maybe not need but do use condoms and they still cost money. And they are pretty damn expensive too. It is funny to joke about how it would be different with guys than it is with girls. Guys probably would talk about it a lot more differently than girls do and there would be a lot more bar fights. We find enough reasons as it is to get pissed at each other and to throw pms on top of that sounds like a recipe for disaster. I always thought girls were open about it with other girls though. At least from my experience I thought girls talked about it all the time. Regardless I’m sure glad I don’t have to deal with it. Until I get married probably that is.
As much as they might object, I think me should be more educated about women's menstrual cycles. My reasoning is that I see menstruation as a natural part of the life cycle. They may disagree by saying it doesn't affect them, but in reality it does- we are all on this earth because due in part to the menstrual cycle. Yes it is an unpleasant time of the month, but from a mature standpoint it is actually a intelligently designed phenomenon, without which we would not have life. Although I don't think men will ever understand it completely unless they experience it themselves, I don't think it would hurt to better educate them, if not just to make the subject more comfortable and less taboo.
I think it really comes down to the education and how we were brought up. In elementary school I think it was an avoided subject. In 5th grade the teachers had the dreaded sex talk with young minds and even then I didn't remember discussing the menstrual cycle. In school when we learned about sex and what needs to occur for it to take place. If the teachers weren't ready to talk about menstruation then there is no way that it can be a casual subject to many others. We never really learned about women and what they have to go through every so often, it was kind of dusted under the rug because our educators felt like it was a subject that didn't need to be talked about. All that was talked about was how the sperm would meet the egg. Even my parents never explained how periods would occur and I was in around 6th or 7th grade until I grasped the whole concept.
I think it really comes down to the education and how we were brought up. In elementary school I think it was an avoided subject. In 5th grade the teachers had the dreaded sex talk with young minds and even then I didn't remember discussing the menstrual cycle. In school when we learned about sex and what needs to occur for it to take place. If the teachers weren't ready to talk about menstruation then there is no way that it can be a casual subject to many others. We never really learned about women and what they have to go through every so often, it was kind of dusted under the rug because our educators felt like it was a subject that didn't need to be talked about. All that was talked about was how the sperm would meet the egg. Even my parents never explained how periods would occur and I was in around 6th or 7th grade until I grasped the whole concept.
Also by reading through previous posts I agreed completely with what was said. I feel like many people particularly men would be feel very uncomfortable talking about it even though it’s a natural process. Looking around the class when Mr. Richards was delivering his lecture about "bleeding" the looks on all of the people’s faces especially the guys was total disgust. I really didn't understand though, in a way it’s just like any natural body function. I kind of feel like its pretty immature to immediately shut down a conversation that has to do with the human cycle of life. Like I read in a previous blog here a women said having her period was beautiful and I agree completely.
To try to answer the last point I don't think tampons would be free if men could get periods. Nothing is free in life and why would they make an exception for tampons. I could understand from another point of view though where women would think just because it applies for men to it wouldn't cost anything. Many women might feel that men have the upper hand in everything that is done and if an item was available for both it would without a doubt free.
To end what I'm saying on a positive note I think that this subject that shouldn't be left alone and it’s a part of life so why do many people deny it. Being a male I really didn't feel uncomfortable at all listening to what was occurring. Also when Sam used the example of male masturbation nobody said a word but if he talks about "bleeding", it’s uncalled for. I was glad to see this topic on the site because it really makes people think.
Part 3
Like other things in the world today, people know of things that you just should not talk about. For example, pooping, vomiting, other “dirty” bodily functions, and yes even periods. I do not understand why though that such a natural and vital process such as the period has such an effect on a classroom and society. I do feel that if men had a period too then it wouldn’t be as such of a hard subject to talk about. I mean girls all the time talk about their periods to other girls because it is natural and they are comfortable hearing it. The second you talk about it to a male though they do not want to have anything to do with it. It is not their problem so they really just do not want to hear about it. I just really thought it was funny when this girl in class got on the mike and was mad saying does your wife know you talk about her period in class like that? Of course she has to know, what I do not understand is why that girls was getting so broken up about the matter. When it comes down to it it’s a natural process that unfortunately is necessary.
It would be nice to know what exactly is going through your mind when you’re saying these things. Simply stating, why are guys not educated about menstrual cycles is very general. What evidence has led you to the assumption that men are uneducated about menstrual cycle?. As a guy, I’m personally very comfortable and aware of the menstrual cycle, and I think I could say the same for a lot of my guy friends. If anything, when Sam said his wife was bleeding, although the image was unnecessary, I think girls in the class responded more poorly than the guys. And no, tampons wouldn’t be free. If you’re making the comparison to free condoms you see every once in a while that’s plain ignorant. One item is for a systemic bodily function, while the other serves a sexual purpose. A correct comparison would be free female condoms; in that case, take as many as you want.
The reason guys don’t want to discuss menstruation is because as natural as it is its still a private thing. It’s not that its disgusting to us its just kind of awkward to talk about. The only aspect that is talked about is the way girls act when they are on their period. Once in awhile when a girl is acting angry or annoyed I always here the “she must be on her period” comment. You can educate guys all you want but it’s still something that should be private. You can say I’m being closed-minded but I doubt a lot of girls want it to be a topic of conversation all the time.
sorry this just has to be in pieces again…
I think what this girl was saying was pretty on point for the most part. Men do need to be more educated in this topic regarding a womans menstruation cycles because I feel like a lot of men have no idea about one thing regarding a womans monthly cycles. I guarantee if you did a survey and asked 100 guys on the street 5 basic questions about a woman’s period he would answer most of them wrong. I vividly remember “the movie” in 5th grade when the teacher separated the classroom from boys to girls and boys would watch a movie about their own body parts, and so would the girls. Not that I think boys should learn about this kind of stuff in 5th grade, but I think once they hit a proper and mature age, it is necessary to educate them. Perhaps if they were more educated about how menstrual cycles really work there wouldn’t be as many young pregnancies as there are.
. I think that the reason guys are so grossed out and reluctant to talk about this subject is because we as women have been told to pretty much hide it ever since it began and that it is gross and all of this nonsense, which really isn’t fair to women because, why should we hide something that happens to us so regularly in our life and that effects us so much just because it “grosses YOU out.” Well hey sometimes it grosses me out too but it doesn’t mean I can make it just stop forever if I don’t talk about it for a while.
On the other hand I do think that things that happen to a women’s body are personal to some extent. I think a man has a right to know what happens in the health aspect of things but I really don’t think that I would go as far as saying, “do you want to come look at this?” because I think that is taking it a little too far and I see why guys might not want to actually witness something like that.
. Also, if men had period every month tampons still would not be free just for the simple reason that nothing in this world is free, regardless of if men and women both need it.
I for one, think that it is just plain unfair that women have to do all of the dirty work such as go through something as terrible as a menstruation cycle every 28 days for 30-40 years of their lives on top of also having to be the ones to bear children. What do men have to do that even comes close to something like that?
The use of condoms helps prevent against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as well as the occurence of unplanned pregnancy. To me, this is a little more important in our sexualized society today than handing out free tampons. I mean, hey, I am a girl, I get it…tampons are expensive and very important as well, but the use of tampons does not keep a couple from and unplanned pregnancy in which there is a possibility of a child being born to unfit parents, or a child being murdered through an abortion. Condoms are not handed out because it is a man's world, in fact, condoms TAKE AWAY from a man's pleasure during sex, as I am sure most of us already know. So, yeah, it'd be nice having free tampons handed out, too, and it would save women a rushed trip to the store or a four dollars every month, but I don't think that that has much to do with it being a man's world. If this had anything to do with it being a man's world, razors, shaving cream, and Playboy magazines would be handed out for free, not condoms.
I do not think that the reason why most men do not talk about a woman’s period is because it is not spoken about enough with them. I do not know if it is different any where else but I had my first sex education class in the sixth grade. We learned about it all there and then once every year after that until I hit high school. Women can believe it or not but most men do have the knowledge about a woman’s menstrual cycle. I know I do not have a problem with it being said in public or being mentioned to me because I have many girl friends that do not really have a care about it either. I know this is not normal for most people though because I know a lot of girls who hide the fact that it is that “time of the month” again.
Take my girlfriend for instance, she is not very comfortable talking about it at all as if she was embarrassed by it. I do not see what there is to be embarrassed about. It is your body taking the natural course that it is intended. It is completely normal and I know I cannot tell by looking, but I bet a lot of girls are going through the same period days as other girls. No girl is alone on her few days of bleeding every month. I think that today’s society has just made it so hard for woman to be able to speak out about their natural occurrences. Maybe some girls think it’s a sign of weakness that they need to bleed every month and that does not help with the rising power of woman. I do not know, that sounds a little ridiculous to me, I hope what I said is completely and utterly false.
I am very confused about this girl’s statement about what if guys had menstruations too, would tampons be free? Why would tampons be free? There is not anything that we as men get for free out of our natural ways, whatever that may be, so I do not see why anything would become free if we all had menstruations. Now if men did menstruate, I think that the grey area between men and women would dramatically thicken. It would definitely provide a similarity between men and women and we would start understanding more of what a woman has to go through. The thought of our own menstruation does bother me, no offense to women, because there is only one place it can come from and I’m just going to stop right there. Also, if men had their own menstruation, men would definitely manipulate it into their own masculine way of being an alpha male.
How are we not educated on them? i mean we know what they are, how they work, and for some bio major or anyone that has taken a biology class you know whats going on. We may not experience it, but we know whats going on. So to say that we are not educated on it, i feel is kind of a slap in the face? do you know how it feels to have a boner? no, its pretty uncomfortable, and as far as your last question if we had periods would they be free, Hell no, its like gas! if it was a high demand for everyone, tampax would just raise the prices on that shit, and make money!
Women want to know why men don't care or get grossed out by women's periods. In the general opinion, it doesn't happen to us so it's not something we can relate too. I honestly don't see this subject as a big deal on both sides. Women want men to understand periods and everything but we never will because it doesn't happen to us, on the other side with men who are grossed out by it – I understand because I personally think it's kind of gross but it's nothing to drastic. Any guy who has had a girlfriend long enough to experience what it's like when a girl goes through a few cycles knows. The be completely honest, women switch up when it comes to periods. I understand hormones and everything, whatever. Just because you’re on your period doesn't give you the right to be mad at the world. If it was just a physical thing then it would be whatever, no one would care and it wouldn't be a big deal. My only problem with women and there periods (not all but from my experience) is that when they are on their periods, they are going though their thing with cramps and all the other bodily effects but don't take it out on the world and feel the need to act rude just because something is happening to you. A girl told me that when she has her period it's like a couple days of bad days. Guys have bad days too, do what you got to do to get over it and when it’s done it's done. I'm not one to bash women and their whole period thing but for those women who are rude as hell and feel like their period is an excuse to be mad at the world it's like come on man. Whose fault is this? It's not ours nor is it yours. It's just something natural that has to happen. End of story.
I like that this girl asked if tampons would be free if men could menstruate. This really helps me think about the “male dominance” in our society and the world all around. I think that tampons would probably be either a whole lot cheaper or provided for free if guys did get periods. Also, I agree with some of the posts that have been from the guys saying that the reason that men are so uncomfortable and uneducated about menstruation is because girls are not willing or too ashamed to talk about it. I do not see anything wrong with educating the guys as long as guys keep an open mind about it.
I do not believe that men are uneducated about menstrual cycles. I could be wrong though because of course I do not talk about it with other men. However, it is like an unspoken rule to just not speak of the menstrual not really in fear but just out of tradition. It is a social norm and we know in America social norms are considered laws amongst the people. I am in no way saying it is right though. The ideology or question that if men had menstrual cycles tampons would be free is absurd! In that case any common necessity needed by both genders would be free.
Alright so let me answer question one. Why aren’t men more educated about women’s menstrual cycles? Well I think the question implies that in general, men don’t know that much. I could be giving us more credit than we deserve but it seems to me that more “education” about the matter isn’t really going to change anything. Being more educated on the issue involves nothing more than a few minutes on Wikipedia and then you can probably know everything that you already wanted to know. Sure, there are certain pieces of information about how the cycles affects different women in different ways, but for the most part it is pretty straightforward. I don’t understand the reason to talk about it in the manner that was shown in class. Most people aren’t uncomfortable talking about things but you have to understand that it’s usually to easier to talk about it when it’s relevant. You know, like when there’s a reason to talk about it other than straight up shock value. Talking about a girl’s period can be likened to talking about your morning wood. It’s a natural body function that occurs with a certain regularity in a particular sex . But that doesn’t mean that the first reference that I make to something is a metaphor to my morning wood. I think that topics like this have their place, and if you want to talk about them, that’s ok. However, you have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. The general point that I want to make is that there is nothing wrong with you if you get a little uncomfortable talking about menstrual cycles in front of a couple hundred people, it just means that you have class. Second question: Would tampons be free if men had periods. Probably not, human biology tends to make a lot of money. Anything that affects a large population of people is too profitable to be made free. Think about it. Viagra is far from free, and that’s about as close as you can get to an equivalent. Granted, it really isn’t that close at all, but I think it illustrates the point that I am trying to make. Personally, I feel like we aren’t even talking about something relevant anymore. I understand the parallel between not wanting to talk about this and not wanting to talk about race because they both make people uncomfortable but are a reality. However, there are certain people that want to make issues out of nothing just to be different. It doesn’t make you an enlightened thinker or better individual, you just want to make everyone else uncomfortable so you can distinguish yourself from them.
Wow, free tampons? That would be incredible. Unfortunately, I do not think that tampons would be free even if men could have menstrual cycles.
Really though, it is important that men understand what is going on with menstrual cycles. I don't think that the majority of men really understand the hormonal changes that occur and the dramatic effect they have on a woman's body. I know many elementary schools start teaching their students about sex education in fifth grades, and I think it is very important. But I think that by drawing a boundary around it and labeling it "sex education" allows it to be more stigmatized. I say that they just incorporate the material into biology/science classes and make it a regular part of the curriculum. They sooner they learn about it, the more at ease they are when they start encountering "blleeding" girls.
When you try and talk about your menstrual to men they automatically just stop you and say that they don’t want to hear it or its nasty. But it’s natural for women to menstruate like so many other things that humans do. I feel that most men aren’t mature enough to have a conversation about women’s body and how it works if it doesn’t pertain to them. But that’s not to say that there aren’t those men that will have a conversation about a women’s menstrual. For some reason its taboo like talking about how much people make on the job.
If men could menstruate I do not think that tampons would be free, but I think that it would be something we cared about a lot less. Men buy condoms and they are not free, which is a good thing to argue about because it’s something a man uses you would think they would be free right? So maybe we aren’t so unfair to gender when it comes to this. Maybe we never thought about it that way, so should tampons be free for girls and condoms be free for guys. This is something we could think about when it comes back to gender.
In response to the girl’s final question, would tampons be free if men had menstrual cycles too? Personally, I think this is kind of a stupid question because they obviously would not be free. We pay for everything else that girls and guys use in common. Everyone uses tissues, and we pay for them. Plus, only guys wear condoms and those are not free. You always have to pay for everything, so assuming free tampons would come about if and only if men had menstrual cycles is a silly question. Like Sam said, if men menstruated, it definitely would be more open to talk about but nothing to the extent of free tampons. While yes, men have it easier than women when it comes to periods and such, but it is much harder for them in the long run. Saying men are not “educated” about it is a rationalization. Honestly, there is not too much complexity to periods. It is pretty simple, and not very difficult for anyone to understand. Even though men do not want to talk about it does not mean they are not educated. Yeah, they may not be aware of the actual feeling, with lack of a better word, of it, but it does not mean they do not understand it. Men especially understand the PMS side of it, mostly because they have to bear the grunt of it. Girls usually do not notice other girl’s bitchiness since they have it too, while boys.. well they notice it. I almost feel bad for them because there really is not anything they can do. They can not yell at you for being bitchy since you are pms-ing since you can’t help it. And in response to everyone’s reactions about how they should not be weirded out about periods. Honestly, yeah they are natural and all, but it is gross. I think it is gross and I get periods. So why is it so so bad that boys think it is gross too? It is not like it is disrespectful to us. I do not understand why we always blame boys for being freaked out. It is not their fault. Other bodily functions are gross too, why do we not yell at anyone for saying that is gross ? It all just seems like such a stupid issue to debate about and make into a whole ordeal. It really is not worth it. Men need to stop being blamed about not wanting to talk about periods. I do not want to either so stop saying they are sexist. It is not a big deal, how is it really impacting your life, talking about periods? Bottom line is, it is not.
Firstly, I feel like men are as educated as necessary. I would argue most men are considerate of girls during their period and are aware of the hormonal changes taking place. Furthermore, why would tampons be free if men had periods, is toilet paper free. no. Also, I feel like girls dont really want guys talking about periods. Most girls i have spoke to prefer to have it as a conversation amongst female friends, as 'guys will never know what its like.
Ok first off men will never talk about a woman’s menstrual cycle, so don’t expect us to ever learn much that way, these kinds of things really don’t interest us. In fact, they can kind of repulse us cause, well… no one wants to picture that their playground is covered in blood. I guess that is one way to put it. It is really hard to explain exactly what it is about that time of month that has men so repulsed to talk about, or hear being talked about, but there definitely is something.
The interesting part is how most women have succumbed to our request to keep these matters and talks out of our ears. When was the last time you were with a group of male and females and one of them started talking about their period to all the guys. We have established this as a turnoff move, and a lot of women have taken and respected it. There are just some things that are just not talked about amongst the opposite sex, and this is one of them. I don’t mind it being brought up the way it was in class, where it is for educational purposes, but when I’m into a girl and talking to her, the last thing I want to hear about is a vivid description of what happens once a month.
Now if guys did menstruate I would be scared for this world. I couldn’t imagine how much anger would be present in this world. With a combination of this century’s steroid problems, and the amount of male athletes using this much substances and putting more testosterone into their systems, as well as a menstruation cycle once a month to up their emotions, this world could be in for a new look of anger and violence. Though it was funny to hear Sam Richards comment about guys bragging about how big their tampon is, I am glad that this isn’t the case and that this isn’t something that I personally have to do once a month.
Though I get to have the added bonus of being a guy and not having to go through this, I do feel that guys do have a responsibility once a month when they are with their female counterpart. Having been in a 4 year relationship and another 2 and a half year one, I have had many months in which I knew not to piss my girl off. This is our job. We’re supposed to support them, we’re supposed to help them. That’s my deal to the women out there. You tell me when I need to be extra nice, and I will, just please do me a favor and don’t describe it to me, don’t show me it, and flush after using.
I’m not sure why anyone would think tampons might be free if men had periods. How many commercial products in this world are actually free? Both males and females who smoke pay for cigarettes, they get their hair cut, pay for doctor appointments and parking tickets. The list goes on and on, so when it comes to something natural like menstruation, I can’t imagine tampons would be free for males. Actually if you’re a girl, you probably have a decent chance of getting a free meal on a date, so we could argue about who gets a better deal sometimes. Business is business and people want to make money and aren’t going to give away things for free just because there might be a gender-related issue attached to them.
I remember when I was in fifth grade, we had the first of several (in school) “lessons” about sex and the human body. I think because this occurred at a relatively young age for us, we didn’t really take it that seriously, and at the time thought about sex and specific body parts as a disturbing topic to discuss. The next time I can remember sexual reproduction was taught to us was in high school health class. Even then, we were pretty immature about it, which is probably not that surprising. We tend to act like idiots sometimes to mask feeling embarrassed or stupid about a topic.
Obviously women have a better understanding about periods than men do, since it does happen to them after all. Most guys probably figure that girls don’t want them to know about something like that, because it’s personal and sort of a taboo topic. You don’t chat about it standing in line at McDonalds or read stories about it in the newspaper. Growing up, kids get the message that it’s kind of off-limits in regular conversation. We learn to be grossed out at the thought of it. In a similar way, even something as simple and natural as sweating isn’t something that I would want to talk about with a girl. Yes, obviously girls sweat as well, but go outside on a hot day here at Penn State and I guarantee that you will notice sweat marks on the guys a lot more than the girls. Girls just look and smell better than guys do when they sweat.
If women really want men to know everything there is to know about periods (which I doubt), then okay; but don’t expect every man to be totally comfortable with it at first. And just because we might know everything about it wouldn’t mean that we’d completely understand what women go through. As it is, we also don't really understand what women go through during pregnancy and childbirth … but that’s another topic. Basically, I think we should probably just give girls some support and sympathy if it helps with all this.
Just as Prof. Richards was talking about in class on how we live in a male dominated if men went through the same menstrual cycles as women endure there is no doubt in my mind that there would be an endless amount of special treatment in favor of them. For example, in the workplace a men could be picked over an equally qualified women because she has to deal with her monthly cycle and because she could possibly get pregnant and be out of commission for an extended period of time. Even as a man who happens to get the advantage of these situations I feel it is extremely wrong. Even though every is weary of what women have to go through, I think the public partially ignores it and does that purposefully for the most part. We all know what goes on, and we all know that there are many times when it is just not possible for a women to go to work, or take care of other errands. I feel like as a society we need to understand the hardship of what women go through and give them proper absentees to help them. I understand that I am making this look like an easy solution to a problem that is fair beyond trial, but I believe we can come up with a reasonable way to handle this circumstance instead of acting completely oblivious to what is going on. It also still baffles me how men are still disgusted and irritated by these human function, maybe it is because I grew up with an older sister and a mother who was very open with me but I see this cycle as a very celebrated action, instead it is frowned upon and women frequently hide and go to great lengths to hide there cycle when it rolls around.
Back to the question that was presented on what if men menstruated. If we did I think it would not be anything like it is today, I believe we would be much more open to everything that comes with it. On the other side I think it would cause a lot of chaos, I think to solve a problem like this we just need to raise awareness for it being a normal function and not thinking about what would happen if men had the same cycles. I know that women are definitely not the most fun people to be around when they are going through their period but all men need to respect what they go through and help them go through what can be a extremely difficult time for a women. Don’t get me wrong there are many men who do support their significant others but not nearly enough and I think that is something that needs to happen in this male dominated society.
I would first just like to say this is a good question to be risen up. If men did have more knowledge about female bodies and about how their menstrual periods worked then the world would probably see females in a whole different way and not only that women would actually get more sympathy then they deserve when they are on their periods. I am glad that I am a male and I don’t have to go thru periods like women do and have to go through cycles, and get angry at times over little things. My point that I want to make clear is that if men knew more about how the female menstrual cycle worked and the phases that women go thru at this time men would be more understanding of their female counterparts. Also if females were more out spoken about this and gave men the knowledge about what they go thru and what actually a menstrual cycle is more men would gain this knowledge also if a man hears it from his female counterpart then he will feel more comfortable when she is in her period and will understand why he is getting yield at, at times for no reason, and the reason for her random questions that make no sense and if they are answered incorrectly most of the time she may blow a fuse and go off on you. But it was really funny to me how u ended the question with the tampon issue. That is actually a good question and I see many places as well giving out free condoms and he have condom co-ops in school, and other things that favor men and their sexual activity, yet we have never seen a female getting free tampons, and or having tampon co-ops or what not. Do I think this is right well after actually getting this question raised no it absolutely wrong, if a man is getting offered free condoms just for his sexual pleasure and having safe sex with it then why can’t a female get free tampons for something that is happening to her body naturally and that she is not doing for her pleasure. Come on people this really is a little messed up we should give are female counterparts some help with their problems. And when it comes to the exact question if men did have periods would tampons be free, yes I think they would because society is still the same though it has grown a little it is still in favor of men, and men still get the upper hand in many things, just like free condoms like I said before and women don’t get that much help from society, though they are the ones that deserve it.
Well let me start off by saying that me as a man am not interested in learning about woman's menstrual cycles. I believe that the whole idea of blood coming out of a woman's vagina is disgusting. Because lets be honest when us men think about a woman's vagina we think about something else. And even though we know that blood comes out of the vagina just thinking about it makes us feel sick because its honestly gross. I mean i don't mind it as long as i don't have to see it or be around it. I grew up with two woman in my household so I've seen more than enough tampons in pads for a lifetime.
Im glad to be a man because we don't have to experience that discomfort and mess every month. But if we also did have a menstrual cycle than my life would be so much different. I cant imagine having to have to deal with the pain and the mess that woman have to go through. I know sam said it was a beautiful thing but i beg to differ. I think its pretty nasty and the only time im glad to hear about a period is when my girl says shes gotten it after a scare. I know that might be wrong on my behalf to think of it like this but im only being honest. But when my girl does have it i make sure to help her out in any way that i can to make her feel more comfortable. Because i know enough about the menstrual cycle to know that when it is a girls time of the month that she probably isn't happy and could use some cheering up. So i make sure to do my best and make my girl feel good.
I know its a part of nature so thats why i don't really mind it. But just thats its blood coming out of that part of a woman's body is what makes me nauseous and gag. But like i said before as long as i don't see it or i don't have to be around it im perfectly fine with it going on. And woman do an excellent job in hiding it. Because you cant walk around on campus pointing out girls who have there period because there is no way for you to know that unless you know that person. And as far as if men had there periods and tampons being free. I highly doubt that they would be. It doesn't make any sense because there is a lot of things that both men and woman do and we don't get free stuff to help us. Like for example all of us use the bathroom. Why don't the give out free toilet paper than? It just wouldn't make any sense for the companies to make tampons free for everyone.
Its an interesting question but I don't think gender has anything to do with tampons being free or not. Men use condoms and they aren't free. Both tampons and condoms are necessary in life and we pay for things we need. Men are reluctant to talk about bleeding because it disgusts them when they imagine a sex organ they desire and fantasize about dripped in blood. Most men enjoy sexual intercourse and it's very hard to accept the fact that women go through a cycle every month. Its society's fault in teaching us that menstrual cycles are not matters to discuss in out everyday life.
I think I am pretty well educated on the women’s menstrual cycle. I have a girlfriend and she always reminds me when she starts bleeding and I know to be extra nice because she gets ticked more easily than for the rest of the month. If men went through the same things as women tampons would probably not be free. If there was a easily used female condom that could be cheaply and effectively made then it would be free. Tampons I do not think would ever be free. Tampons do not prevent pregnancy of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases so it would not be in the public’s interest to give away tampons even if the same bleeding cycle occurred with men. With some of my guy friends they sometimes run on a 28 day cycle with their emotions. They can get really irritable sometimes and I think they act like a woman on her period. Most of the time I do not really recognize any period type cycle of irritability with my guy friends. Some of my girl friends can seem to have a wide range of emotion during the month however they never really tell me when they are on their period and I never really ask. If men had menstrual cycles there would be a lot more advertisements for drugs to fix the emotional baggage that comes along with the period. There would be more drugs to stop periods with fewer side effects and less risk for cancer from the chemical interactions. Drugs would be very much more heavily invested because men rule the world. If men had menstrual cycles there would a more days off during the month for special time to recover from the menstrual cycle and to get away from the stresses of work and other people. Men would have more access to tampons at work kind of like the condom and Advil machines. However that is already available in women’s restrooms so it is not much special. Men would be able to take time out of their day to cool down from emotion and stress during their period too. Men would be able to get off from work for pregnancy more so than women today if it were possible. Also men would have more access to child care during work and after work. Men would be able to take care of their privacy concerns without being secretive about it of being embarrassed at work. They would joke about it just as much as we joke about jacking off. We joke about it we don’t talk about when we did it last or anything like that. Just the general concept of it. Men would joke about periods just as much about everything else.
In my country, it is one of four duties for men to serve in military and it once became an issue between feminists and some groups of men. Those men claimed that women need to serve the military for relatively shorter time in terms of equality while feminists claimed that women give births and have periods in their lives. When the congress considered giving extra points for job applicants who finished their military service, these feminists resist it reasoning that it is unfair. If men experience the periods, then women would have to serve in the military. That sounds very fair
to address the issue of education for men on menstruation just look at our cultural issues with sex . we never really get the education we should. people in this country are sexually repressed in comparison to other country's and that is why men don't get the education we need to understand menstruation. also as a guy It's really not something we want to think about because it's a system of the body that relates to baby's and sex and neither of those subjects is all that fun when you think about the process of how they work. I don't mind the idea of the education for everyone to understand the systems of the body. the culture we live in just isn't ready to see the female body in that sort of light very often. as to if men menstruated would tampons be free? i figure that they would be just for the convenience, sure it's a double standard but that's the world we live in.
I think this has a lot to do with the whole abstinence only mentality in schools. Schools don't want to talk about sex and sexual organs and anything involving it when both parties are present because then that would break the whole vow of silence they have going on. To get slightly off topic: it would probably keep kids from having sex. The best you can do is be as informed as possible. Periods are like the grown up version of cooties. I don't think you can make guys care about it before it really affects them (e.g. when having kids) but they should at least know what's involved in it. Empathy is hard to accomplish in this situation but I'd feel a heck of a lot better about it if guys had some inkling about what was going on. I'd be terribly impressed if they knew more about my bodily functions than I did.
I think it’s interesting that this subject of menstruation acceptance became such a heated topic in class, and now has leaked onto the blog. I’ve always had sort of an uneasiness about it, dating back to when my mom used to go through it. She talked openly about it, and it was something that back then I didn’t really understand and was kind of disgusted by. And now, my girlfriend goes through it. I always kind of joke with her about it, and how just saying the word “period” is a struggle. When I refer to it, I usually say other phrases like “that time” and “the cycle.”
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The girl in this video asks why men aren’t more educated about the menstruation cycle. I think that answer is simple. Nobody ever teaches or makes an effort to teach men about it. I think part of the reason me and many other men are uncomfortable with it is because of how unfamiliar and mysterious it is to us. What does it feel like? How bad does it hurt? How do you know when it’s about to start? How do you know when it’s completely done? How much blood is it? All that men really know is that women bleed down there, it lasts for something like 4-5 days, and it’s a big hassle and it frustrates women. Nobody teaches adolescent males about the more specific details of menstruation, and it’s certainly not a part of the health class curriculum in high school. Of course, men are at fault a little for not being very inquisitive about it, but who are we supposed to ask anyway? It’s an uncomfortable subject to bring up to female family members and friends.
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It’s going to be an uncomfortable subject no matter what, because it has to do with sexual organs. This is why I disagreed with what Sam said about it being no different from someone’s hair or toe nails growing, or someone becoming hungry. Sure, it’s a function of the body, but it has to do with the private parts! Those other examples are located nowhere close to a person’s “machinery.” That’s why Sam is right in saying that if women suffered periods at their finger tips then it wouldn’t be as uncomfortable a topic. Well of course, because a woman’s fingers are very different than a woman’s vagina. Women don’t walk around showing off their vagina like they do their fingers because the vagina is a reproductive organ and is private. It’s hidden under clothes, unlike fingers, toes and hair. People aren’t comfortable discussing vaginas, so it’s pretty clear why people also aren’t comfortable talking about the time of the month when a woman’s vagina bleeds.
end.
I feel like tampons would not be free. Its not like band-aids are free. Its not like condoms are always free. Men are not that endowed with knowledge of the cycle because that is now what we talked about when the boys and girls were separated for health class and sex education. Men will have a rather difficult time to get to know about the cycle. It is not something that men usually bring up in normal conversation. This probably stems from a feeling that we should not talk about feminine things and problems. Men are not inclined to talk about what women feel and this is certainly a big problem. Women should be understood completely.
It is absurd to think that tampons would be free if men menstruated. Nothing in this world is free. Water, food, and shelter are all necessities for man, however all of which have a price tag. Same would be so for tampons. Men need condoms, are they free? Not unless you’re walking through the HUB on the right day. It is not a matter of Sex and any female that says so is just ignorant. I have much respect for females when they aren’t spitting out ridiculous ass accusations of a MAN’s world. When push comes to shove some people and genders were made to do different tasks then other, it’s biological, not sexist. However why am I even entertaining the idea. I know that in the real world men really don’t even care. They will continue to mask their opinions and mute their voices in order to maintain their manly image and their superiority. Regardless of the opposition’s argument, there is not point men will stand strong and won’t change much. That’s just the way it is. Its sad to say, but it’s more then true.
When I think about what it means to be a man, I think of Rocco’s Man Speech in Boondock Saints 2: All Saint’s Day, “… Don’t smoke, don’t drive fast, Kiss my ass! Fuck it do it all I say, do you think duke wayne spent all his time talking about his feelings to a fucking therapist, There’s no fucking way he did. John Wayne died with 5 pounds of undigested red meat in his ass, now that’s a man. Real Men hide their feelings, why? Because it’s none of your fucking business! Men do not cry, men do not pout, Men jack you in the fucking jaw and say, Thanks for coming out.” If you haven’t seen the movie, at least look up the speech itself, its very much so closer to the truth than anything else I’ve ever seen depicted. I give complete credit to Troy Duffy and his producers for such an accurate scene.
Back on the idea of a period. Lets just agree not to talk about it in a public setting. Sure it’s a natural occurrence but so is vomiting, shitting, and pissing. However, we don’t go around shitting wherever we please now do we? As a matter of fact, there are laws against such, grotesque actions. Just because it happens against your will doesn’t mean we would love to hear about it. Keep your personal life and the contents between your legs to yourself. Unless you do enjoy spreading your legs to the lot of the community, then I can’t help you. All in all, if you think it MIGHT be inappropriate to talk about, then it probably is. Trust me, men know all about it. We just choose not to discuss it.
I believe men aren't educated step by step about periods but they have some sort of brief knowledge. I would believe the reason why they don't know as much as women do is because it really doesn't effects them as an individual. They don't have to bleed so why would they have to know? Indeed this issue is jacked up. But, at the same time for an example why would you need to know about the Canadian government and you live in America? If the issue has nothing to do with you why do and would you care? In some aspect its not there fault.
I think part of the reason a lot of men don't understand menstruation begins with separating kids during initial sex education. By separating kids, it shows them that they should keep the information they're learning to themselves or within their own gender. Everyone should know how every other person's body works. By understanding that it's just a natural normal bodily function, men can learn how to deal with it better. Another part of the problem is that a lot of men don't care. I'll admit, I fall into this category. That's cool that you're bleeding every month, but I honestly just don't care to know about it. However, having a girlfriend who is generally open about it has taught me a lot. When she'll tell me about how things work, I'll say to myself "Wow that's really freakin' cool" and then likely ask a question about something I don't understand. I think everyone should take a page out of sam's book and just realize that nothing can be offensive if you don't let anything offend you.
I dont think tampons would be free. If men had a period, it would be normal to them. They would not even ponder having free tampons. It is something that we need, therefore it is not free. Men and women both need items and they are not free. However, I understand why you asked. I think it is a men's world and if men suddenly up and got their period, they would want it to be free because this was something new to them. But since men don't have a period and never will, I don't think the issue of free tampons is important. This brings me to my next point. I dont -think men should have to be in-depth educated about periods. I think that health classes gave a general idea of what is happening and what is going on and I think that is fine. Personally, I dont even know everything and it happens to me. Thats like saying as a girl I need to know the inner working of a penis. I'm never going to have one so why does it really matter?
I do not think tampons would be free. They are not free for us, and we need them so why would they be free for men? i understand that you are probably hinting at since it is a man's world that they would alter it some way that they would be free but even then that is not true. Men and women both need shoes and they are not free. Also, I do not think men need to be in-depth educated about periods. I think they should know the general concept but why need to know details? It doesnt happen to them so why should they need to know? I get one every month and I dont know a lot of things about it. That is like asking humans to know the inner workings of bird mating. It doesnt happen to us so why do we need to know?
I don't think that guys aren't educated enough in a woman's menstrual cycle. For the most part, every guy has had to deal with sex ed in high school and should know (even if they didn't pay attention) about a woman's cycle. And on top of that, guys in college definitely know about a girl's cycle because they never want to hear the fateful words, "I'm late…" So, I think that for the most part, that a guy knows about a woman's menstrual cycle and more or less what it entails. They may not know the exact specifics, like someone who has a biology background (hell, women themselves may not even know the specifics), but they more or less have an idea about what is going on. Granted though, there are definitely some guys out there who are clueless and you can't really blame anyone but them. The information is readily available if they want to access it, but they probably don't care enough to know.
And you're asking why guys don't go talking about it more? Well, coming from a guy, I don't go up to one of my buddies and ask "Hey, let's talk about girls' periods." We just don't talk about it with each other, basically because it doesn't really mean anything to us. I also would say it's just something we don't feel like discussing. Do girls walk around telling their friends, "Hey, let's talk about boners today." I don't mind talking to a girl about it if she wants to discuss it, but in my experience, there are VERY rare occasions when a woman is willing to talk a man about her period, probably because she thinks he will get grossed out and just not understand where she's coming from. I wouldn't get grossed out, but at the same time, it's like what Sam said about how white people know what being white is, whereas black people just can't grasp what it is to be white. Guys can't full comprehend what it's like to have a menstrual cycle and what it's like to deal with having your period and what it's like to have to plan everything around a 28 day or so cycle. We can empathize, sure, but we can't fully get it. Maybe that's why girls should just be straight up with their boyfriends or whatever and just talk to them about it. Just like women can't relate to having the old random boner or morning wood. Sure, women can guess what it's like, and even say "how can you relate those two, what happens to me is not something pleasant." And you are very right about that fact, but it's the principle of the fact that I'm trying to make of not being able to relate and you can't 100% full understand what it's like to deal with that because you're not a guy.
Well first of all, if women talked about it more then maybe men would know more about it… but to be honest my first choice for a topic of conversation with my guy friends would just not be about whether or not I’m bleeding at the time. Why do men need to know about it in the first place? It doesn’t affect them either way, their knowledge of the subject or lack thereof doesn’t make women bleed more or less often (excuse the graphic nature of that sentence). I mean seriously, men just really do not want to know about women’s menstrual cycles. I live in a house with seven girls, and we don’t go around discussing our periods for fun. Sure, it is definitely a much more accepted conversation amongst only girls rather than if boys are in the mix, and honestly I completely understand that. Men aren’t educated because one, they do not want to be, and two, because they simply do not need to be. Personally, as a girl, there was no way I was going to raise my hand in class when Sam asked what girls were “bleeding” at the time, even if I had been. I’m not an awkward person, I don’t get uncomfortable that easily, and I wasn’t all that uncomfortable when Sam was doing his period speech, but I just found it pretty much unnecessary. It has absolutely nothing to do with “Race and Ethnic Relations,” and I understand the idea of shock value to grab the class’s attention, but nonetheless I really found it strange and unnecessary for lack of a better word. And as for the comment in the video post about men talking about it more then it would not be as weird, I would have to disagree. As a general rule, (and I know there are exceptions but for the majority), men hate talking about women’s periods! It grosses them out, it is a taboo of sorts when it comes up in conversation. And I really can’t say I blame them. Talking about it more would just make more men feel more uncomfortable, and I really don’t think that one conversation versus twenty concerning the menstrual cycle of their female counterparts would make a man more comfortable with the subject of a female’s monthly “bleeding” (as Sam likes to call it). As for the “free tampons” comment, I’m not sure if that was a joke or meant seriously, but I’ll answer it nonetheless. No, there wouldn’t be free tampons if men needed them too. Men and women have a majority of the same needs, like food, shelter, water, shampoo, toothpaste, etc, and none of these things are even remotely free. Basically, I just found the period conversation a little bit annoying, for lack of a better word, and I’m a female, so I can’t even imagine what the males in the class were feeling. I was sitting with my friend, who is a guy, and he was completely disgusted and I really couldn’t blame him.
I think that this is a very odd question. If men got their periods each month like women do, I do not think that tampons would free. Just like Sam Richards said in class, “bleeding” is a natural bodily function just like sweating and getting hungry are. Both men and women sweat and get hungry, but deodorant and food are not free! There are so many things in life that men and women need but must still pay for.
I think that it was such a shock for the class when Sam brought up this topic because it is rarely ever talked about outside of the “women’s circle”. Women talk about it with their girlfriends all of the time but never in public with men around. That is why it was strange for everyone. Because men do not get their periods each month, they will never fully understand what it is like. However, I think that mature men acknowledge that it is natural for women and not something that is gross or funny.
This question is simply retarded. Men would never menstruate, and it would never be the case. Yes it is difficult for women because they menstruate, but that is simply the way it is. If women didn’t menstruate, they couldn’t bear children and we wouldn’t be here at all. I think it is a good thing that this happens. Men should have to understand a women’s struggle that happens every 30 something days. It seems like men have it easy. We don’t have to go through as much day to day pain as women do. I think we should take into consideration what women go through.
I know that men and women do not talk about a womens period together but I feel as if their are things that men do not talk about with women and it is not made into a big deal. There is a reason as to why men are men and women are women and we all have things that are not discussed to eachother. As sam said in class when he goes abroad sometimes he just wants to be with people like him, Americans. Well sometimes men just need to be with men and women need to be with women. I dont know if i am missing something I just do not understand what men having their period has to do with tampons being free. Men eat and food isnt free? I like that their is a distinction between men and women and we have something that they dont and they have things that we do not, such as a penis. I think we should educate men so that they are not disgusted when women discuss their periods and feel the need to flee the room but we have to realize they will just never menstruate. (feb 12)
I think more men are educated about periods than people think. For example my dad knows just as much as my mom. He was the one who explained what was happening to me when I got mine. I think people think men don’t know about periods because they don’t talk about bleeding and I think they don’t talk about it because they think women will be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable about men talking about bleeding. Free tampons would be so great, but I don’t think they would be free if men had periods but maybe they would be cheaper since twice as many people would need them.
Men do not talk about the women menstrual cycle because many women are embarrassed by there period. They do not want to be bothered, touched. Talked to or anything while they are on their menstrual cycle. If men had a menstrual cycle it would be bragged about and constantly and glorified as if a man just lost his virginity. They can not stop talking about that interaction until it happens again; similar to if men had a menstrual cycle. As a man I do not think the menstrual cycle is weird, it’s natural. Females just need to step seeing it as such a bad thing. Although men do not understand the pain and torment that women go through during their menstrual cycle, we are able to understand as much as they tell us.
And on the question if men had a period tampons would not be free, advertiser will have a field day with selling tampons and pads. Saying things like “only for strong men” and things like that. In order for women to be able to talk to men about their menstrual cycle with men they must be more open to when they are on there period. Women act like it is the end of the world when they get their period and sometimes it can get annoying. For example, when a girl just changes the way she acts all of a sudden I think they should give the men a warning before they start getting mad and pissed off for no apparent reason.
I believe older women have a better way at handling their period; they are more understanding than younger women. I agree that some men need to be more mature about women’s period. Even though it is natural some men see it as a bit disgusting to just walk in the bathroom and just see blood everywhere. To us men it is not natural. Maybe men should be schooled at a young age about the female menstrual cycle; if this is done when we get older women’s period will be less disgusting and more just a regular thing.
If men were to get periods females were to act the same way as males act now, that it is disgusting and unusual, and that we should keep it private, because it is a private issue with the human body. Although it is perfectly normal it should be kept private because no one likes to hear a female complaining about their menstrual cycle being heavy or its late or the cramps hurt, that’s just like a guy talking about how his balls stick to his legs when its hot outside, it’s a personal issue that don’t need to be advertised.
At first when Sam started talking about periods in class, I think everybody was a little taken aback and surprised. The way he was describing his wife’s period was a little too descriptive for a lot of the people in the class and everybody was just grossed out. I don’t think people really took the time to think about Sam’s point or why he was bringing it up. Yesterday in class, Sam brought up the point of men having periods. This was very interesting to me, because I never really thought of how the world would be different (especially when it comes to talking about periods) if men were the ones who “bled”. I agree with Sam that this would change EVERYTHING. Men would brag about when they were going through it and it would be something to be proud of and something that made them manly. Why then, should women feel like they need to hide it or feel embarrassed by periods? Why is getting your period one of the single most embarrassing things that could happen to you? In middle school, girls would go to school terrified that you would bleed through your pants and god forbid, letting other people know that you were on your period. It is a completely natural process and it really doesn’t make sense that girls are private about it. But that’s the way it is. Our world sees it as a “gross” thing that should be hidden. So it is NOT the same as your hair growing or having to cut your toenails, because our society has made it that way.
I feel comfortable discussing my menstrual cycle with my friends and my family, I just wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable announcing it to a classroom full of strangers, and that is probably because of the way periods are perceived by others. I think that a lot of people think of it as something you don’t discuss with strangers because it is “bathroom” talk. People don’t stand in front of a classroom and tell hundreds of strangers that they just used the bathroom, I feel like the period shyness is relatable to that. Using the bathroom is a natural process too, but it is not socially acceptable to announce that to strangers.
The original post asked the question, if men had periods would tampons be free? I agree with previous posters, when they say that tampons are a product and companies make a lot of money on them since they are a necessity, so I do not think they would be free. Some people brought up the point of condoms being practically free, but condoms are a necessity for both the man and woman. We are also in a time, where everybody is promoting safe sex, because there are social issues such as abortion rights and STDs. I think this is why condoms are promoted to regularly and are so easy to get. Tampons are not the same and they would not be free, no matter who was menstruating.
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Okay, let me start off by saying I do not think tampons would be free for everyone if men also got their periods. I mean, everybody goes to the bathroom and toilet paper isn’t free for everyone. You can’t just stroll into Giant and grab a bunch of rolls and walk out. It’s not like us paying for tampons is some giant male conspiracy where they’re like, “let’s stick it to the women by charging them six bucks a box for something they need to buy.” Just because men don’t experience something we do, it doesn’t mean we are being discriminated against.
Secondly, we don’t talk about periods because they’re disgusting. Yes, they are a part of life. But so is shitting. And we don’t all talk about what our shit looks like. So why Sam felt the need to talk about staring at his wife’s period in the toilet is beyond me. As a girl, I have no problem joking about period stuff with my female friends, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to bring them into the bathroom to stare at it. I get that it’s necessary to procreate, but that doesn’t make it not disgusting. Necessary or not, it’s just not a pleasant topic.
Also, I thought it was kind of out of line for Sam to ask girls who were menstruating on Tuesday to raise their hands. Knowing that it’s an uncomfortable topic, it was sort of awkward for Sam to ask these women to raise their hands. I get that his whole spiel is based on shock value and openness, but I also don’t really think he has the right to talk about the intimate details of his wife’s period. Regardless of whether or not she’s comfortable with it, I don’t think anyone really has the right to discuss the bodily functions of others. Just like I don’t want to hear about Sam’s boners, I’m sure the men in class didn’t want to hear about his wife’s “bleeding.”
There’s kind of an unwritten rule – girls will talk about periods with other girls because they understand. Boys can talk about penis-related things with other boys because they understand. I don’t have a penis so I’m not going to pretend to be well-informed about penis issues and discuss them with my guy friends. And if a guy asked how my period was that day, I would probably punch him in the face.
I know it’s probably not logical, but this is the way things are, and honestly, I don’t care if they don’t change. I’m happy not discussing periods openly. Sorry, Sam.
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To be honest I mean it is just not something I want to think about on my own let alone make the choice to take up my own personal time to learn more about it. If my girlfriend or whatever decides she wants to let me in on it and talk about it with me then fine I would do that. But I am not going to go around asking her a million and one questions about it just to learn for myself what is really going on. Because, and I am sure pretty much every guy in the class would agree with me, I like to think about that area on a girl in a much different context than when a girl is “bleeding”. Which by the way is a gross term to describe it as, even if that is what is actually going on, and I really hope other girls do not catch on to it. Kind of skeeves me out every time I hear it. Like I said I would not be against learning more about it if my girlfriend wanted me to know more about it, and it probably would be pretty beneficial to know what was going on. I mean it would help a lot of guys know when to be extra careful and prevent becoming an unplanned dad. So in that sense guys should know more about it. But I think I speak for most if not all guys when I say that this is not a topic we generally want to study or read about. I’ll stick to music and sports for my reading pleasure.
As far as the whole would tampons be free thing I do not really understand what that is all about. Just the fact that guys would need to use them does not have any effect on if they would be free or not. Of course they would still cost money it does not make any sense to think otherwise. Guys need, well maybe not need but do use condoms and they still cost money. And they are pretty damn expensive too. It is funny to joke about how it would be different with guys than it is with girls. Guys probably would talk about it a lot more differently than girls do and there would be a lot more bar fights. We find enough reasons as it is to get pissed at each other and to throw pms on top of that sounds like a recipe for disaster. I always thought girls were open about it with other girls though. At least from my experience I thought girls talked about it all the time. Regardless I’m sure glad I don’t have to deal with it. Until I get married probably that is.
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As much as they might object, I think me should be more educated about women's menstrual cycles. My reasoning is that I see menstruation as a natural part of the life cycle. They may disagree by saying it doesn't affect them, but in reality it does- we are all on this earth because due in part to the menstrual cycle. Yes it is an unpleasant time of the month, but from a mature standpoint it is actually a intelligently designed phenomenon, without which we would not have life. Although I don't think men will ever understand it completely unless they experience it themselves, I don't think it would hurt to better educate them, if not just to make the subject more comfortable and less taboo.
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I think it really comes down to the education and how we were brought up. In elementary school I think it was an avoided subject. In 5th grade the teachers had the dreaded sex talk with young minds and even then I didn't remember discussing the menstrual cycle. In school when we learned about sex and what needs to occur for it to take place. If the teachers weren't ready to talk about menstruation then there is no way that it can be a casual subject to many others. We never really learned about women and what they have to go through every so often, it was kind of dusted under the rug because our educators felt like it was a subject that didn't need to be talked about. All that was talked about was how the sperm would meet the egg. Even my parents never explained how periods would occur and I was in around 6th or 7th grade until I grasped the whole concept.
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I think it really comes down to the education and how we were brought up. In elementary school I think it was an avoided subject. In 5th grade the teachers had the dreaded sex talk with young minds and even then I didn't remember discussing the menstrual cycle. In school when we learned about sex and what needs to occur for it to take place. If the teachers weren't ready to talk about menstruation then there is no way that it can be a casual subject to many others. We never really learned about women and what they have to go through every so often, it was kind of dusted under the rug because our educators felt like it was a subject that didn't need to be talked about. All that was talked about was how the sperm would meet the egg. Even my parents never explained how periods would occur and I was in around 6th or 7th grade until I grasped the whole concept.
Also by reading through previous posts I agreed completely with what was said. I feel like many people particularly men would be feel very uncomfortable talking about it even though it’s a natural process. Looking around the class when Mr. Richards was delivering his lecture about "bleeding" the looks on all of the people’s faces especially the guys was total disgust. I really didn't understand though, in a way it’s just like any natural body function. I kind of feel like its pretty immature to immediately shut down a conversation that has to do with the human cycle of life. Like I read in a previous blog here a women said having her period was beautiful and I agree completely.
To try to answer the last point I don't think tampons would be free if men could get periods. Nothing is free in life and why would they make an exception for tampons. I could understand from another point of view though where women would think just because it applies for men to it wouldn't cost anything. Many women might feel that men have the upper hand in everything that is done and if an item was available for both it would without a doubt free.
To end what I'm saying on a positive note I think that this subject that shouldn't be left alone and it’s a part of life so why do many people deny it. Being a male I really didn't feel uncomfortable at all listening to what was occurring. Also when Sam used the example of male masturbation nobody said a word but if he talks about "bleeding", it’s uncalled for. I was glad to see this topic on the site because it really makes people think.
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Part 3
Like other things in the world today, people know of things that you just should not talk about. For example, pooping, vomiting, other “dirty” bodily functions, and yes even periods. I do not understand why though that such a natural and vital process such as the period has such an effect on a classroom and society. I do feel that if men had a period too then it wouldn’t be as such of a hard subject to talk about. I mean girls all the time talk about their periods to other girls because it is natural and they are comfortable hearing it. The second you talk about it to a male though they do not want to have anything to do with it. It is not their problem so they really just do not want to hear about it. I just really thought it was funny when this girl in class got on the mike and was mad saying does your wife know you talk about her period in class like that? Of course she has to know, what I do not understand is why that girls was getting so broken up about the matter. When it comes down to it it’s a natural process that unfortunately is necessary.
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It would be nice to know what exactly is going through your mind when you’re saying these things. Simply stating, why are guys not educated about menstrual cycles is very general. What evidence has led you to the assumption that men are uneducated about menstrual cycle?. As a guy, I’m personally very comfortable and aware of the menstrual cycle, and I think I could say the same for a lot of my guy friends. If anything, when Sam said his wife was bleeding, although the image was unnecessary, I think girls in the class responded more poorly than the guys. And no, tampons wouldn’t be free. If you’re making the comparison to free condoms you see every once in a while that’s plain ignorant. One item is for a systemic bodily function, while the other serves a sexual purpose. A correct comparison would be free female condoms; in that case, take as many as you want.
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The reason guys don’t want to discuss menstruation is because as natural as it is its still a private thing. It’s not that its disgusting to us its just kind of awkward to talk about. The only aspect that is talked about is the way girls act when they are on their period. Once in awhile when a girl is acting angry or annoyed I always here the “she must be on her period” comment. You can educate guys all you want but it’s still something that should be private. You can say I’m being closed-minded but I doubt a lot of girls want it to be a topic of conversation all the time.
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sorry this just has to be in pieces again…
I think what this girl was saying was pretty on point for the most part. Men do need to be more educated in this topic regarding a womans menstruation cycles because I feel like a lot of men have no idea about one thing regarding a womans monthly cycles. I guarantee if you did a survey and asked 100 guys on the street 5 basic questions about a woman’s period he would answer most of them wrong. I vividly remember “the movie” in 5th grade when the teacher separated the classroom from boys to girls and boys would watch a movie about their own body parts, and so would the girls. Not that I think boys should learn about this kind of stuff in 5th grade, but I think once they hit a proper and mature age, it is necessary to educate them. Perhaps if they were more educated about how menstrual cycles really work there wouldn’t be as many young pregnancies as there are.
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. I think that the reason guys are so grossed out and reluctant to talk about this subject is because we as women have been told to pretty much hide it ever since it began and that it is gross and all of this nonsense, which really isn’t fair to women because, why should we hide something that happens to us so regularly in our life and that effects us so much just because it “grosses YOU out.” Well hey sometimes it grosses me out too but it doesn’t mean I can make it just stop forever if I don’t talk about it for a while.
On the other hand I do think that things that happen to a women’s body are personal to some extent. I think a man has a right to know what happens in the health aspect of things but I really don’t think that I would go as far as saying, “do you want to come look at this?” because I think that is taking it a little too far and I see why guys might not want to actually witness something like that.
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. Also, if men had period every month tampons still would not be free just for the simple reason that nothing in this world is free, regardless of if men and women both need it.
I for one, think that it is just plain unfair that women have to do all of the dirty work such as go through something as terrible as a menstruation cycle every 28 days for 30-40 years of their lives on top of also having to be the ones to bear children. What do men have to do that even comes close to something like that?
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The use of condoms helps prevent against the spread of sexually transmitted diseases as well as the occurence of unplanned pregnancy. To me, this is a little more important in our sexualized society today than handing out free tampons. I mean, hey, I am a girl, I get it…tampons are expensive and very important as well, but the use of tampons does not keep a couple from and unplanned pregnancy in which there is a possibility of a child being born to unfit parents, or a child being murdered through an abortion. Condoms are not handed out because it is a man's world, in fact, condoms TAKE AWAY from a man's pleasure during sex, as I am sure most of us already know. So, yeah, it'd be nice having free tampons handed out, too, and it would save women a rushed trip to the store or a four dollars every month, but I don't think that that has much to do with it being a man's world. If this had anything to do with it being a man's world, razors, shaving cream, and Playboy magazines would be handed out for free, not condoms.
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I do not think that the reason why most men do not talk about a woman’s period is because it is not spoken about enough with them. I do not know if it is different any where else but I had my first sex education class in the sixth grade. We learned about it all there and then once every year after that until I hit high school. Women can believe it or not but most men do have the knowledge about a woman’s menstrual cycle. I know I do not have a problem with it being said in public or being mentioned to me because I have many girl friends that do not really have a care about it either. I know this is not normal for most people though because I know a lot of girls who hide the fact that it is that “time of the month” again.
Take my girlfriend for instance, she is not very comfortable talking about it at all as if she was embarrassed by it. I do not see what there is to be embarrassed about. It is your body taking the natural course that it is intended. It is completely normal and I know I cannot tell by looking, but I bet a lot of girls are going through the same period days as other girls. No girl is alone on her few days of bleeding every month. I think that today’s society has just made it so hard for woman to be able to speak out about their natural occurrences. Maybe some girls think it’s a sign of weakness that they need to bleed every month and that does not help with the rising power of woman. I do not know, that sounds a little ridiculous to me, I hope what I said is completely and utterly false.
I am very confused about this girl’s statement about what if guys had menstruations too, would tampons be free? Why would tampons be free? There is not anything that we as men get for free out of our natural ways, whatever that may be, so I do not see why anything would become free if we all had menstruations. Now if men did menstruate, I think that the grey area between men and women would dramatically thicken. It would definitely provide a similarity between men and women and we would start understanding more of what a woman has to go through. The thought of our own menstruation does bother me, no offense to women, because there is only one place it can come from and I’m just going to stop right there. Also, if men had their own menstruation, men would definitely manipulate it into their own masculine way of being an alpha male.
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How are we not educated on them? i mean we know what they are, how they work, and for some bio major or anyone that has taken a biology class you know whats going on. We may not experience it, but we know whats going on. So to say that we are not educated on it, i feel is kind of a slap in the face? do you know how it feels to have a boner? no, its pretty uncomfortable, and as far as your last question if we had periods would they be free, Hell no, its like gas! if it was a high demand for everyone, tampax would just raise the prices on that shit, and make money!
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Women want to know why men don't care or get grossed out by women's periods. In the general opinion, it doesn't happen to us so it's not something we can relate too. I honestly don't see this subject as a big deal on both sides. Women want men to understand periods and everything but we never will because it doesn't happen to us, on the other side with men who are grossed out by it – I understand because I personally think it's kind of gross but it's nothing to drastic. Any guy who has had a girlfriend long enough to experience what it's like when a girl goes through a few cycles knows. The be completely honest, women switch up when it comes to periods. I understand hormones and everything, whatever. Just because you’re on your period doesn't give you the right to be mad at the world. If it was just a physical thing then it would be whatever, no one would care and it wouldn't be a big deal. My only problem with women and there periods (not all but from my experience) is that when they are on their periods, they are going though their thing with cramps and all the other bodily effects but don't take it out on the world and feel the need to act rude just because something is happening to you. A girl told me that when she has her period it's like a couple days of bad days. Guys have bad days too, do what you got to do to get over it and when it’s done it's done. I'm not one to bash women and their whole period thing but for those women who are rude as hell and feel like their period is an excuse to be mad at the world it's like come on man. Whose fault is this? It's not ours nor is it yours. It's just something natural that has to happen. End of story.
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I like that this girl asked if tampons would be free if men could menstruate. This really helps me think about the “male dominance” in our society and the world all around. I think that tampons would probably be either a whole lot cheaper or provided for free if guys did get periods. Also, I agree with some of the posts that have been from the guys saying that the reason that men are so uncomfortable and uneducated about menstruation is because girls are not willing or too ashamed to talk about it. I do not see anything wrong with educating the guys as long as guys keep an open mind about it.
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I do not believe that men are uneducated about menstrual cycles. I could be wrong though because of course I do not talk about it with other men. However, it is like an unspoken rule to just not speak of the menstrual not really in fear but just out of tradition. It is a social norm and we know in America social norms are considered laws amongst the people. I am in no way saying it is right though. The ideology or question that if men had menstrual cycles tampons would be free is absurd! In that case any common necessity needed by both genders would be free.
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Alright so let me answer question one. Why aren’t men more educated about women’s menstrual cycles? Well I think the question implies that in general, men don’t know that much. I could be giving us more credit than we deserve but it seems to me that more “education” about the matter isn’t really going to change anything. Being more educated on the issue involves nothing more than a few minutes on Wikipedia and then you can probably know everything that you already wanted to know. Sure, there are certain pieces of information about how the cycles affects different women in different ways, but for the most part it is pretty straightforward. I don’t understand the reason to talk about it in the manner that was shown in class. Most people aren’t uncomfortable talking about things but you have to understand that it’s usually to easier to talk about it when it’s relevant. You know, like when there’s a reason to talk about it other than straight up shock value. Talking about a girl’s period can be likened to talking about your morning wood. It’s a natural body function that occurs with a certain regularity in a particular sex . But that doesn’t mean that the first reference that I make to something is a metaphor to my morning wood. I think that topics like this have their place, and if you want to talk about them, that’s ok. However, you have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. The general point that I want to make is that there is nothing wrong with you if you get a little uncomfortable talking about menstrual cycles in front of a couple hundred people, it just means that you have class. Second question: Would tampons be free if men had periods. Probably not, human biology tends to make a lot of money. Anything that affects a large population of people is too profitable to be made free. Think about it. Viagra is far from free, and that’s about as close as you can get to an equivalent. Granted, it really isn’t that close at all, but I think it illustrates the point that I am trying to make. Personally, I feel like we aren’t even talking about something relevant anymore. I understand the parallel between not wanting to talk about this and not wanting to talk about race because they both make people uncomfortable but are a reality. However, there are certain people that want to make issues out of nothing just to be different. It doesn’t make you an enlightened thinker or better individual, you just want to make everyone else uncomfortable so you can distinguish yourself from them.
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Wow, free tampons? That would be incredible. Unfortunately, I do not think that tampons would be free even if men could have menstrual cycles.
Really though, it is important that men understand what is going on with menstrual cycles. I don't think that the majority of men really understand the hormonal changes that occur and the dramatic effect they have on a woman's body. I know many elementary schools start teaching their students about sex education in fifth grades, and I think it is very important. But I think that by drawing a boundary around it and labeling it "sex education" allows it to be more stigmatized. I say that they just incorporate the material into biology/science classes and make it a regular part of the curriculum. They sooner they learn about it, the more at ease they are when they start encountering "blleeding" girls.
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When you try and talk about your menstrual to men they automatically just stop you and say that they don’t want to hear it or its nasty. But it’s natural for women to menstruate like so many other things that humans do. I feel that most men aren’t mature enough to have a conversation about women’s body and how it works if it doesn’t pertain to them. But that’s not to say that there aren’t those men that will have a conversation about a women’s menstrual. For some reason its taboo like talking about how much people make on the job.
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If men could menstruate I do not think that tampons would be free, but I think that it would be something we cared about a lot less. Men buy condoms and they are not free, which is a good thing to argue about because it’s something a man uses you would think they would be free right? So maybe we aren’t so unfair to gender when it comes to this. Maybe we never thought about it that way, so should tampons be free for girls and condoms be free for guys. This is something we could think about when it comes back to gender.
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In response to the girl’s final question, would tampons be free if men had menstrual cycles too? Personally, I think this is kind of a stupid question because they obviously would not be free. We pay for everything else that girls and guys use in common. Everyone uses tissues, and we pay for them. Plus, only guys wear condoms and those are not free. You always have to pay for everything, so assuming free tampons would come about if and only if men had menstrual cycles is a silly question. Like Sam said, if men menstruated, it definitely would be more open to talk about but nothing to the extent of free tampons. While yes, men have it easier than women when it comes to periods and such, but it is much harder for them in the long run. Saying men are not “educated” about it is a rationalization. Honestly, there is not too much complexity to periods. It is pretty simple, and not very difficult for anyone to understand. Even though men do not want to talk about it does not mean they are not educated. Yeah, they may not be aware of the actual feeling, with lack of a better word, of it, but it does not mean they do not understand it. Men especially understand the PMS side of it, mostly because they have to bear the grunt of it. Girls usually do not notice other girl’s bitchiness since they have it too, while boys.. well they notice it. I almost feel bad for them because there really is not anything they can do. They can not yell at you for being bitchy since you are pms-ing since you can’t help it. And in response to everyone’s reactions about how they should not be weirded out about periods. Honestly, yeah they are natural and all, but it is gross. I think it is gross and I get periods. So why is it so so bad that boys think it is gross too? It is not like it is disrespectful to us. I do not understand why we always blame boys for being freaked out. It is not their fault. Other bodily functions are gross too, why do we not yell at anyone for saying that is gross ? It all just seems like such a stupid issue to debate about and make into a whole ordeal. It really is not worth it. Men need to stop being blamed about not wanting to talk about periods. I do not want to either so stop saying they are sexist. It is not a big deal, how is it really impacting your life, talking about periods? Bottom line is, it is not.
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Firstly, I feel like men are as educated as necessary. I would argue most men are considerate of girls during their period and are aware of the hormonal changes taking place. Furthermore, why would tampons be free if men had periods, is toilet paper free. no. Also, I feel like girls dont really want guys talking about periods. Most girls i have spoke to prefer to have it as a conversation amongst female friends, as 'guys will never know what its like.
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Ok first off men will never talk about a woman’s menstrual cycle, so don’t expect us to ever learn much that way, these kinds of things really don’t interest us. In fact, they can kind of repulse us cause, well… no one wants to picture that their playground is covered in blood. I guess that is one way to put it. It is really hard to explain exactly what it is about that time of month that has men so repulsed to talk about, or hear being talked about, but there definitely is something.
The interesting part is how most women have succumbed to our request to keep these matters and talks out of our ears. When was the last time you were with a group of male and females and one of them started talking about their period to all the guys. We have established this as a turnoff move, and a lot of women have taken and respected it. There are just some things that are just not talked about amongst the opposite sex, and this is one of them. I don’t mind it being brought up the way it was in class, where it is for educational purposes, but when I’m into a girl and talking to her, the last thing I want to hear about is a vivid description of what happens once a month.
Now if guys did menstruate I would be scared for this world. I couldn’t imagine how much anger would be present in this world. With a combination of this century’s steroid problems, and the amount of male athletes using this much substances and putting more testosterone into their systems, as well as a menstruation cycle once a month to up their emotions, this world could be in for a new look of anger and violence. Though it was funny to hear Sam Richards comment about guys bragging about how big their tampon is, I am glad that this isn’t the case and that this isn’t something that I personally have to do once a month.
Though I get to have the added bonus of being a guy and not having to go through this, I do feel that guys do have a responsibility once a month when they are with their female counterpart. Having been in a 4 year relationship and another 2 and a half year one, I have had many months in which I knew not to piss my girl off. This is our job. We’re supposed to support them, we’re supposed to help them. That’s my deal to the women out there. You tell me when I need to be extra nice, and I will, just please do me a favor and don’t describe it to me, don’t show me it, and flush after using.
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I’m not sure why anyone would think tampons might be free if men had periods. How many commercial products in this world are actually free? Both males and females who smoke pay for cigarettes, they get their hair cut, pay for doctor appointments and parking tickets. The list goes on and on, so when it comes to something natural like menstruation, I can’t imagine tampons would be free for males. Actually if you’re a girl, you probably have a decent chance of getting a free meal on a date, so we could argue about who gets a better deal sometimes. Business is business and people want to make money and aren’t going to give away things for free just because there might be a gender-related issue attached to them.
I remember when I was in fifth grade, we had the first of several (in school) “lessons” about sex and the human body. I think because this occurred at a relatively young age for us, we didn’t really take it that seriously, and at the time thought about sex and specific body parts as a disturbing topic to discuss. The next time I can remember sexual reproduction was taught to us was in high school health class. Even then, we were pretty immature about it, which is probably not that surprising. We tend to act like idiots sometimes to mask feeling embarrassed or stupid about a topic.
Obviously women have a better understanding about periods than men do, since it does happen to them after all. Most guys probably figure that girls don’t want them to know about something like that, because it’s personal and sort of a taboo topic. You don’t chat about it standing in line at McDonalds or read stories about it in the newspaper. Growing up, kids get the message that it’s kind of off-limits in regular conversation. We learn to be grossed out at the thought of it. In a similar way, even something as simple and natural as sweating isn’t something that I would want to talk about with a girl. Yes, obviously girls sweat as well, but go outside on a hot day here at Penn State and I guarantee that you will notice sweat marks on the guys a lot more than the girls. Girls just look and smell better than guys do when they sweat.
If women really want men to know everything there is to know about periods (which I doubt), then okay; but don’t expect every man to be totally comfortable with it at first. And just because we might know everything about it wouldn’t mean that we’d completely understand what women go through. As it is, we also don't really understand what women go through during pregnancy and childbirth … but that’s another topic. Basically, I think we should probably just give girls some support and sympathy if it helps with all this.
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Just as Prof. Richards was talking about in class on how we live in a male dominated if men went through the same menstrual cycles as women endure there is no doubt in my mind that there would be an endless amount of special treatment in favor of them. For example, in the workplace a men could be picked over an equally qualified women because she has to deal with her monthly cycle and because she could possibly get pregnant and be out of commission for an extended period of time. Even as a man who happens to get the advantage of these situations I feel it is extremely wrong. Even though every is weary of what women have to go through, I think the public partially ignores it and does that purposefully for the most part. We all know what goes on, and we all know that there are many times when it is just not possible for a women to go to work, or take care of other errands. I feel like as a society we need to understand the hardship of what women go through and give them proper absentees to help them. I understand that I am making this look like an easy solution to a problem that is fair beyond trial, but I believe we can come up with a reasonable way to handle this circumstance instead of acting completely oblivious to what is going on. It also still baffles me how men are still disgusted and irritated by these human function, maybe it is because I grew up with an older sister and a mother who was very open with me but I see this cycle as a very celebrated action, instead it is frowned upon and women frequently hide and go to great lengths to hide there cycle when it rolls around.
Back to the question that was presented on what if men menstruated. If we did I think it would not be anything like it is today, I believe we would be much more open to everything that comes with it. On the other side I think it would cause a lot of chaos, I think to solve a problem like this we just need to raise awareness for it being a normal function and not thinking about what would happen if men had the same cycles. I know that women are definitely not the most fun people to be around when they are going through their period but all men need to respect what they go through and help them go through what can be a extremely difficult time for a women. Don’t get me wrong there are many men who do support their significant others but not nearly enough and I think that is something that needs to happen in this male dominated society.
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I would first just like to say this is a good question to be risen up. If men did have more knowledge about female bodies and about how their menstrual periods worked then the world would probably see females in a whole different way and not only that women would actually get more sympathy then they deserve when they are on their periods. I am glad that I am a male and I don’t have to go thru periods like women do and have to go through cycles, and get angry at times over little things. My point that I want to make clear is that if men knew more about how the female menstrual cycle worked and the phases that women go thru at this time men would be more understanding of their female counterparts. Also if females were more out spoken about this and gave men the knowledge about what they go thru and what actually a menstrual cycle is more men would gain this knowledge also if a man hears it from his female counterpart then he will feel more comfortable when she is in her period and will understand why he is getting yield at, at times for no reason, and the reason for her random questions that make no sense and if they are answered incorrectly most of the time she may blow a fuse and go off on you. But it was really funny to me how u ended the question with the tampon issue. That is actually a good question and I see many places as well giving out free condoms and he have condom co-ops in school, and other things that favor men and their sexual activity, yet we have never seen a female getting free tampons, and or having tampon co-ops or what not. Do I think this is right well after actually getting this question raised no it absolutely wrong, if a man is getting offered free condoms just for his sexual pleasure and having safe sex with it then why can’t a female get free tampons for something that is happening to her body naturally and that she is not doing for her pleasure. Come on people this really is a little messed up we should give are female counterparts some help with their problems. And when it comes to the exact question if men did have periods would tampons be free, yes I think they would because society is still the same though it has grown a little it is still in favor of men, and men still get the upper hand in many things, just like free condoms like I said before and women don’t get that much help from society, though they are the ones that deserve it.
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Well let me start off by saying that me as a man am not interested in learning about woman's menstrual cycles. I believe that the whole idea of blood coming out of a woman's vagina is disgusting. Because lets be honest when us men think about a woman's vagina we think about something else. And even though we know that blood comes out of the vagina just thinking about it makes us feel sick because its honestly gross. I mean i don't mind it as long as i don't have to see it or be around it. I grew up with two woman in my household so I've seen more than enough tampons in pads for a lifetime.
Im glad to be a man because we don't have to experience that discomfort and mess every month. But if we also did have a menstrual cycle than my life would be so much different. I cant imagine having to have to deal with the pain and the mess that woman have to go through. I know sam said it was a beautiful thing but i beg to differ. I think its pretty nasty and the only time im glad to hear about a period is when my girl says shes gotten it after a scare. I know that might be wrong on my behalf to think of it like this but im only being honest. But when my girl does have it i make sure to help her out in any way that i can to make her feel more comfortable. Because i know enough about the menstrual cycle to know that when it is a girls time of the month that she probably isn't happy and could use some cheering up. So i make sure to do my best and make my girl feel good.
I know its a part of nature so thats why i don't really mind it. But just thats its blood coming out of that part of a woman's body is what makes me nauseous and gag. But like i said before as long as i don't see it or i don't have to be around it im perfectly fine with it going on. And woman do an excellent job in hiding it. Because you cant walk around on campus pointing out girls who have there period because there is no way for you to know that unless you know that person. And as far as if men had there periods and tampons being free. I highly doubt that they would be. It doesn't make any sense because there is a lot of things that both men and woman do and we don't get free stuff to help us. Like for example all of us use the bathroom. Why don't the give out free toilet paper than? It just wouldn't make any sense for the companies to make tampons free for everyone.
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Its an interesting question but I don't think gender has anything to do with tampons being free or not. Men use condoms and they aren't free. Both tampons and condoms are necessary in life and we pay for things we need. Men are reluctant to talk about bleeding because it disgusts them when they imagine a sex organ they desire and fantasize about dripped in blood. Most men enjoy sexual intercourse and it's very hard to accept the fact that women go through a cycle every month. Its society's fault in teaching us that menstrual cycles are not matters to discuss in out everyday life.
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I think I am pretty well educated on the women’s menstrual cycle. I have a girlfriend and she always reminds me when she starts bleeding and I know to be extra nice because she gets ticked more easily than for the rest of the month. If men went through the same things as women tampons would probably not be free. If there was a easily used female condom that could be cheaply and effectively made then it would be free. Tampons I do not think would ever be free. Tampons do not prevent pregnancy of prevention of sexually transmitted diseases so it would not be in the public’s interest to give away tampons even if the same bleeding cycle occurred with men. With some of my guy friends they sometimes run on a 28 day cycle with their emotions. They can get really irritable sometimes and I think they act like a woman on her period. Most of the time I do not really recognize any period type cycle of irritability with my guy friends. Some of my girl friends can seem to have a wide range of emotion during the month however they never really tell me when they are on their period and I never really ask. If men had menstrual cycles there would be a lot more advertisements for drugs to fix the emotional baggage that comes along with the period. There would be more drugs to stop periods with fewer side effects and less risk for cancer from the chemical interactions. Drugs would be very much more heavily invested because men rule the world. If men had menstrual cycles there would a more days off during the month for special time to recover from the menstrual cycle and to get away from the stresses of work and other people. Men would have more access to tampons at work kind of like the condom and Advil machines. However that is already available in women’s restrooms so it is not much special. Men would be able to take time out of their day to cool down from emotion and stress during their period too. Men would be able to get off from work for pregnancy more so than women today if it were possible. Also men would have more access to child care during work and after work. Men would be able to take care of their privacy concerns without being secretive about it of being embarrassed at work. They would joke about it just as much as we joke about jacking off. We joke about it we don’t talk about when we did it last or anything like that. Just the general concept of it. Men would joke about periods just as much about everything else.
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In my country, it is one of four duties for men to serve in military and it once became an issue between feminists and some groups of men. Those men claimed that women need to serve the military for relatively shorter time in terms of equality while feminists claimed that women give births and have periods in their lives. When the congress considered giving extra points for job applicants who finished their military service, these feminists resist it reasoning that it is unfair. If men experience the periods, then women would have to serve in the military. That sounds very fair
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to address the issue of education for men on menstruation just look at our cultural issues with sex . we never really get the education we should. people in this country are sexually repressed in comparison to other country's and that is why men don't get the education we need to understand menstruation. also as a guy It's really not something we want to think about because it's a system of the body that relates to baby's and sex and neither of those subjects is all that fun when you think about the process of how they work. I don't mind the idea of the education for everyone to understand the systems of the body. the culture we live in just isn't ready to see the female body in that sort of light very often. as to if men menstruated would tampons be free? i figure that they would be just for the convenience, sure it's a double standard but that's the world we live in.
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I think this has a lot to do with the whole abstinence only mentality in schools. Schools don't want to talk about sex and sexual organs and anything involving it when both parties are present because then that would break the whole vow of silence they have going on. To get slightly off topic: it would probably keep kids from having sex. The best you can do is be as informed as possible. Periods are like the grown up version of cooties. I don't think you can make guys care about it before it really affects them (e.g. when having kids) but they should at least know what's involved in it. Empathy is hard to accomplish in this situation but I'd feel a heck of a lot better about it if guys had some inkling about what was going on. I'd be terribly impressed if they knew more about my bodily functions than I did.
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I think it’s interesting that this subject of menstruation acceptance became such a heated topic in class, and now has leaked onto the blog. I’ve always had sort of an uneasiness about it, dating back to when my mom used to go through it. She talked openly about it, and it was something that back then I didn’t really understand and was kind of disgusted by. And now, my girlfriend goes through it. I always kind of joke with her about it, and how just saying the word “period” is a struggle. When I refer to it, I usually say other phrases like “that time” and “the cycle.”
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The girl in this video asks why men aren’t more educated about the menstruation cycle. I think that answer is simple. Nobody ever teaches or makes an effort to teach men about it. I think part of the reason me and many other men are uncomfortable with it is because of how unfamiliar and mysterious it is to us. What does it feel like? How bad does it hurt? How do you know when it’s about to start? How do you know when it’s completely done? How much blood is it? All that men really know is that women bleed down there, it lasts for something like 4-5 days, and it’s a big hassle and it frustrates women. Nobody teaches adolescent males about the more specific details of menstruation, and it’s certainly not a part of the health class curriculum in high school. Of course, men are at fault a little for not being very inquisitive about it, but who are we supposed to ask anyway? It’s an uncomfortable subject to bring up to female family members and friends.
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It’s going to be an uncomfortable subject no matter what, because it has to do with sexual organs. This is why I disagreed with what Sam said about it being no different from someone’s hair or toe nails growing, or someone becoming hungry. Sure, it’s a function of the body, but it has to do with the private parts! Those other examples are located nowhere close to a person’s “machinery.” That’s why Sam is right in saying that if women suffered periods at their finger tips then it wouldn’t be as uncomfortable a topic. Well of course, because a woman’s fingers are very different than a woman’s vagina. Women don’t walk around showing off their vagina like they do their fingers because the vagina is a reproductive organ and is private. It’s hidden under clothes, unlike fingers, toes and hair. People aren’t comfortable discussing vaginas, so it’s pretty clear why people also aren’t comfortable talking about the time of the month when a woman’s vagina bleeds.
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I feel like tampons would not be free. Its not like band-aids are free. Its not like condoms are always free. Men are not that endowed with knowledge of the cycle because that is now what we talked about when the boys and girls were separated for health class and sex education. Men will have a rather difficult time to get to know about the cycle. It is not something that men usually bring up in normal conversation. This probably stems from a feeling that we should not talk about feminine things and problems. Men are not inclined to talk about what women feel and this is certainly a big problem. Women should be understood completely.
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It is absurd to think that tampons would be free if men menstruated. Nothing in this world is free. Water, food, and shelter are all necessities for man, however all of which have a price tag. Same would be so for tampons. Men need condoms, are they free? Not unless you’re walking through the HUB on the right day. It is not a matter of Sex and any female that says so is just ignorant. I have much respect for females when they aren’t spitting out ridiculous ass accusations of a MAN’s world. When push comes to shove some people and genders were made to do different tasks then other, it’s biological, not sexist. However why am I even entertaining the idea. I know that in the real world men really don’t even care. They will continue to mask their opinions and mute their voices in order to maintain their manly image and their superiority. Regardless of the opposition’s argument, there is not point men will stand strong and won’t change much. That’s just the way it is. Its sad to say, but it’s more then true.
When I think about what it means to be a man, I think of Rocco’s Man Speech in Boondock Saints 2: All Saint’s Day, “… Don’t smoke, don’t drive fast, Kiss my ass! Fuck it do it all I say, do you think duke wayne spent all his time talking about his feelings to a fucking therapist, There’s no fucking way he did. John Wayne died with 5 pounds of undigested red meat in his ass, now that’s a man. Real Men hide their feelings, why? Because it’s none of your fucking business! Men do not cry, men do not pout, Men jack you in the fucking jaw and say, Thanks for coming out.” If you haven’t seen the movie, at least look up the speech itself, its very much so closer to the truth than anything else I’ve ever seen depicted. I give complete credit to Troy Duffy and his producers for such an accurate scene.
Back on the idea of a period. Lets just agree not to talk about it in a public setting. Sure it’s a natural occurrence but so is vomiting, shitting, and pissing. However, we don’t go around shitting wherever we please now do we? As a matter of fact, there are laws against such, grotesque actions. Just because it happens against your will doesn’t mean we would love to hear about it. Keep your personal life and the contents between your legs to yourself. Unless you do enjoy spreading your legs to the lot of the community, then I can’t help you. All in all, if you think it MIGHT be inappropriate to talk about, then it probably is. Trust me, men know all about it. We just choose not to discuss it.
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I believe men aren't educated step by step about periods but they have some sort of brief knowledge. I would believe the reason why they don't know as much as women do is because it really doesn't effects them as an individual. They don't have to bleed so why would they have to know? Indeed this issue is jacked up. But, at the same time for an example why would you need to know about the Canadian government and you live in America? If the issue has nothing to do with you why do and would you care? In some aspect its not there fault.
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I think part of the reason a lot of men don't understand menstruation begins with separating kids during initial sex education. By separating kids, it shows them that they should keep the information they're learning to themselves or within their own gender. Everyone should know how every other person's body works. By understanding that it's just a natural normal bodily function, men can learn how to deal with it better. Another part of the problem is that a lot of men don't care. I'll admit, I fall into this category. That's cool that you're bleeding every month, but I honestly just don't care to know about it. However, having a girlfriend who is generally open about it has taught me a lot. When she'll tell me about how things work, I'll say to myself "Wow that's really freakin' cool" and then likely ask a question about something I don't understand. I think everyone should take a page out of sam's book and just realize that nothing can be offensive if you don't let anything offend you.
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I dont think tampons would be free. If men had a period, it would be normal to them. They would not even ponder having free tampons. It is something that we need, therefore it is not free. Men and women both need items and they are not free. However, I understand why you asked. I think it is a men's world and if men suddenly up and got their period, they would want it to be free because this was something new to them. But since men don't have a period and never will, I don't think the issue of free tampons is important. This brings me to my next point. I dont -think men should have to be in-depth educated about periods. I think that health classes gave a general idea of what is happening and what is going on and I think that is fine. Personally, I dont even know everything and it happens to me. Thats like saying as a girl I need to know the inner working of a penis. I'm never going to have one so why does it really matter?
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I do not think tampons would be free. They are not free for us, and we need them so why would they be free for men? i understand that you are probably hinting at since it is a man's world that they would alter it some way that they would be free but even then that is not true. Men and women both need shoes and they are not free. Also, I do not think men need to be in-depth educated about periods. I think they should know the general concept but why need to know details? It doesnt happen to them so why should they need to know? I get one every month and I dont know a lot of things about it. That is like asking humans to know the inner workings of bird mating. It doesnt happen to us so why do we need to know?
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I don't think that guys aren't educated enough in a woman's menstrual cycle. For the most part, every guy has had to deal with sex ed in high school and should know (even if they didn't pay attention) about a woman's cycle. And on top of that, guys in college definitely know about a girl's cycle because they never want to hear the fateful words, "I'm late…" So, I think that for the most part, that a guy knows about a woman's menstrual cycle and more or less what it entails. They may not know the exact specifics, like someone who has a biology background (hell, women themselves may not even know the specifics), but they more or less have an idea about what is going on. Granted though, there are definitely some guys out there who are clueless and you can't really blame anyone but them. The information is readily available if they want to access it, but they probably don't care enough to know.
And you're asking why guys don't go talking about it more? Well, coming from a guy, I don't go up to one of my buddies and ask "Hey, let's talk about girls' periods." We just don't talk about it with each other, basically because it doesn't really mean anything to us. I also would say it's just something we don't feel like discussing. Do girls walk around telling their friends, "Hey, let's talk about boners today." I don't mind talking to a girl about it if she wants to discuss it, but in my experience, there are VERY rare occasions when a woman is willing to talk a man about her period, probably because she thinks he will get grossed out and just not understand where she's coming from. I wouldn't get grossed out, but at the same time, it's like what Sam said about how white people know what being white is, whereas black people just can't grasp what it is to be white. Guys can't full comprehend what it's like to have a menstrual cycle and what it's like to deal with having your period and what it's like to have to plan everything around a 28 day or so cycle. We can empathize, sure, but we can't fully get it. Maybe that's why girls should just be straight up with their boyfriends or whatever and just talk to them about it. Just like women can't relate to having the old random boner or morning wood. Sure, women can guess what it's like, and even say "how can you relate those two, what happens to me is not something pleasant." And you are very right about that fact, but it's the principle of the fact that I'm trying to make of not being able to relate and you can't 100% full understand what it's like to deal with that because you're not a guy.
And tampons should be free, just like condoms.
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Well first of all, if women talked about it more then maybe men would know more about it… but to be honest my first choice for a topic of conversation with my guy friends would just not be about whether or not I’m bleeding at the time. Why do men need to know about it in the first place? It doesn’t affect them either way, their knowledge of the subject or lack thereof doesn’t make women bleed more or less often (excuse the graphic nature of that sentence). I mean seriously, men just really do not want to know about women’s menstrual cycles. I live in a house with seven girls, and we don’t go around discussing our periods for fun. Sure, it is definitely a much more accepted conversation amongst only girls rather than if boys are in the mix, and honestly I completely understand that. Men aren’t educated because one, they do not want to be, and two, because they simply do not need to be. Personally, as a girl, there was no way I was going to raise my hand in class when Sam asked what girls were “bleeding” at the time, even if I had been. I’m not an awkward person, I don’t get uncomfortable that easily, and I wasn’t all that uncomfortable when Sam was doing his period speech, but I just found it pretty much unnecessary. It has absolutely nothing to do with “Race and Ethnic Relations,” and I understand the idea of shock value to grab the class’s attention, but nonetheless I really found it strange and unnecessary for lack of a better word. And as for the comment in the video post about men talking about it more then it would not be as weird, I would have to disagree. As a general rule, (and I know there are exceptions but for the majority), men hate talking about women’s periods! It grosses them out, it is a taboo of sorts when it comes up in conversation. And I really can’t say I blame them. Talking about it more would just make more men feel more uncomfortable, and I really don’t think that one conversation versus twenty concerning the menstrual cycle of their female counterparts would make a man more comfortable with the subject of a female’s monthly “bleeding” (as Sam likes to call it). As for the “free tampons” comment, I’m not sure if that was a joke or meant seriously, but I’ll answer it nonetheless. No, there wouldn’t be free tampons if men needed them too. Men and women have a majority of the same needs, like food, shelter, water, shampoo, toothpaste, etc, and none of these things are even remotely free. Basically, I just found the period conversation a little bit annoying, for lack of a better word, and I’m a female, so I can’t even imagine what the males in the class were feeling. I was sitting with my friend, who is a guy, and he was completely disgusted and I really couldn’t blame him.
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I think that this is a very odd question. If men got their periods each month like women do, I do not think that tampons would free. Just like Sam Richards said in class, “bleeding” is a natural bodily function just like sweating and getting hungry are. Both men and women sweat and get hungry, but deodorant and food are not free! There are so many things in life that men and women need but must still pay for.
I think that it was such a shock for the class when Sam brought up this topic because it is rarely ever talked about outside of the “women’s circle”. Women talk about it with their girlfriends all of the time but never in public with men around. That is why it was strange for everyone. Because men do not get their periods each month, they will never fully understand what it is like. However, I think that mature men acknowledge that it is natural for women and not something that is gross or funny.
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This question is simply retarded. Men would never menstruate, and it would never be the case. Yes it is difficult for women because they menstruate, but that is simply the way it is. If women didn’t menstruate, they couldn’t bear children and we wouldn’t be here at all. I think it is a good thing that this happens. Men should have to understand a women’s struggle that happens every 30 something days. It seems like men have it easy. We don’t have to go through as much day to day pain as women do. I think we should take into consideration what women go through.
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I know that men and women do not talk about a womens period together but I feel as if their are things that men do not talk about with women and it is not made into a big deal. There is a reason as to why men are men and women are women and we all have things that are not discussed to eachother. As sam said in class when he goes abroad sometimes he just wants to be with people like him, Americans. Well sometimes men just need to be with men and women need to be with women. I dont know if i am missing something I just do not understand what men having their period has to do with tampons being free. Men eat and food isnt free? I like that their is a distinction between men and women and we have something that they dont and they have things that we do not, such as a penis. I think we should educate men so that they are not disgusted when women discuss their periods and feel the need to flee the room but we have to realize they will just never menstruate. (feb 12)
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I think more men are educated about periods than people think. For example my dad knows just as much as my mom. He was the one who explained what was happening to me when I got mine. I think people think men don’t know about periods because they don’t talk about bleeding and I think they don’t talk about it because they think women will be embarrassed or feel uncomfortable about men talking about bleeding. Free tampons would be so great, but I don’t think they would be free if men had periods but maybe they would be cheaper since twice as many people would need them.
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Men do not talk about the women menstrual cycle because many women are embarrassed by there period. They do not want to be bothered, touched. Talked to or anything while they are on their menstrual cycle. If men had a menstrual cycle it would be bragged about and constantly and glorified as if a man just lost his virginity. They can not stop talking about that interaction until it happens again; similar to if men had a menstrual cycle. As a man I do not think the menstrual cycle is weird, it’s natural. Females just need to step seeing it as such a bad thing. Although men do not understand the pain and torment that women go through during their menstrual cycle, we are able to understand as much as they tell us.
And on the question if men had a period tampons would not be free, advertiser will have a field day with selling tampons and pads. Saying things like “only for strong men” and things like that. In order for women to be able to talk to men about their menstrual cycle with men they must be more open to when they are on there period. Women act like it is the end of the world when they get their period and sometimes it can get annoying. For example, when a girl just changes the way she acts all of a sudden I think they should give the men a warning before they start getting mad and pissed off for no apparent reason.
I believe older women have a better way at handling their period; they are more understanding than younger women. I agree that some men need to be more mature about women’s period. Even though it is natural some men see it as a bit disgusting to just walk in the bathroom and just see blood everywhere. To us men it is not natural. Maybe men should be schooled at a young age about the female menstrual cycle; if this is done when we get older women’s period will be less disgusting and more just a regular thing.
If men were to get periods females were to act the same way as males act now, that it is disgusting and unusual, and that we should keep it private, because it is a private issue with the human body. Although it is perfectly normal it should be kept private because no one likes to hear a female complaining about their menstrual cycle being heavy or its late or the cramps hurt, that’s just like a guy talking about how his balls stick to his legs when its hot outside, it’s a personal issue that don’t need to be advertised.
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