Wednesday 13 August 2014

Totally gross, but I've had enough

No one likes to talk about the female menstrual cycle.  It's the most disgusting week of the month, in more ways than one. 

First off, the sanitary industry seems to be under the idea that all women use tampons.  Tampons are great, and they do help alleviate 90% of the mess involved.  However, there are women like myself who can't use tampons.  Some women have suffered from Toxic Shock Syndrome, making it dangerous for them to use tampons.  Then there are women like me for whom symptoms such as cramps, vomitting and headaches are made worse by the use of tampons.  So we're stuck using pads, which in the main are often poorly equipped to handle the job.  It's all become about making things thinner, which doesn't bode well for those of us who rely on them heavily - especially at night.

Then there is the price.  For a decent pack of high-absorption pads you're looking at $7-$10 a pack.    This also affects males who are incontinent too - if they want a pair of incontinence underwear, they're looking at paying at LEAST $13 a pack (of about 8-10 pairs), and even then, I can tell you from experience that the underwear isn't as good as it sounds - it still leaks and smells.

My first question is, how hard is it to make sanitary items that work?  My slightly bigger gripe is, why do we all have to pay a premium just to feel clean?  It's not the nicest subject to bring up, but it's something that affects everyone.

Friday 1 August 2014

#womenagainstfeminism - I'm not sure I agree

Browsing news.com.au while watching the swans murderate the dons, I stumbled across this article, and it concerns me greatly.

#WomenAgainstFeminism goes viral as people explain why they don't need feminism anymore

If these women feel like they're getting a fair deal in their lives, then I am happy for them.  However, while they seem to be happy, there are still women in this world who are being oppressed, even in our Western society. 

I believe that a person should be judged on their merits, words and actions, not on their gender or sexuality.  Unfortunately there are still people, both male and female, who insist on treating women as lesser than their male counterparts.  While this happens, then there is still a requirement for something like feminism to exist.  Evidence of this is in fact in some of these photos.






This photo really annoys me.  Who is this woman to demonise a woman for being sexually free?  What business is it of hers what a women does with whom in her own bedroom?  Who is she to judge someone who gets an abortion?  Anyone who uses the word "slut" to demonise a women who likes sex seriously needs to get over themselves.  No one should feel shamed for their sexuality, whether they're hetro, homo, bi, trans, sexually available or waiting for that special someone.  Your sexuality is your own, and no one should ever have a say about it.



I look at this one and shake my head. It's not feminism that's "defiles" the dream of becoming a stay-at-home wife, it's non-feminist men and women who think that a stay-at-home mother is less of a person than them because they get to stay at home all day and their work is unpaid.  Until stay-at-home parents are no longer looked down upon, someone needs to take a stand.

 
Again with the shaming of women for their sexuality and having a go at abortions!  What a women does with her body is her own business, whether it's having sex or having abortions.  Who are we to judge each other?


Hey, YOU might be happy with being underpaid, but I have to support myself as I live alone.  If I do the same work as someone else, whether they are male or female then I want to be paid just as much as them, 100%!

There are people, men and women, on both sides of the argument who push things too far, and who do really hate the other gender and want to dominate over them.  But I'd say the vast majority do want a world where people aren't judged on their gender.  Things like this don't help attain this goal at all.