There are far, far too few men in this world who are taught about the female reproductive system, and not nearly enough who take it upon themselves to learn, either. They make faces and ewww when their sisters, friends, or partners talk about their periods or all of the cr*p that goes along with it.
They brave delivery rooms, but only because they feel as if they have to, and the things they see in there they don’t want to discuss or really remember at all.
https://twitter.com/BethanyJLeee/status/1204487555376398341
Understanding and education are important, though, especially if we ever hope to totally dispel the odd but persistent cultural idea that menstruation – the thing that allows for the survival of the species – is somehow any dirtier or grosser than any other human bodily function.
Enter TikTok, the latest “it” social media platform for the younger set – and this really interesting, educational video on why women get cramps along with their monthly period.
@instituteofhumananatomyPERIOD CRAMPS!! Swipe over to our bio page to find our YouTube channel! #period #science #biology #education #todaywelearned #youshouldknow♬ original sound – instituteofhumananatomy
The video, which has 4 million views and counting, was posted by The Institute of Human Anatomy, run by physician’s assistant Jonathan Bennion, MBA Jeremy Jones, and massage therapist Justin Cottle. The vid is definitely in line with their mission of educating the public about human anatomical functions.
Jeremy Jones spoke with Buzzfeed about their business and mission.
“We believe that people should have access to this knowledge in order to help them better understand how their body works, make informed choices about their health, and to inspire people to pursue careers that will help other people live happy and healthy lives.”
He also said this particular video was inspired by the fact that they get many, many questions about the female menstrual cycle from both men and women.
“Women obviously have to deal with this frequently, so we thought it would be great to explain what was going on during just one part of this cycle.”
Fun Fact, the Institute of Human Anatomy has a TikTok 😀https://t.co/9j1AWWhERT
— AmbyLotl 🐖COMMS OPEN🐖 (@ambycomrade) January 14, 2020
Which is awesome, because even though it’s true that men largely are not educated, the sad truth is that there are also women out there who don’t understand how their bodies work and why they do what they do.
If we expect people to be responsible for the functions and products of their own bodies, the least we can do is make sure they understand how they work, and what the consequences of certain actions will always be.
Don’t you think?
Thanks, TikTok!