Monstruating: A Continuation of "Generalizations"

Just recently I watched an episode of Modern Family, a light hearted comedy that addresses every day issues. In this particular episode three of the characters (a mother and her two daughters) all had their periods on the same cycle. They are portrayed as emotional, irrational, and fragile. The husband Phil refers to the women as "Satan's Trifecta" and the son Luke tells the women they are "monstruating." The men in the episode think they understand what the women are dealing with and try to discretely avoid and manipulate them. Yet at the end of the episode it is Phil who displays emotional imbalance and the scene closes with the women embracing him into the club of menstruation. The episode in its conclusion reminded me of Steinem's piece If Men Could Menstruate. At the end of the article she says, "If women are supposed to be less rational and more emotional at the beginning of our menstrual cycle when the female hormone is at its lowest level, then why isn't it logical to say that, in those few days, women behave the most like the way men behave all month long?" Steinem is saying that by the transitive property of hormones, if women - estrogen = irrational and women - estrogen = man, then irrational = man. I think Phil embodies the sensitive male persona; however, it is important to take into consideration that this is intended to be an exaggerated situation. I definitely don't agree that all males are melodramatic, but I also don't agree that all women are unstable during the periods.

This leads me to another generalization - men may be as emotional as women, but they just don't show it. I think in our society today it is more acceptable for women to express their feelings while men are expected to conceal theirs. I included a video titled Boys Will Be Girls. Clearly this video is also an exaggeration, but I do think their is some accuracy in the fact that women talk about and analyze (quite possibly over analyze) things. I wonder if men are envious of the communication that takes place amongst women? I wonder if that is the root of all their mockery?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspaoaecNAg