Men: get your names off our bodies
So there is a preganancy phenomenon where a woman in the later trimesters may experience contractions, even though she isn’t actually in labour.
This false labor is often referred to as “Braxton Hicks contractions”, named after the man who is considered to be the first person to describe the phenomenon.
We can bet that women have been aware of false labour for as long as we have been getting pregnant and birthing. And we can bet that women have described this phenomena to other women (and any men who would care to listen) for just as long.
John Braxton Hicks. Sorry dude, you weren't the first to describe anything.
Mary Daly writes about how the power of naming has been stolen from women. Since women are the only people who will ever experience “Braxton Hicks contractions” we should be the ones to name them. And maybe women are happier calling it “flase labour”. Or “Wow, pregnancy is fascinating in so many ways and women’s bodies are amazing Contractions”. Or “Pink Elephant Contractions”
The bottom line – our bodies, our names.
However, men are free to keep naming prostate-related phenomena. I’m sure it will bring them lots of pleasure and satisfaction.
Like this:
Filed under: bullshit, mansplaining, women's bodies | 11 Comments
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COMMENTS
Yes, the power of naming is not ours. But it needs to be. I knew about false labor, and I knew about the dude’s name attached to it, but I didn’t really realize how important it is for women to be able to call it what they want until I got into radfem writing.
yes this makes it very obvious doesnt it? “naming” stuff might not seem like that big a deal when the “stuff” being named is modern stuff for example…but naming something thats been around the whole time? and naming it after yourself? unbelievably arrogant! and male doctors naming stuff after themselves that happens in womens bodies and always has? hello.
a bit like columbus “discovering” america i guess. that it was “discovered” by him is an obvious problem of perspective, isnt it? especially to the people who were already here, and living here for thousands of years by the time that jackwagon showed up. of course, we “know” that this one is problematic, and people have been protesting this one for a long time. women do not get the same courtesy or attention when it relates to us and our bodies, and when our colonization by men is at issue.
Yes, this kind of stuff is a classic to raise my ire and push my feminist rant button. It is symptomatic of a larger issue about male physicians in general, especially when it comes to treating women.
I know I am laying myself open to accusations of being a sexist pig, but decades of experience has taught me that, for the most part, men are ill suited for the profession of physician. What I have observed is arrogance, a deficit in listening skills and a lack of compassion. These qualities and deficits are clearly incompatible with being an effective physician. I actually have a couple of male physician friends who have chosen not to see patients. One is a hospital pathologist, the other is a researcher. What I have learned from them and elsewhere is that medical schools tend to be ultra-patriarchal institutions that reinforce dysfunctional thinking errors for men who have already been indoctrinated by society into patriarchal thought patterns.
I acquired fibromyalgia in 1986, but it took eleven years to obtain a correct diagnosis despite constant, often debilitating, pain. The reason for the delay has a great deal to do with the inability of male physicians to listen to their female patients. It also has to do with the fact that 90% of fibromyalgia patients are women. Thus male physicians feel justified in dismissing the symptoms as “female hysteria” that we are just making up! The most egregious example was when I was taken to the emergency room for extreme fibromyalgia pain that did not allow me to formulate a thought, let alone utter speech. The dismissive attitude of the male physician and his refusal to treat my pain easily ranks in the top half dozen most psychologically traumatic experiences of my life. These days I insist on seeing only female physicians whenever possible. Fortunately I now have a wonderful female general practitioner who takes pain management seriously.
Another example is when I had my spinal cord injury in 2006. I was dismissed from the emergency room by a male physician who simply wasn’t capable of listening. Again, the pain was sufficiently severe to prevent me from formulating coherent sentences. However, my highly articulate wife was there to answer questions on my behalf. Shock! Horror! A lesbian couple! Get them out of the emergency room as soon as possible! The result was swelling of the bruised spinal cord, causing irreversible nerve damage. Such things can be significantly mitigated by the appropriate emergency room treatment.
Sorry for the rant! The naming issue is an excellent example signifying the depth of the problem. To male physicians: If you are unable to listen to ME and respect MY body, then just keep the fuck away from me!
What a ridiculous man! (pleonasm, I know) If someone tried to name e.g. breaking one’s leg after himself, nobody would buy it! It’s STUPID. But breaking a leg is something that can happen to men, too, whereas false labour only happens to (some) women. Did he really not KNOW about it before he “discovered” false labour? And other male scientists didn’t know it existed before that ridiculous man told them about it?!?! Asteroids are named after their discoverers and at least THEY really were never seen by human beings before their discovery. (When women know something it doesn’t count until a man finds out about it.)
I don’t even know whether I want to laugh or to cry.
P.S. I don’t advocate naming asteroids after their discoverers.
@fuer
I suspect it’s one of those cases where men don’t believe in something unitl a man says it is true. A woman’s account isn’t worth anything until verified by men. So I guess in a way braxton-idiot DID discover false labour – FOR MEN. Not for women though, obvs.
@Chloe
Studies show that when women have a medical complaint, they are less likely to receive treatment than men. And are routinely given less pain medication etc. Basically doctors often brush off women’s concerns, tell us that it’s all in our heads, and that we need to “suck it up” re pain. Many women experience a similar situation as you did, and it’s a complete travesty.
If I ever go to a doctor about anything, and they tell me “don’t worry, it’s nothing” I would be inclined to seek a second opinion. Because I have known many women who have gone on to suffer more serious complications because their initial complaint was brushed off. I mean, that’s negligent. It’s bad medical practice.
And I completely agree with you that men aren’t suited to the physician role, generally. The role requires empathy, adaptability and most importantly an ability to LISTEN. But male socialisation means they lack these skills, and really shouldnt be anywhere near patients.
And dont even get me started on male ob/gyns …
@FCM
re columbus
Yes, exactly right! Male naming of women’s bodies/experiences is a colonization. And it’s interesting how it is particularly apparent in the language of pregnancy and birth. We say “she gave birth to him”, but going by the way english is usually constructed, it should actually be “she birthed him”. The former is an unecessary abstraction
Sorry, it is comets, not asteroids.
yes, I always laughed at this one. A MAN discovered the pre-labour contractions. Gimme a break. I refused to call them “BRaxton-HIcks” when I had them.
@Miska: That is an excellent point about the use of language. “Birthing” has a better connotation of an active function on the part of the woman. These linguistic niceties are quite important because of the power they have to influence thought.
I know I am getting off thread a little bit, but I’d like to add that what has been said about male physicians also applies to mental health professionals. I have seen psychotherapists and such on and off for most of my adult life, most importantly for major depressive disorder which runs strong in my family (both parents and my sister). I made the mistake of agreeing to see a male psychiatrist when I was 22 or 23 years old. Among other crap he made comments along the lines that “normal” women are not lesbians. I wasn’t there to have my sexual orientation questioned, you fucking homophobic dufus! I would have found more listening skills and empathy from a hole in the ground.
After that I only saw female mental health professionals, until quite recently when I saw a male psychotherapist three years ago. He was extremely effective and valuable for my mental health. The reason became clear as he explained that he had been greatly motivated to develop his feminine side (without being in any way effeminate). Men ARE capable of this; it is just quite the rarity.