How does that James Brown song go again…. oh right, ” This is a man’s world, this is a man’s world But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl”. Nothing could be truer when looking back on all of our history. Feminist have fought to turn this man’s world idea by going back into the history books searching for our Herstory… which emphasizes finding historic women whose stories have been overlooked. Living in a man’s world has made us live at a bigger disadvantage than simply having never had the opportunity to record the stories of historic women. We’ve also had to deal with the fact that the world has, for the longest time known virtually nothing about or sexuality or how our bodies function. Think about it, for the longest time men didn’t even believe that women had a sexuality! The clitoris was only discovered in 1550!!! Can you imagine that? How did such a big big part of our sexual organs go unnoticed for so long or rather why did some doctor only care to investigate our sexual organs then?
Anyways the point of this post was not to harp on men for having been so ignorant or women’s condition but rather to talk about how far we have come and about a new project which has recently come underway. Hot Flash Havoc is a film and website dedicated to educating people about menopause and all that it entails. Yes, we’ve all heard the stories about hot flashes and your Aunt Flow coming to stopping her monthly visits but that’s almost all that the general public understands about this major change is a woman’s life, not to mention the lack of general knowledge of treatments available. My favorite quote from the movie is from a man who said that if men had menopause, it would be cured by now. It seems like the world has been so concerned with allowing ninety year old men to achieve erections that i has utterly ignored menopause, which can sometimes be quite dangerous. The concept is that by teaching young women about menopause, what goes on in your body and mind during that time of your life, that women will be able to be better equipped for it. Because up until now, women only learn about menopause once they start going through it.
Hot Flash Havoc not only offers us a comprehensive look at what Perimenopause, Menopause, & Postmenopause really are but it offers a history of it and its treatments as well as a look at the publics understanding of it. If you ask me, everyone, whether they are male or female should take a look at this movie and get a better understanding at what half of our population will go through or is going through right now. It’s good to know that at least some people are trying to shed the enigma surrounding women’s health issues!
Great review, it’s nice that people, both women and men are talking about this. Menopause isn’t a bad thing. It’s just a change, it’s about discovering a new you. My mother use to say, that when you hit menopause is when life really starts! Going to get the DVD now, thanks for the recommendation.
Damn, I wish I could think of something smart like that!