Menstruation. Periods. The painful, bloody natural process that every woman goes through for an average of five days a month, and that which makes reproduction possible.
Considering its significance, you would think that people would know why it happens and how it happens. Especially men who have four children with their wife.
Apparently not.
According to a video posted by Quint Neon on Saturday, men are quite clueless about the reason women have periods. But hey, that doesn’t stop them from guessing!
Here are some of the best responses:
“It’s because the egg, which makes the baby, breaks in the tummy.”
“There’s the polybag like organ in a woman’s body where blood collects and once a month, it comes out. It can come out when you jump or cycle.”
“It’s better if you ask women about this. There are some things in our sanskaar which mandate that we don’t talk about it. After depression, women get periods and they feel relaxed… in my view.”
One man even argued very enthusiastically that it wasn't actually blood, but a way to attain moksha.
These are real answers, given by real adult men in Delhi when reporter Deeksha Sharma approached them.
You may have tears of disbelief and/or laughter in your eyes by the end of it. You have been warned. Watch the full video here:
After getting many, many strange explanations for why women menstruate (none of which were close to what actually happens), Deeksha finally gets a few people who seem to know the right answers.
She also asks people to explain the female reproductive system and gets a few other amusing responses.
While the last part of the video, where she asks people to spell ‘menstruation’ comes across as elitist, the video is quite telling in terms of just how the taboo around it leads to complete and utter lack of awareness about a basic biological function.
And for those who still do not know why women bleed out of their vagina once a month, here’s a primer.