Presumably the thought process runs along the lines of if it’s happening to me then it must be important. And that the entirety of society isn’t spellbound by what’s happening to me then society isn’t taking it seriously, whatever it is. You know, if I’ve spinach between my teeth then why haven’t the damn men invented something to deal with it and why isn’t the government creating a bureaucracy to waste money on ensuring few get it?
Michelle Obama made a point of breaking taboos about women’s health in the latest episode of her new podcast, talking about going through menopause in the workplace, weight, ageing and image.
In a conversation with Sharon Malone, a longtime friend and Washington DC-based obstetrician and gynecologist, the former first lady shared a story about having a hot flash while on Marine One, the presidential helicopter, before an event with then-president Barack Obama.
“It was like somebody put a furnace in my core and turned it on high,” she remembered. “And then everything started melting. And I thought, ‘Well this is crazy, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t do this.’
“What a woman’s body is taking her through is important information. It’s an important thing to take up space in a society, because half of us are going through this but we’re living like it’s not happening,” she added.
Who is living like it’s not happening? The change has been a stock part of bad stand up routines – male and female given the different viewpoints – for half a century now. It’s mentioned in the foundational document of western civilisation with Sarah and the inability to have kiddies.
More than that, we’ve taken it so seriously that we’ve produced a cure for it.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) or postmenopausal hormone therapy (PHT, PMHT), is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, accelerated skin aging, vaginal dryness, decreased muscle mass, sexual dysfunction, and bone loss. They are in large part related to the diminished levels of sex hormones that occur during menopause.
Possibly maybe not cure then but it does show that society has been paying attention, no?
So, just how unobservant is Michelle Obama then?
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We had a hint of Michelle's focus, long ago, when she talked about "the first time in my adult life I've been proud of my country" - the time she realized she was inches away from running it. See also her supposed "depression" over her party being out of power.
But, yes, let's celebrate Michelle "breaking taboos." And continue to pretend there's something valiant about her. Her only message ever has been that everyone takes one look at our dark skin and decides to hate us.
Blimey! Menopause? There's me thinking that as a trannie it was immune.
Yup, thought the skinny one was more likely to encounter this situation.