Woman Eloquently Criticizes Man Who Says Women's Hormones Are A 'Luxury'
"I can assure you that we are not allowed to blame our hormones for anything."
@cayleecresta / TikTok A woman didn't hold back after hearing a man's belittling opinion on women's health. In a TikTok video, Caylee Cresta was quick to shut down a man who claimed that women can use their hormones as an "excuse" to get out of doing certain things, while men are not offered that same comfort. In response, Cresta broke down how comments like that from men can be extremely infuriating.
She criticized a man for claiming that women's hormones are a 'luxury.'
In Cresta's video, she responded to another creator who questioned why women can blame their behavior on their hormones while men are not able to do the same. "I'm sorry, did you just say we blame everything on our hormones?" Cresta began.
"Are you talking about the hormones that cause us to bleed for seven days out of every 28 and cause cramps that can rival the pain from a heart attack?" she said.
Cresta pointed out the false narrative that women are able to blame things on their hormones when they're still expected to carry on and show up to work even when they're in pain. She continued, saying that the only people who blame women's behavior on their hormones are men. "You all just love to tell everyone that we're on our periods if we dare show any semblance of anger, you actually ask us if we're PMSing if we happen to shed a tear."
Cresta explained that it's men who constantly invalidate and undermine women when they are talking about their health, pain, or anything relating to their hormones. She also criticized men who use women's hormones as a means to keep them from obtaining jobs in power.
"If anyone was catering to women's hormones then period wouldn't be a word we have to whisper, tampons wouldn't be something we have to exchange in secret, [and] pads wouldn't be something we still have to pay for in public restrooms."
Women are often ignored when issuing complaints about their health and pain.
Throughout history, women's health issues, including hormonal imbalances, have often been dismissed or attributed to emotional instability. This has perpetuated a culture of disbelief and trivialization when women express their concerns about hormonal health.
Many concerns that women have about their health are even dismissed by medical professionals. For instance, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that women are seven times more likely than men to be misdiagnosed and discharged in the middle of having a heart attack.
Women also often cite pain bias around areas of reproductive health, including endometriosis, labor pain, and insertion of an intrauterine device, or IUD.
Discussions around women's hormones are constantly undermined and dismissed, with women being told that they are exaggerating when they complain about hormonal issues. This attitude is both invalidating and unfair, as it disregards the very real experiences and challenges that women face due to hormonal fluctuations.
In the comments section, many women praised Cresta for acknowledging the hardships that women go through with their hormones.
"Standing ovation here, everything you say speaks the truth & [is] so articulate," one TikTok user wrote. "Men don't want to hear it, if it wasn't for us, they wouldn't exist."
Another user added, "As women we learn from [a young age] to just put up [with it] and shut up. [We are] not allowed to blame our behavior on anything."
"The fact that women get no extra paid time off to account for PMS and are just expected to work through it is insane to me!" a third user chimed in.
Women's hormones are a fundamental part of their overall health, and dismissing their experiences or labeling them as exaggerations is unfair and hinders their well-being.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.