Anyone who has experienced a period knows just how much pain can be involved. While some months aren’t as bad, others can feel debilitating. Still, women are expected to go to work, school, run errands, and care for their kids as if nothing is wrong. We’ve been told to “suck it up,” as people without periods tell us it “can’t be that bad.”
Somedays, a Canadian company that hopes to break the stigma of talking about periods and delivers science-based pain relief products, set up a booth at the Calgary Stampede exhibition to try to do just that. They asked for male volunteers to try a period pain simulator and, well, the experience went about as well as you’d think. While the resulting videos are funny, the experiment went a long way to educating them on just how bad it can be to have your period (minus the bleeding, of course).
@getsomedays Come visit us at the calgary stampede! Booth 212 in the maker market. #periodpain #periodtips #periodtiktok #endo #endometriosis #periods
♬ original sound – Somedays | Period Pain Relief
Watch as grown men in cowboy hats look to the simulator volunteers for help, eyes wide in disbelief. Cue the tears, dropping to their knees, and literal shock as they realize the machine is only on a six and will soon crank to a ten. “This is awful,” the cowboy said. Yes, yes it is.
The comments ranging from entertaining to wise as most not only thought it was a genius idea but that all non-menstruating people should have to experience this at least once:
“Literal children tolerate this level of pain and still have to go to school and not complain,” one person said.
“But, but no. Make them stand in line for checkout with two armfuls of groceries while is on 10. Go ahead. I’ll wait,” another wrote. Seems reasonable to us.
“These guys quite literally will look differently at their girlfriends, sisters, mothers, aunties & any female they encounter. Good work!” another pointed out.
And, “This should be done in EVERY health class,” to which we collectively say, “Absolutely.”
It’s worth noting that period pain is normal and a part of most people’s lives as long as they have their menstrual cycle. If it becomes unbearable, seek medical attention as it could be an early sign of endometriosis, fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease.
“A lot of people with periods experience extreme amounts of pain and are invalidated in aspects of their life by their teachers, their coaches, their friends and doctors,” Somedays CEO Lux Perry told Global News Canada. “So we bring the period simulator to give people an idea of what they have to endure.”
Need some fresh ideas?
Related reads
