Mourdock, Menses, and Breasts

An image of a bra hanging.

Photo by Betsy Roe and the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library via Flickr.

Here We Go Again. Add Mourdock to the Akin mixology, shake, and serve on the rocks. Read the article in The Washington Post and hear his words, spoken in the moment.

Picture This: Is the exploitation and sexualization of girls in the media another form of trafficking? Trafficking to the living room coffee table? Or could this be, in some altered sense, a form of empowerment?

Exploring Role Reversal: If a man were forced to have sex against his will and in the process his semen fertilized an egg, would any man call that “G-d’s intent”? If boys were encouraged to pose seductively, wouldn’t the nation be up in arms, shouting pedophilia? Check out Gloria Steinem’s oldy but goody, “If Men Could Menstruate,” which gives us some perspective by flipping the equation.

Some Women See Red Amidst the October Pink:

~  Jessica Luther writes in "No more Save the Tatas, please":  “So, this October, this month of Breast Cancer Awareness, PLEASE remember that we are focused on this because we want to SAVE THE WOMEN. We want to SAVE PEOPLE. We want to SAVE LIVES. Tatas – those would be nice to save if it’s possible. But forget saving the tatas if you lose the woman.” Read more on Flyover Feminism

~ Lisa Hix writes in "Breast Intentions": “My Facebook mansplainers also believe that objectification isn't troublesome. I was informed, ‘Every person with a brain and a bit of sense realizes you cannot have a ta-ta without a person.’ O RLY? 'And I appreciate the intent of the article, but aren't we taking ourselves a little too seriously?’ No, I'd say a woman who's lost a friend to breast cancer gets to be as humorless as she wants.” Read more on Jezebel

~ Please learn more about the SCAR Project, whose mission is to put "a raw, unflinching face on early onset breast cancer while paying tribute to the courage and spirit of so many brave young women." View portraits from the project, in the form of a slide show, which shows women survivors with their breasts and scars exposed. This is, for many, what surviving breast cancer looks like. 

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How to cite this page

Orcha, Gabrielle. "Mourdock, Menses, and Breasts." 24 October 2012. Jewish Women's Archive. (Viewed on November 24, 2024) <https://jwa.org/blog/mourdock-menses-and-breasts>.