When an invention stirs controversy, there must be something interesting about it.
Such is the case of Karl Dorn, an inventor (and plasterer) from Britain.
Dorn recently entered an inventors contest with a wrist-based product called, “Help for Husbands.” The product is simply a wristband, reminiscent of mood rings of the 70s, that monitors body temperature of the wearer, and changes color a few days prior to the onset of menstruation–thus advising others of potential mood swings before they occur.
Hmmm….
The 43-year-old plasterer from from Southend, Essex (United Kingdom) said that the idea percolated after years of chatting with his male friends about their domestic tales of woe. “It’s a visual aid for men so they can be a little bit more understanding at certain times of the month,” he said.
This development comes on the heels of news reports from Norway wherein some businesses were attempting to demand that female workers wear a red bracelet to indicate that they were menstruating–therefore providing a reason as to why they required an increase in bathroom breaks? WHAT??? How humiliating! businesses apparently suggested (via survey) that lost productivity was causing grave concern and therefore, they were seeking bases for that lost productivity. One of the reasons cited was an increase in bathroom use of its female employees. 
Within the last year, even technology has caught up with what I like to tag, ‘fear of womanhood.’ MEDL Mobile, for example, last year launched Code Red, an iPhone/iPad application that allows men to keep track of a woman’s period–again–so that he can be more sensitive during those PMS-days. A quick search also finds, PMS Buddy, another free, online application that is supposed to highlight those days when women are more ‘irritable.’
Frankly, I’m stunned.
There are two communities of thought when it comes to menstruation. Either you are okay with it as a biological course for women and ‘it is what it is.’ Or, you are an uneducated ass requiring significant education about the fact that women don’t ‘opt’ to get their period. It just happens.
As such, mocking women for having it, suggesting it makes women weaker, angrier, less productive, ‘hormonal’ or anything along those lines–is in short, lame.
Men, if you need a visual aid or reminder, try visiting the local pharmacy or supermarket and troll the tampon/menstrual pad aisle. If you can identify which women are menstruating versus those just stocking up on supplies, comment on this post. There’s no real difference. Men and women can both become ‘short-fused’ and most of the time, it has little (or no) connection to a hormone shift.
What strikes me the most is that businesses (including mine) are taking direct aim and female menstruation. What gives? I know why I’m doing it–and it isn’t because I could win an inventor’s contest or procure a million dollars in revenue (even if I dream it may). What it boils down to in my opinion is that really, we’re becoming more comfortable with ourselves. After years of hiding behind closed doors or under layers of petticoats, men and women are identifying with the opposite sex more. Great news.
Yet, since the Dorn ‘menstrual bracelet’ is still a theory without a prototype, and MEDL Mobile won’t release sales figures for its new application, let’s just see what happens. Are we really gaining more comfort with the realities of our differences or simply looking for a way to make (or keep) a few bucks? You be the judge….
Read more about the Dorn invention: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1359757/Time-month-warning-wristband-tells-men-wives-PMS.html#ixzz1FYo6wOWT
For background on the Norwegian coup for red bracelets, go to: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334400/Female-staff-Norway-ordered-wear-red-bracelets-period.html
Pack Talk 