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Every wonder why gynaecologists ask women, "Are you married?" Instead of the more correct question, "Are you sexually active?" In this article, we have an answer!
In India, there is often a stigma attached to sexualities and pre marital sex, especially for women. We women are constantly scrutinized and are victims of moral policing.
Some people may think that this behaviour is due to illiteracy and lack of proper training and education. But the problem lies deeper than we think. Especially when these stigmas start to dictate our health care.
Image source: An excerpt from B.D. Chaurasia Human anatomy, Eighth Edition, Volume II, page 458
The above image, is a paragraph from Human Anatomy Book for the first year MBBS students, written by B.D. Chaurasia. The book is also known as the ‘Bible of Anatomy’, if you are pursuing the medical field in India, you have read this book.
The book states that remains of hymen (a social construct of primitive times believed to be a proof of virginity for females) are found in married women after rupture. [The rapture is believed to be caused the first time a woman engages in penovaginal intercourse. A myth, refuted time and again.]
Now the problematic thing is, rather than mentioning sexual intercourse, or the medical term penovaginal intercourse, the book prefers to mention marriage.
By now, I guess all the females reading this article know why their gynaecologist asks them, “Are you married?” Instead of the more correct question, “Are you sexually active?”
This article is not about the uneducated mass, or unaware population’s biases towards women, but who do we blame for the taboos that have sneaked into the pages of medical books?
Even most renowned medical books are promoting this bias and symbolizing that marriage is the only way a woman can be having sex. And what about men and their sex lives?
There is a difference between being married and being sexually active. This general assumption about women’s sexual life has resulted in many uncomfortable gynaecologist sessions.
At least, it is the duty of education to be providing accurate information and language. Yes, information needs to be provided in a way that it does not promote any wrong ideas, yet taboos have shaped education for far too long.
The goal of education is to be inclusive for all, without any sort of discrimination or shaming. And to do this, medical books need to revise and update their language and make it more inclusive.
Image Source: Human Anatomy Book, ixdesginlab, cheekudigital via Getty Images, free on Canva Pro
1st Year MBBS student read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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