Yoga with Adriene - Redo of PMS Video

Lazy again that’s not who messaged her. Did you see her direct message earlier?

No. I'm saying that in the video she doesn't say "this is for women and men who have periods" and it doesn't say that in the title. She has made a video for PMS and cramps and doesn't specify that it's for anyone in particular.

She has made a video for pms and cramps aimed at women, and then has announced that she's changed the greeting to be more inclusive. In other words to include people who have cramps who are not women. In the grand scheme of TRAs trampling over women's rights, it's not a biggie, I admit. It's just one more little thing in a big onslaught.

For anyone who didn’t see Adriene’s original email - my copied and pasted extract has been restored near the beginning of this thread.

(Thank you MNHQ.)

But it is saying (yet again) to women 'What, so the reason she's removed 'ladies' from the video is not because transmen felt excluded from it because they are now men who have periods? Oh - I must have misunderstood then, sorry.

Yes. Maybe a transman is still experiencing periods and would prefer to seek support from a more gender neutral resource. Maybe an individual who has periods identifies as non-binary etc.

There are plenty of ways in which having a gender neutral resource supports those FWR would be happy to call "women" too.

And of course the original video is available for those who are upset by more gender neutral language....

and not one of us felt uncomfortable but we did feel empowered.

I guess just lucky that there weren't any trans men there then who might have felt uncomfortable?

Oh right this threw me They are pretending that men can have periods I thought you were talking about men. For clarity I stick to trans men but I can see you now you were not.

lazylinguist

No. I'm saying that in the video she doesn't say "this is for women and men who have periods" and it doesn't say that in the title.

She has made a video for PMS and cramps and doesn't specify that it's for anyone in particular.

*When we accept that the category word "woman" could ever be a word that excludes any particular group of adult human females, we have already lost the meaning of the word. And with it we lose so much more:

The ability to discuss our experiences as women, as humans born into female bodies and what this means in a male-dominated world. To assemble as women, to organise as women without men being allowed to join us so that we may freely discuss, address and fight our oppression under the patriarchy.

That's why Adriene's announcement saddens me - it is another incident, (however inadvertent) in the war on women. Somebody else called the phenomenon of female erasure "a death by a thousand cuts" on the Always thread and I think that's why it can be so difficult to get why others are angry about any given issue.*

This sums it up perfectly, especially the death by a thousand cuts, that's exactly what's happening.

The other year I was completely on the other side to this, I didn't mind about not using the word woman for things, what did it matter? I went along with us all being the same, Trans Women Are Women etc, because it was exactly that. Or like a frog in boiling water, you don't even realise what's happening and that the very fact that womanhood is being erased or turned into a dirty or taboo word. Adrienne's email read as such, that it was just so wrong to say 'this one's for the girls' what world is this?

As I said, I went to an Endometriosis event, it was so refreshing to hear everyone say woman so proudly and without shame or a but such as but also men get this too. It was unashamedly about women and what we're suffering, and not one of us felt uncomfortable but we did feel empowered.

Who is? She's not saying that trans men have periods.

What, so the reason she's removed 'ladies' from the video is not because transmen felt excluded from it because they are now men who have periods? Oh - I must have misunderstood then, sorry.

LazyLinguist this is from trans men so woman who do have periods not men pretending to have them.

Yes I know it is. So it's women pretending to be men who have periods. But men don't have periods. That was my point.

What makes you think that? She’s says they do not identify as women in the message.

Ooops CharlieParley

What an excellent post CharleyParley
Clear, to the point and representing the views of so many of us as we watch this torrent of the eradication of women and the associated hatred and contempt that goes with it.
Thank you.

But can you not see what the inevitable consequence of all this will be? Everyone will drop reference to sex from everything.

People are complaining that Always have removed the Venus symbol from their packaging (even though I bet most of us even knew it was on there), you're complaining about Adrienne not using the term women in a video because she used it before - the answer here is for no one to use it in the first place. If Always had never put the Venus symbol on the packet then no one would see it taken away, if Adrienne had never used "woman" in a video it wouldn't be an issue. So going forward if no one uses these words or symbols then there won't be this backlash. You've done the job for them haven't you?

Yes, TequilaPilates, rather unsurprisingly (given that we are on Mumsnet, the home of the relationship and parenting boards), the reason why someone does something has an impact on the judgement we form about it.

They are pretending that men can have periods

Who is? She's not saying that trans men have periods. She's isn't saying that trans women have periods. She's made a video entitled "Pms/cramps" and opens it by saying "hello" rather than "hello ladies".

Where in any of that is anyone saying men have periods?

Honestly, don't let the facts get in the way will you?

LazyLinguist this is from trans men so woman who do have periods not men pretending to have them.

And yes, I have watched Adriene's channel and used some of her videos for my own practice because I liked her.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not yet decided whether I will continue to do so. She does mean well, and I expect that she will be under some pressure to conform.

I also do not believe that the right response to any given incident of female erasure is a boycott, or even just a public reproach.

There are plenty of examples where giving transwomen access to women's sex segregated spaces may have a genuine impact upon women's safety and comfort. This isn't one of them.

Perfectly true. But it is saying (yet again) to women 'We are redefining who you are and what makes a woman a woman.' They are pretending that men can have periods. Because that's what it is - pretending, in order to pacify certain groups. Much as I used to agree to call my toddler dd a tiger when she was pretending to be a tiger, because otherwise she would get cross and cry.

CharlieParley

Had she banned the word "woman" maybe you'd have a point but she hasn't. She has made an additional video that doesn't use sexed words. But most of her others don't either. She says "welcome friends" or "welcome everyone" and that's what she's doing here.

So is your objection to the fact that she informed people that she's made an alternative video? If she hadn't specifically said this is what I've done and why you wouldn't mind, but because she has you do mind? Even though there's style one available that uses the language that you prefer?

Have you unsubscribed op?