The woman costume stereotype: oestrogen emotions

[afuckinggoat]

Recent Reddit thread where TIMs are enthusiastically sharing their experiences of taking oestrogen and how it makes them cry all the time at little things like watching Lego Movie.

Am I unreasonable being frustrated by this? My understanding is that low mood/tearfulness would be associated with periods of low oestrogen in real women, and that women who are established on HRT for menopause should experience more level moods. I read that having low mood past 3 months for menopause HRT is a sign that something isn't right.
So surely a TIM on HRT will experience stable levels of oestrogen and therefore not be likely to become uncontrollably tearful at children's movies once a month?

First question: is my science correct? Happy to be wrong on this one and be educated.

Second question: am I unreasonable to feel offended that these men have absorbed this stereotypical view of what women are, and are "performing" it in a way that comes off as appropriation and taking the piss?

Hoping that someone who understands the science will be along soon.

I didn't even find out about the luteal and follicular phases of my cycle until I was almost 30. I was explicitly taught at school that we could get pregnant at any moment.
So I'm not sure if it's my lack of knowledge on the subject, or the fact that women's bodies are woefully under-researched that makes me really not confident about the answer.

I had no idea something called Lego Movie would be a tear-jerker, not unless you stood on a piece, however unbalanced your hormones.
HRT keeps me sane. I have no idea what oestrogen does to men who are already divorced from reality.

They claim to get chocolate cravings a 'certain' times of the month. They can also sync with their partners, apparently.

I think they're all bonkers and are role playing being women with each other so can convince themselves of anything.

Yep. Womens mood changes are linked to the natural rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone. If you're on estrogen supplements you're on one constant level, and you don't have that large shift in hormone levels so you would not get hormonal mood changes the same way a woman would naturally.

I didn't cry at the Lego movie, but I've seen the 'shit dad, sad child' dynamic play out often enough in real life.

The revolting sexism aside, of course. Though God knows how oestrogen affects men.

I thought higher levels of oestrogen (plus LH), mid cycle/ day 14/ovulation help boost your mood, confidence and attractiveness and increase your libido so you're more likely to have sex during your fertile window. It's the higher progesterone towards the end of the cycle that cause depressed feelings and low mood.
If men are tearful on oestrogen, presumably it's because they think (wrongly) that's how women should feel.

Tims really are full of nonsense aren't they? My oestrogen patches definitely don't have that effect on me but then I don't have a male body. Maybe the weeping and wailing is a sign that they are messing up their hormones - or just more cosplay.

There is some suggestion that testosterone may inhibit crying. If these men are suppressing that, it may be that they are more likely to cry.

Dogs can sometimes be more aggressive when they are castrated, rather than less. FTM transitioners on testosterone seem to find it boosts confidence. Messing with your hormones and taking ones that are unsuitable for the make-up of your body can have unpredictable results.

That these men think it makes them more womanly is just another part of the lies they tell themselves.

Indeed, oestrogen is our happy hormone. Post hysterectomy and oophorectomy I have oestrogen-only HRT and my mood is marvellous. Am extremely grateful not to have progesterone in my system anymore, since it tended to make me suicidal.

They tell them that so they don't have unprotected sex when they think they can't get pregnant.

This would fit with a male relative’s experience of feeling more tearful and emotional when taking androgen blockers as part of his cancer drug regimen. ETA: Your first paragraph is the relevant one.

Male friend has been on oestrogen to combat prostate cancer. Putting a cancer diagnosis to one side, he has been much more tearful and emotional. It's also affected his energy levels.
But I would agree with OP that normally these symptoms are due to low oestrogen in females.

Maybe all this is what happens when you take hormones your body isn't designed for

As for fetishising women's cycles (cf "I get so crampy round my period" that I've seen on TwiX - you don't have a period, you're a fucking MAN - you don't have ovaries, a womb or a vagina), they can get to fuck with that.

Funnily it's my DH who is the emotional one out of the two of us. He'll often cry at movies or TV shows which leave me unmoved! The only time I am unreasonably emotional is when I'm in the first trimester of pregnancy.

The whole women and emotion thing is an interesting one though. In my experience men are way more emotional than women. Just that they often express their emotions through anger which doesn't seem to count for some reason.

You want to watch the steroid documentary (skip all the boring "I'm such a lad and we made loads of dosh" personal story filler) - there's a section where they explain what being on steroids does to men; excessive jealousy, uncontrollable rages, huge emotional swings, feeling like you are losing your mind...This is something a large amount of men are taking unregulated and they think it is "manly". My point is it's men who can't control their emotions. Crying is because we empathise, not for personal gain, unlike rage and violence.

Yes, that's what my friend experienced in a similar situation.

Men on oestrogen cry whilst engaged in typically masculine pastimes and hobbies. No surprise! Like the young man whose 'transition' I have been witnessing over the years.....still posting on an almost totally male forum and still engaged in typical male interests such as gaming and transport sytems.

Yeah, I would think putting any chemical into your body is liable to make you emotional, regardless of what it might do to people whose bodies produce it naturally.

What it won't do, however, is make your emotions fluctuate on a regular monthly cycle.

Sorry, what?

It's all so Alice in Wonderland.

I doubt many of them are actually taking hormones. Reddit is fantasy land and generally come up with a lot of nonsense.

On reddit they are all typing these things one handed. Our actual biological reality is their paraphilic sexual fantasy. They get off on fantasies of being women and having periods and cycles and crying to adverts. They experience "euphoria" at being sexually harassed. All of it is just another example of how deep misogyny and objectification of women is at the heart of it. None of it is real it's all just their very male sexual fantasy.

I agree. I think the stereotype of 'angry man' is seen in real life much more often than that of 'tearful woman'.

“Yep. Womens mood changes are linked to the natural rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone. If you're on estrogen supplements you're on one constant level, and you don't have that large shift in hormone levels so you would not get hormonal mood changes the same way a woman would naturally.”

Exactly. TiM’s don’t have a ‘cycle’ it’s a placebo fantasy.