Throughout history, women have often gotten the short end of the stick through no fault of their own.
The oppression and ignorance that have challenged our lives and our bodies is just completely insane — there is no other way to put it!
We've faced so many shortcomings, from reduction, to objectification to simply not having as many rights as our male counterparts.
Granted, the medical capacity of, say, ancient Greece wasn't fair to either sex, but the prejudice that went into the so-called scientific findings about women's bodies made it so much worse for them.
When it comes to the past, there isn't much to do about it but try and make sure we don't make the same mistakes again. After that, though? Well, for some things, we might just have to find a tiny bit of humor in the tragedy.
These 10 old beliefs about the female body are so completely insane. It shouldn't be a laughing matter, yet it's hard to hold back at least a chuckle at how out of their minds these folks were to come up with such ridiculousness.
Did you know that the female body was so drastically misunderstood in the past? Please SHARE with your family and friends on Facebook!
1. The Womb Wanders Like A Wild Beast
Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, thought that the womb would wander through the woman's body of its own accord, essentially wreaking havoc.
2. Women's Bodies Produce Ugly Babies When Exposed To Ugly Things
It used to be believed that when a woman looked at ugly things while pregnant, her baby would end up being ugly too. Nothing to do with genetics, of course.
3. A Woman's Period Can Kill Flowers And Unpolish Ivory
It was as if a woman on her period could essentially destroy a small village. Pliny the Elder wrote that "on the approach of a woman in this state, must will become sour, seeds which are touched by her become sterile, grafts wither away, garden plants are parched up, and the fruit will fall from the tree beneath which she sits. Her very look, even, will dim the brightness of mirrors, blunt the edge of steel, and take away the polish from ivory."
Are you kidding me?
4. Women Are Actually Just Men Gone Wrong
Aristotle, one of history's most respected thinkers, had some wacko views on females. He thought that they were simply "deformed males" and that they were far inferior in every way. The thinking of the time was that women were the way they were because of a deformity in the womb, and where therefore mistakes.
If women were mistakes, what did he think would happen if everyone turned out perfect (male)?
5. Women's Bodies Will Become Infertile If They Read Too Much
Edward Hammond Clarke, a Harvard professor, wrote in his book that women couldn't handle education like men, and that more than four hours a day reading would cause them to become infertile and irritable. Heaven forbid a woman tried to read a book while on her period — the repercussions would be unthinkable!
6. A Body Going Through Menopause Is The Result Of Physical Or Mental Illness
At certain points in history, you'd be considered sick when you hit menopause. Some thought the completely natural condition to be a physical sickness, while others believed it was a mental illness to be cured with dangerous chemical douching.
7. Women Have Fewer Teeth Than Men
Aristotle also thought that women had fewer teeth than men. It's hard to decipher how this one came about. Really, how hard is it to count teeth?
8. Boobs Are For Looking At And Keeping The Heart Warm
The royal physician Henri De Mondeville wrote to a 14th century king of France that a woman's breasts were placed where they were so that they could be easily gazed at (by men). He also said that breasts and the heart had a symbiotic relationship, keeping each other warm and strong.
9. Virgins' Bodies Restore Youth And Health
An older man sleeping next to, but not with, a young virgin is called shunamitism. It comes from the biblical story in which King David is too old to keep warm on his own, so his servants find a young virgin to help restore his youth.
This practice was supported by physicians in the 17th and 18th centuries, and some cultures have continued the practice even in more modern times.
10. Vaginas Have Teeth
Folklore says that women's vaginas can grow teeth, possibly castrating the man involved. This has a name: vagina dentata. Yikes.
Did you know about any of these insane beliefs? Please SHARE with your fellow women to commiserate about how absurd these notions were!
