Last October, a story broke about a clinical trial of a male birth control injection that was halted due to the side effects that 20 out of 320 male participants found unacceptable. These included depression, mood swings, acne, and changes in libido. People, especially women, were outraged by the news, since the contraceptive had been found to be 96% effective. Had it gone on the market it would’ve been a good alternative to the pill.
It’s not at all surprising that the decision generated such backlash. After all, the side effects that interrupted the study are equivalent to those that women who take hormonal contraceptives also go through. But is the decision really that surprising? Despite the struggles women have gone through to ensure their human rights are as respected as men’s, the world of contraceptives is still heavily tilted to favor males. Society usually assigns most reproductive obligations on women, making them responsible for taking the necessary precautions to avoid unwanted pregnancies.
This isn’t limited to contraceptives. In several places menstruation continues to be viewed as something dirty that must be hidden. In India, women are told to avoid cooking while on their periods, for they might contaminate the food. The unavailability of sanitary napkins in developing countries makes girls miss several days of school each month. More developed nations also have problems of their own. The fact that tampons and sanitary napkins are seen as luxury items commodities that aren’t tax exempt. All in all, menstruation and contraception are topics where we haven’t made enough progress in terms of equality.
These problems are signaled by Maria Torres, an illustrator whose work delves into the topic of society’s impressions on menstrual blood, contraceptives, and abortion. She paints satirical environments where exaggerated portrayals of what happens every month show just how ridiculous our modern perspectives on menstruation really are. Her characters interact with the menstrual blood in a variety of ways: some have casual expressions, while others are horrified by the waves of red that flow from between the legs of naked women.
The effect is hauntingly funny. A woman is wrapped into a mountain of menstrual blood, while an older lady with deer legs fights off the waves of red with a shoe. Torres’ style is precise. While the quality of her strokes, as well as choice of palette is confident and effective. Her pictures hide dozens of small details that, when put together, enhance the power of the image and the bold questions it poses. It’s ridiculous the way we behave towards a natural occurrence that half the Earth’s population has to go through every month.
Aside from her commentary on the hypocrisy regarding menstruation, Torres points her critical eye towards abortion and the way the entire process makes women feel alone, powerless, and miserable. Her illustration on the topic shows a woman with her eyes closed, a relaxed expression on her face, her legs spread after a doctor terminates a pregnancy. Three heads emerge from her insides. The doctor stares at two of them in horror, while a baby’s head directs its gaze towards the mother.
Torres’ haunting depictions of serious inequality between men and women are funny, terrifying, and impossibly original. It’s a necessary work that signals a problem we don’t normally pay attention to. To see more of her illustrations, you can visit her Instagram profile.
Don’t miss out on some other great illustrations, like these ones for over thinkers and some more for sarcastic people.
Sources:
The New York Times
The Independent
The Guardian