Every girl has been through hell. We’ve all been there, hundreds of times. All of the nights we’ve stayed up late because cramps make our uterus feel as if it’s going to explode. All of the days where bloated stomachs make it impossible to fit into our favorite jeans, and all of the fights that have been started simply because we were PMS-ing.
It’s times like these that make every girl hate her body and wish that something would change. Or better yet, that every man could experience just one period.
But period drama aside, there are many things to celebrate about being a girl.
While it may be nice to daydream about ridding yourself of your uterus because of the torture it brings you, don’t be so quick to judge your body. The uterus is actually the strongest muscle by weight in the female human body, weighing about 2.4 pounds at the time of childbirth, says Dr. Maria Krasilnikova, research assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology. Obviously women are different than men in that we can have babies, but we can only do so with a strong body.
Women also have an advantage in certain sports, such as gymnastics and distance running, Krasilnikova says, as girls are often able to coordinate their bodies more easily than boys can.
“Girls have a lower gravity center because their legs are shorter and closer to the floor. This gives them better balance in gymnastics and other sports where coordination is important,” she says.
Girls also have stronger hearts (thanks to estrogen that helps keep our arteries from clogging) and a greater ability to store fat, which comes in handy when running long distances. While men may be faster, women can run farther, says Krasilnikova.
It’s not just in physical qualities that women differ from men, but neurological as well. Krasilnikova says women are also better at relating to other people’s problems as well as multitasking.
“Women tend to think with the left side of their brain, which involves logic. We involve more parts of our brain. Women don’t just focus on a task, but how it will emotionally affect the people around them,” Krasilnikova says.
So instead of focusing on the negative parts of your body, think about all of the cool things it can do. And for those times you really need a good laugh, just imagine how funny it would be if every man really could experience just one period.
Photo by Ian Lopera
WOWZAH!
Great article!