If there were no men in the room,no men in the equation,no men to protect or appease— would anyone ever look a girl in the eye and say:“It’s no
If there were no men in the room,
no men in the equation,
no men to protect or appease—
would anyone ever look a girl in the eye and say:
“It’s not pain. It’s just discomfort.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
“Be brave.”
“Don’t be dramatic.”
“It’s over quickly.”
Because we know the truth:
Girls and women are told to minimize their pain—not to protect them from fear or panic,
but to protect the comfort, egos, and dominance of men.
✂️ From FGM to Forceps
In too many parts of the world, girls are still subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM)—a brutal violation often done without anesthesia, without explanation, without care.
And what are they told?
“It doesn’t hurt that much.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Be quiet.”
In hospitals and clinics across the globe, girls and women undergo reproductive procedures—insertions, extractions, removals, injections, exams—without adequate pain management.
When we cry, they say:
“It’s just pressure.”
“You’re being sensitive.”
“It’ll be over soon.”
If these things happened to boys or men, the world would stop.
There would be outrage. Reform. Research. Laws. Pain control.
But girls?
We are told to endure quietly.
Because discomfort in a girl’s body is more acceptable than discomfort in a man’s worldview.
🛑 The Pain Is Not the Problem—The Truth Is
Why are women’s pain stories dismissed?
Because to admit the truth would force us to confront the violence, negligence, and control that society has long called “normal.”
It would expose how medicine, tradition, and silence have been weaponized.
And it would mean asking:
Who benefits from women learning to suppress their pain?
Who benefits from calling harm a “cultural norm” or a “routine procedure”?
💔 Pain That Has No Language Becomes Legacy
Women pass on stories whispered in bathrooms and hospital beds:
“They told me it wouldn’t hurt.”
“They didn’t even numb me.”
“I thought I was overreacting.”
“They said I should be grateful.”
We call that a shared experience.
But it’s actually a shared injustice.
🗣️ Say the Words. Break the Spell.
To every woman who was told it didn’t hurt:
We believe you.
It did.
To every girl who thought she was the only one:
You weren’t.
You never were.
To every person willing to listen:
Minimizing women’s pain is not care. It’s control.
It’s not tradition. It’s trauma.
It’s not strength. It’s silence.
Let’s say the words out loud.
Let’s call it what it is.
Let’s stop sacrificing the bodies and voices of women and girls so that others can stay comfortable.
Truth is sacred. And so is our pain.
