The Medium is More Important than the Content of the Actual Message

In class we watched The Vagina Monologues; the particular play we watched was called "When I Was Twelve," which was basically just a bunch of stories about women getting their first periods. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the video; it was hard to follow and the women in it seemed almost angry as they told their stories. From what I understood, it seemed as though they were trying to get across a message that women should feel like they can talk about getting their periods, yet in the way the play was set out, the women portrayed feelings of bitterness, which I thought contrasted the point they were trying to make. I understand that they were just trying to bring humour to the subject to make people feel more comfortable talking about it, however maybe I am just conservative, but I thought the play was kind of vulgar. I believe that women should be able to talk openly about their bodies and ask questions without men or even other women cringing, but I don't think that women should make it into an obnoxious joke completely opposite to the reality many women feel, because I doubt I am alone in thinking this, but personally that won't make me feel anymore comfortable talking about my period. The next day in class we watched Private Dicks: Men Exposed, which was very open and the men in it seemed real, honest, and willing to talk about their sexuality. For me, this just furthered the idea that men are able to talk openly about their bodies, while women are discouraged from it. Therefore the way a message is portrayed, is often more important than what is actually discussed in the message.