Today I write to the women who have two X chromosomes. Being one of them, and I assume as I've never actually had a karyotype done, I understand the constant struggle we face with self-image and thus self-worth, specifically the pressure to allure all the time or else submit to feelings of worthlessness. (I am mostly speaking to the movement of women calling themselves potatoes.) Seriously, society has so much power in how we think of ourselves and care about the universe and yet here I am worried about my ponytail looking fat. This is nothing short of a damn shame. But I digress.
No no today, I offer you a prompt list that can trump the drag that is any bad hair day, malevolent zit, or whiff of stagnant breath. You are so much cooler than your mirror reflection implies; you just have to look inside. Biologically, of course.
1. Estrogen
The primary female sex hormone, estrogen, flows within us from the first drop of menarche through to menopause. Beyond it's typical functions what is most amazing, though, is that this hormone does so much more for us than we could ever ask of a molecule. It lowers the bad cholesterol in our bodies and increases the amount of good cholesterol, thus reducing our risk for heart disease and stroke. This is even more remarkable in contrast to testosterone which actually does quite the opposite to cholesterol ratios in men and actually greatly increases their risk for heart disease and stroke. Who knew biochemistry was such a misandrist?
Furthermore, not only does estrogen care about our heart and brain (glad something does), but it actually is commonly used as a therapy for holding off Alzheimer’s symptoms! Guys, this hormone is LITERALLY coursing through our veins at this moment.
2. Second X or Second String?
I don’t know to what extent you know biology, so I’ll summarize. Typically in a cell with two X chromosomes, one X is deactivated. What is AMAZING is that after many years of wear and tear on that one brave, active X chromosome left standing is that it has the opportunity to retire early, causing the hibernating X chromosome to "wake up" and take on a more active role. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this phenomenon occurs in anyone with multiple X chromosomes. Guys. This means that any mutations that accumulate on that first chromosome over time can be phenotypically erased, leaving the cell essentially as fresh as it was years before with respect to any functions rooted in the X chromosome. So next time you feel discriminated against for not being fertilized by a Y chromosome-containing sperm, toot your horn over the fact that your X chromosomes are fresh like local-grown vegetables.
3. The Menstruation Advantage
Although there is little reason to feel relief from tampons in this day in age, we should breathe easier knowing that during menstruation we are dumping some iron. Yeah, yeah, iron is important to a certain extent. People take pills for this. When the molecules aren’t helping our bodies, however, they are helping create oxygen radicals which cause aging, heart disease, and many other diseases in which these rascals I mean radicals are involved.
This is a short list of but three elements but it serves only as a pregame. We too often look at the world and ourselves with a boring macro lens but when we take the time to zoom in, we can see how fucking amazing we are. Damn, girl.
