Viral ‘Roe v. Bros’ TikTok is the perfect way to validate your Election Day rage

You know how clueless men are regularly elected to the United States government to exert control over our bodies? Of course you do! Do you know who elects these ignorant men to preside over our reproductive systems? Other clueless men! And if you’re looking to channel your Election Day rage, consider the “Roe v. Bros” TikTok account.

Last week, a TikTok account named @RoeVBros began uploading “gameshow-style” videos of men trying to answer very basic, very common knowledge, VERY EASILY GOOGLE-ABLE questions about women and our bodies. And, because Roe v. Wade was overturned this summer, both the gameshow name and the topics at hand couldn’t be more apt as we embark on Election Day here in the U.S.

Related: Resources for safe abortion access and reproductive rights

In the video, which now has over 6 million views, @RoeVBros asks, “Can women pee with a tampon in?”

(The correct answer is YES OF COURSE WE CAN BECAUSE IT’S A DIFFERENT HOLE. But so many cisgender men just…don’t know this.)

“I think you gotta take it out. I’ve seen the little tampon trash cans in the bathroom, so I think that’s probably why,” the man in question answers, with the world’s most self-congratulatory smirk on his face.

It gets worse. Because for whatever reason (the Puritans) female anatomy and biology is something people are still very, very prudish about even in 2022.

Another man had no idea what a period was, and said it’s “that time of the month when a woman ovulates.”

Sir. SIR. While we could commend you for knowing the word “ovulates” (because the bar for cis men currently resides in the earth’s core), you can’t just throw around fertile vernacular and hope something sticks to the wall, like spaghetti.

Related: After Roe, a pediatrician shares how the health of America’s teens are at risk

“How many tampons do women use while on their period, on average?” she asks another bro, who responds, “One? Or two? I think one, to be honest.”

One or two? Mmmm…like per hour? COME ON, DUDES. (The average woman uses 20 period-related products per cycle, by the way.)

Ignorance surrounding female anatomy and things like menstruation and reproduction just fuels the stigmas against it all. Half the population experiences a period every month, and there’s no excuse for such an embarrassing knowledge gap like this video demonstrates.

Some startling research was published last year by INTIMA surrounding this very topic. (There’s very little in the way of data or peer-reviewed research about this knowledge gap overall, because research surrounding women’s health is perpetually overlooked and underfunded compared to men.)

According to INTIMA’s findings, one in 10 men (14%) have never had a conversation with a woman about periods, a quarter believe you have to remove a tampon to urinate and 11% of men still believe that a woman can absolutely not get pregnant while on her period.

Part of the study focused on misconceptions around menstruation, in which men asked to record whether they believed a number of statements around menstruation to be true or not: 14% of men reported believing tampons and periods can get lost in the vagina, and nearly one in 10 (8%) believe that menstruation attracts sharks in the sea.

So…yeah. Remember all of this when casting your ballot today and every single election in the future. How on earth can we elect people to control our bodies when they don’t know anything about them?!