Are You A Hysterical Woman?

Most women are completely oblivious to their hysteria. Unbeknownst to them, they are carriers of this detrimental disease and unfortunately, may pass this infliction onto their daughters. This, in turn, results in generations of hysterical women. Women rebelling, challenging all that society has worked hard to stifle. So, here’s a little test. If three or more of the following statements apply to you… You may be hysterical.

You want equal respect and consideration as any other person.
You want the spouse, the house, the kids and the career.
You like to push the envelope when it comes to office etiquette and dress.
You expect him to call when he says he will. (And you’re definitely hysterical if you call him on his mal-behavior when he finally does call three days later)
You cry when you’re sad, yell when you’re angry and ask questions when you want answers.
You like sex and don’t necessarily see the correlation between the act and love.
You don’t believe in holding your tongue.
You’ve been described as crazy by two or more of your ex boyfriends.
You expect to find a man that appreciates and loves you for yourself, not your representative.

Female hysteria is a common medical diagnosis, made exclusively in women, which is today rarely recognized by modern medical authorities as a medical disorder. Its diagnosis and treatment were routine for many hundreds of years in Western Europe. Hysteria was widely discussed in the medical literature of the 19th century. Women considered to be suffering from it exhibited a wide array of symptoms including faintness, nervousness, insomnia, fluid retention, heaviness in abdomen, muscle spasm, shortness of breath, irritability, loss of appetite for food or sex, and "a tendency to cause trouble". – Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_hysteria
Are you a hysterical woman? If you are Black, female, fed-up and two seconds from snapping… You just might be. The term hysterical is often ascribed to women exhibiting behavior that is uncontrollable, controversial and/or unconventional. In the 19th century, the treatments for this disease varied from incarceration and forced feeding to “pelvic massage” (use your imagination). Today, symptoms include, being loud, enjoying sex and refusing to let a man convince you that being a lady means submitting to his will. Likewise, treatment remedies have evolved to include, watching “chick flicks,” marriage to “A Safe Guy,” or buying books that teach us how to think like men and keep our legs closed.

Most Black women, by today’s standards, can be described as hysterical. Our legacy dictates this. Harriet Tubman, Angela Davis, Alice Walker and even Oprah Winfrey, all hysterical, crazy for their ambition and for having the audacity to want more than what others felt they deserved. Common terms used to describe hysterical women include the following, Crazy, Whore, Feminist/Womanist, Lesbian and of course, Bitch. Everywhere we turn, we are faced with images and other propaganda designed to “cure” our hysteria. Last year, national media went frenzy with stories of our single-dom. Reporting that we are the most undesirable, and un-marriable women on the planet and that it was all our own faults because we emasculated men with our pickiness, education and high incomes. Sensational much?

I often find myself on the receiving end of the term. People, men and women alike, stare with confusion at my wild mane, choices in attire and rebellious tongue. I say, if hysterical means following in the footsteps of pioneers, trendsetters and revolutionaries, that is what I’ll be. And I encourage all of you to follow suit. I recently announced to my friends and family that I may not ever want to get married or have children. I’d be perfectly happy if my life revolved around travel, writing, teaching, friends and family. They gladly dismissed these statements as bouts of hysteria, most likely caused by a broken heart or my menstrual cycle. I, on the other hand, felt great about the decision. In my opinion, moping around in stagnation, waiting for some man to marry me and “make my life,” is hysterical.

As Black women, we have two choices. You’re either a lady or a whore. Unlike our white counterparts, our purity and femininity is not a given. We have to earn or prove that we deserve the respect their men lynched our men in protection of. Therefore, we sometimes go too far, or too right, in our attempt to conform. But, by nature we are the mothers of hysteria. We were starting wars and ruling kingdoms before Helen (of Troy) or Elizabeth (Queen of England). Their rules and standards don’t apply to us. So, the next time your neighbor, boyfriend or boss calls you crazy, calmly reply, “I’m not crazy, I’m hysterical.”