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Migraines, high heels and just another excuse to stop women in power

3 comments

Sarah Cheverton
WVoN co-editor

I cannot be alone in finding the story of the press hounding Representative Michele Bachmann about her migraines both astounding and hilarious at the same time.

Covered in the New York Times this week, Bachmann and her son – he’s a medical resident, apparently – have issued statements confirming that the politician’s occasional headaches do not impede her professional abilities.

“Let me be abundantly clear,” Ms Bachmann began, clearly resisting the almost irresistable temptation to add ‘you fucking morons’, then continued: “My ability to function effectively has never been impeded by migraines and will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief.”

No shit it won’t.

Because debilitating though migraines frequently are, lots of people suffer from them, and – start drumroll – lead highly successful professional lives. Ta Dah!

It’s amazing isn’t it.

Just in case we weren’t clear on the link to gender here, the New York Times helpfully reminds us that migraines are “three times more common among women than men.”

And along with our periods, our insatiable desire for chocolate and our uncontrollable habit of being distracted by anything pink and/or fluffy – migraines are clearly just another reason why women can’t be President.

When we all know that the reason this woman shouldn’t be President is only because she’s Republican.

But the clincher to this story for me is the fact that Ms Bachmann’s son, Dr Bachmann, has highlighted a correlation between the Representative’s migraines and high heeled shoes (admittedly a theory also advanced by Ms Bachmann herself).

Dr Bachmann said that his mother did, in fact, notice “a correlation” between the headaches and days when she is wearing heels.

“The truth is she wears high heels all the time and she doesn’t get migraines” all the time, he said, adding: “But she has found a correlation, though a correlation does not necessarily equal causation. It’s an unknown cause.”

No shit Sherlock.

In fact, the only correlation I’m aware of between stilettos and headaches is if  you were to embed one of your high-heeled shoes in a misogynist’s brain.

  1. BarryMayor says:

    According to this, not only is Dr. Bachman, Ms. Bachmann’s son a misogynist who hates his own mother, Ms. Bachmann herself is a misogynist and evidently loathes herself — since they both noted that there may be a correlation between HER wearing of high heels and HER migraines (note they didn’t say EVERY female migraine sufferer).

    But, this is the kind if stunning illogic that results from desperation to find sexism in everything, and the predictable justification for sexist violence. (“the only correlation I’m aware of between stilettos and headaches is if you were to embed one of your high-heeled shoes in a misogynist’s brain.”)

    • I think you’ve missed the point here Barry. The connection between high heels and migraines is clearly ridiculous and is just one of the many weird things that Michele Bachmann has said in her efforts to climb the greasy pole. The point of our story is that the fact that she suffers from migraines is being used as an excuse to argue she’s not fit to stand for president. That’s what we are disputing. As Sarah says at the end, the connection between migraines and high heels is not one that we would recognise except perhaps in the circumstance she suggests. It’s a joke.

  2. BarryMayor says:

    Do you not agree that a Presidential candidate’s health (or lack thereof) is relevant? That migraines CAN be debilitating, forcing a person to bed in total darkness for hours, a full day or even longer? That migraines or anything else that can debilitate a president is a legitimate issue to raise? Or is it only legitimate in your view if it’s a male candidate?

    When John McCain’s (a man) age and health were brought up as a cause for concernin the 2008 election campaign why didn’t feminists criticize that as “just another excuse to stop men in power?”

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