A Study Judging The Attractiveness Of Women Suffering From Rectovaginal Endometriosis Was Finally Taken Down After Backlash. It Took The Researchers 7 Years To Realise It Was Utter Nonsense.
The world is no stranger to weird scientific and medical studies that either leave you stumped or make you cringe…hard. Then there are some which don’t contribute to the mankind even the slightest and simply exist to offend a certain group of people. They are the are the most randomest of all (if that’s a word, because I don’t have a more fitting one) you’ll ever come across. I am guilty of spending too much time on reading up on the latter because it amuses me how the greatest minds in the world (they are scientists) are so ignorant to have come up with these pointless findings that are absolutely futile to medical science.
However, here’s one that takes the cake for being the most ridiculous and completely useless study in the history of ridiculous medical studies. Published by medical journal Fertility and Sterility, this peer-reviewed study rated the women with rectovaginal endometriosis on the basis of attractiveness. It said that women with this gynaecological condition were physically better looking as compared to women with other benign conditions. To quote the conclusion, “Women with rectovaginal endometriosis were judged to be more attractive than those in the two control groups. Moreover, they had a leaner silhouette, larger breasts, and an earlier coitarche.” I looked up coitarche. It means the age you have sex for the first time. What, pray tell, does rectovaginal endometriosis have to do with the age you have your first sexual intercourse or the level of your attractiveness?
The study titled Attractiveness Of Women With Rectovaginal Endometriosis: A Case-Control Study was published by a group of Italian doctors in 2013 (although it sounds like it was published in 1813, but no). It faced flak from critics, researchers, doctors and people suffering from endometriosis which led them to retract it seven years later. It took them 7 years to realise that it was ridiculous and worthless, not to mention highly offensive.
Medical journal pulls study judging attractiveness of women who suffer from endometriosis https://t.co/LvmswVecGU
— The Independent (@Independent) August 5, 2020
What’s more is that the authors have defended the study stating that“Several researchers believe that a general phenotype exists which is associated with the disease.” There is absolutely no connection between rectovaginal endometriosis and the way you look and this paper fails to justify its findings. Not only this left the readers deeply offended but gynaecologists and endometriosis specialists worldwide are disappointed and disgusted at the fact that so much money has been put to this garbage research when they are literally struggling to get funded for more valuable and useful ones. They have criticized the study saying it contributes nothing to medical science.
A large number of women around the world face issues related to uterus and suffer from endometriosis that completely changes their life and what do a bunch of reputed male OB/GYNs and study? This! They failed medicine. The journal has also come under fire for publishing the offensive study. Gynaecologist Dr Jennifer Gunter criticized the journal on her blog saying “Fertility Sterility should be ashamed they accepted it for publication.” “Objectifying women has no place in medicine. It is even more horrifying that such a publication comes from a department on OB/GYN,” she added.
If that fired you up, wait till you hear this. Imagine some doctor you visited for your usual monthly medical consultation asked you to participate in a study that allows him to grade your attractiveness because you have endometriosis. You’d probably be disgusted and report him to the hospital’s ethics committee, right? But these women who were studied were not even informed about it and had not given their consent to be judged on their appearance. These were Caucasian women whose body measurements were taken and were asked about their sexual history during medical examination. They had no idea it was for a study. Objectifying women for a public study even without their consent? Why isn’t anyone suing them yet?
Interesting that even the apology sounds completely hollow. Good that the article is being withdrawn. But how did this demeaning pointless study ever get published in your peer reviewed journal? #endometriosis needs meaningful research. Not #sexist stuff like this!
— @drnitubajekal MD FRCOD DIP IBLM (@drnitubajekal) August 5, 2020
Also Read: This Men’s Grooming Brand Uses Disgusting Sexism And Women In Skimpy Clothes To Sell Products. We Are Not Okay With This
Although the study has been taken down, the authors don’t feel entirely responsible for the messed up research and issued a non-apology statement as a favour to the humankind. Rather than apologising for conducting the obscene study, they apologised for the “discontent” people felt with it. The journal published a letter from the authors of the study which said, “We conducted the study in good faith and according to correct methodology. We believe that our findings have been partly misinterpreted, but at the same time realize that the article may have caused distress to some people. Women’s respect is a priority for us, and we are extremely sorry for the discontent the publication originated.” Basically, it translates to “we are sorry you were offended but we didn’t offend you.”
I am still shaking my head in disbelief thinking about the sheer ignorance and stupidity of these renowned and respected researchers. Women being objectified and judged on their appearance is the perfect example of the patriarchal mindset of the society which doesn’t hesitate in degrading women to one and only basis, and that is how they look. These were just a few male doctors trying to prove a point that women with rectovaginal endometriosis are hot which is absurd and doesn’t help medical science, like at all. All it does is rate women on how how attractive they are like some objects. Good that the study is has been pulled down, no matter how long it took.
