There’s a Swedish sock brand named Happy Socks and up until today I’ve always assumed the products were gender neutral because…well, they’re socks. But they have a special new sock line just for women named after a “powerful word” for expressing female freedom: Hysteria.
You know, hysteria? Stemming from the Greek word hystera, for uterus? Hysteria, as you probably already know, is the unbelievably misogynist diagnosis from the Victorian era in which women were punished and declared sick for just being a living, breathing person. Wanted to have sex or not have sex? Hysteria! Couldn’t sleep at night? Hysteria! Bored being a fucking housewife? To the bed, hysterical miss, and stay there all day. And don’t forget to masturbate-sorry I mean massage yourself-to treat it! Or—if you’re extra lucky—those doctors will cut that uterus right out of you! Hysteria cured, at least until you make trouble again.
Ringing any bells? It’s, like, the ultimate expression of girl power. Just see how the sock brand Hysteria explains it:
We see women embracing their individuality as a mark of strength, and believe in their right to express themselves however they want. Hysteria is a powerful word that represents this freedom. Hysteria is the first lifestyle sock brand solely focused on women’s socks with a strong, modern aesthetic.
So, you see, anytime a woman gets called crazy it’s really not sexist, it’s about how powerful she is. Man, if only all those Victorian women who were confined to bed rest or forcibly masturbated by their husbands had these socks. They would have been able to express their freedom and individuality while looking sooo cute!
