The XX Factor

The Blood Bracelets of Shame

From the “you’ve gotta be kidding me!” department: A boss in Norway requires female workers to wear the red bracelet of shame when menstruating.

Apparently, Norwegian workers spend so much time in the loo that 66 percent of the suits have resorted to such strategems as video monitoring of bathrooms (stalls?) and door-opening key cards kept in the manager’s desk. Think they have to specify whether it’s No. 1 or No. 2? The blood bracelets are in a class of their own, but the visitors’ log some bosses require also caught my eye. Wonder what the Norwegian version of Will Ublowme is.

Here’s a tip from the Sisterhood is Powerful file: All the post-menopausal women at this firm should demand the bracelets, claiming age discrimination for non-receipt, then spend half the day in the potty, emerging only for short breaks during which they loudly bemoan how rough “this one” is. This would work, cuz we older chicks just love mindschtups like this and could care less about propriety. Let’s see the power-tripping, fascist bastards circumvent that one. And, what the heck, here’s hoping daily busloads of blood-braceleted women, 8 to 80, protest outside this hellhole till this invasion of privacy ends.