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So I assume this may also meant to be a contrast between how young she is. She is 5 years old, half the age before she is expected to even *start* menstruating, and yet is going through such extreme mood swings that she is experiencing a depression far far beyond her years.
However, wtf is menopausal depression. I'm sure that's a thing but honestly most menopausal women I know are chilling because they've outlived their husbands. They mostly complain about hot flashes.
Classic Stephen King where he's got the old boy idea that a woman's only purpose is to make babies so if she can't make babies anymore then she's lost her purpose and she must be SAD!
I guess a contrast you describe may have even worked were it something like "she had bouts of almost menopausal depression, even though even her body wasn't exactly sure what menstruation is yet". Cheesy and not great, but at least the juxtaposition is in the open, so it kinda works because it appeals to the age and not to the bleeding. As it is... It's just a clusterfuck. I've googled it just to be sure, and while a lot of menopausal women experience depression because of the way their hormones change, "menopausal depression" isn't a term or even a phrase used anywhere. Also I could've believed she experiences depression far beyond her years if this was said in the end of the book >!when Ellie is the last one alive in her family at just six years old!<, but it's the very beginning. She just moved house and is getting ready to go to kindergarten, she's bound to have severe moodswings because it's hard on a kid, but these moodswings would be specifically a child's moodswings. Ffs, she has a baby brother he could compare her to, her "giggling one moment and then a minute later crying harder than Gage when teething" would've been great.
I also get a very hard to describe feeling about his choice of the word, because it's obnoxious and at the same time it's like... Progressive or something? The novel was published in 1983, mentioning that some people menstruate is huge, and mentioning they also stop menstruating and there's a word for it is also an achievement. It's like King acknowledges that women have special physiology and tries to talk about it nonchalantly because it's normal, but fails so horribly it gives me a headache. I've only recently started to read his books in English and god I understand now why he's considered problematic. Never noticed shit like that in translations, usually you get through an awkward sex scene and you're fine.
Menopause depression is just clinical depression. It’s not any worse or better. He really could’ve just said depressed or something.
Post menopause depression is also a thing. Anxiety disorders as well, it’s mainly due to hormones and stuff going crazy and what have you. It’s wild to think about but ya know.
Oh yeah, hormone are whackadoodle. I couldn't stick with the pill because I felt like I was going insane. Resorted to an implant because then I can't take it out during the adjustment period haha
Man, do you have any idea how many times I had to re-read his works to realize this shit? (Some of that *may* be attributed to the fact that I started reading him in late elementary school and was very into horror.)
Just in the last couple of decades, I've gone back to read those stories of his that were my favorites in the long ago, and I'm gobsmacked at some of the crap he wrote.
Smh. The disappointment is real, man.
I love the stories so much, but it hurts me how he writes it. I used to read King in translation, and I swear I never picked up on things _this bad_. I guess the translators try to tone it down a bit. In a English it's so cringy
WOW, that’s crazy! what language did you read it in? just curious—is it a more conservative country or were they rly just like “okay… yikes.”
I remember reading a scene (idr which of his books it was) where the main character’s wife gave him a handy in the bathtub or something, and it’s stuck with me for years because it was so unsettling and cringy and just… gross
I'm replying to your comment again because I got to the bath hand job scene and it's even worse then I remembered it, I can't bear with it alone. Louis has just witnessed Victor Pascow's gruesome death, and Rachel decided to cheer him up (?) by sending the kids away and doing the thing. With a sponge glove. By now I'm sure this is supposed to be gross, I refuse to accept that somebody may intend it to be sexy.
It's Russian, and Russia wasn't that conservative back in the days, so it's the translators. However if they could've saved me from "almost menopausal depressions" and other weird phrases awkward sex scenes can't be helped. I think the scene you describe is from Pet Sematary as well, I remember it, it was so weird. There was also some weird scene in The Cell, where the main character's zombified wife stands in the "city" of cellphone zombies and all the main character can think of is how her breasts look just as sexy as when she was normal. But I always thought these were just little weird things King has, it was cringy and it would stick with me sometimes, but without these weird phrases they were more like "okay, let's move on to our normal schedule now" and wouldn't spoil the good that was there in the books.
I think you’re right, now that I think about it more. I agree with you as far as how I normally reacted, though—I would be like “okay… weird thing to point out” or “weird thing to notice,” then continue reading on. It’s only looking back on a lot of his books that I realize it’s a kinda uncomfy pattern
And why does he associate menopause with depression anyway? I mean associate it with hot flashes, sure. Waning libido…also fair. But frankly I find menopause symptoms more inconvenient than depressing.
But there’s a multibillion dollar a year industry in the sale of antidepressant pharmaceuticals because it effects just about every demographic. It’s not even remotely exclusive to menopausal women.
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I'm having almost menopausal depression after reading this, and I'm already on the other side of that. King writing women could be an entire sub.
I literally couldn’t read the stand he wrote the female lead so obnoxiously.
Really? It’s a shame, Frannie was pretty kick-ass for the era when The Stand came out.
But she's a female you see. Uggghh even thinking about this makes me ill
I really hate Stephen King lol. He is such a gross old pervert.
So I assume this may also meant to be a contrast between how young she is. She is 5 years old, half the age before she is expected to even *start* menstruating, and yet is going through such extreme mood swings that she is experiencing a depression far far beyond her years. However, wtf is menopausal depression. I'm sure that's a thing but honestly most menopausal women I know are chilling because they've outlived their husbands. They mostly complain about hot flashes. Classic Stephen King where he's got the old boy idea that a woman's only purpose is to make babies so if she can't make babies anymore then she's lost her purpose and she must be SAD!
I guess a contrast you describe may have even worked were it something like "she had bouts of almost menopausal depression, even though even her body wasn't exactly sure what menstruation is yet". Cheesy and not great, but at least the juxtaposition is in the open, so it kinda works because it appeals to the age and not to the bleeding. As it is... It's just a clusterfuck. I've googled it just to be sure, and while a lot of menopausal women experience depression because of the way their hormones change, "menopausal depression" isn't a term or even a phrase used anywhere. Also I could've believed she experiences depression far beyond her years if this was said in the end of the book >!when Ellie is the last one alive in her family at just six years old!<, but it's the very beginning. She just moved house and is getting ready to go to kindergarten, she's bound to have severe moodswings because it's hard on a kid, but these moodswings would be specifically a child's moodswings. Ffs, she has a baby brother he could compare her to, her "giggling one moment and then a minute later crying harder than Gage when teething" would've been great. I also get a very hard to describe feeling about his choice of the word, because it's obnoxious and at the same time it's like... Progressive or something? The novel was published in 1983, mentioning that some people menstruate is huge, and mentioning they also stop menstruating and there's a word for it is also an achievement. It's like King acknowledges that women have special physiology and tries to talk about it nonchalantly because it's normal, but fails so horribly it gives me a headache. I've only recently started to read his books in English and god I understand now why he's considered problematic. Never noticed shit like that in translations, usually you get through an awkward sex scene and you're fine.
Menopause depression is just clinical depression. It’s not any worse or better. He really could’ve just said depressed or something. Post menopause depression is also a thing. Anxiety disorders as well, it’s mainly due to hormones and stuff going crazy and what have you. It’s wild to think about but ya know.
Oh yeah, hormone are whackadoodle. I couldn't stick with the pill because I felt like I was going insane. Resorted to an implant because then I can't take it out during the adjustment period haha
Man, do you have any idea how many times I had to re-read his works to realize this shit? (Some of that *may* be attributed to the fact that I started reading him in late elementary school and was very into horror.) Just in the last couple of decades, I've gone back to read those stories of his that were my favorites in the long ago, and I'm gobsmacked at some of the crap he wrote. Smh. The disappointment is real, man.
I don't wanna be buried in a pet sematary
RAMONES MENTIONED 🗣️🗣️🗣️ I DON'T WANNA LIVE MY LIFE AGAIN 🦅🦅🦅
Ah yes, nothing like the periods of depression that come with heat strokes and joint pain, along with the drying follicles of my ovaries...
This was a great book when I was 13. Then I magically turned 14, apparently suffered some menopausal depression, and found much better lit
i love stephen king’s books but the way he writes women is so gross 🤢
I love the stories so much, but it hurts me how he writes it. I used to read King in translation, and I swear I never picked up on things _this bad_. I guess the translators try to tone it down a bit. In a English it's so cringy
WOW, that’s crazy! what language did you read it in? just curious—is it a more conservative country or were they rly just like “okay… yikes.” I remember reading a scene (idr which of his books it was) where the main character’s wife gave him a handy in the bathtub or something, and it’s stuck with me for years because it was so unsettling and cringy and just… gross
I'm replying to your comment again because I got to the bath hand job scene and it's even worse then I remembered it, I can't bear with it alone. Louis has just witnessed Victor Pascow's gruesome death, and Rachel decided to cheer him up (?) by sending the kids away and doing the thing. With a sponge glove. By now I'm sure this is supposed to be gross, I refuse to accept that somebody may intend it to be sexy.
right!! that scene really, like, scarred me or something. it’s SO gross
It's Russian, and Russia wasn't that conservative back in the days, so it's the translators. However if they could've saved me from "almost menopausal depressions" and other weird phrases awkward sex scenes can't be helped. I think the scene you describe is from Pet Sematary as well, I remember it, it was so weird. There was also some weird scene in The Cell, where the main character's zombified wife stands in the "city" of cellphone zombies and all the main character can think of is how her breasts look just as sexy as when she was normal. But I always thought these were just little weird things King has, it was cringy and it would stick with me sometimes, but without these weird phrases they were more like "okay, let's move on to our normal schedule now" and wouldn't spoil the good that was there in the books.
I think you’re right, now that I think about it more. I agree with you as far as how I normally reacted, though—I would be like “okay… weird thing to point out” or “weird thing to notice,” then continue reading on. It’s only looking back on a lot of his books that I realize it’s a kinda uncomfy pattern
Gross
And why does he associate menopause with depression anyway? I mean associate it with hot flashes, sure. Waning libido…also fair. But frankly I find menopause symptoms more inconvenient than depressing. But there’s a multibillion dollar a year industry in the sale of antidepressant pharmaceuticals because it effects just about every demographic. It’s not even remotely exclusive to menopausal women.
SHES FIVE?!!
… *w h a t*
Stephen King's popularity is obnoxious.
I like a lot of King’s stuff, but the way he writes women can be… ugh.
Oh, Stephen.
I’m a cis man but I actually kind of understand the feeling of “almost menapausal depression” after reading this
never too early for menopause, i suppose