YouTube’s been recommending feminist videos to me lately. It beats the random lesbian‑themed content it used to throw at me, I suppose. When I saw blue balls in a thumbnail, I clicked expecting a quick laugh. The laugh didn’t last long. Eventually all I could do was roll my eyes.

A basic search of “blue balls isn’t real” will show you that the condition is real. The only major outlier claiming otherwise is a single Cosmopolitan article—which just so happens to be the one this creator cites. I’m sure some men have used the term manipulatively to pressure women; that part isn’t new. But pretending the underlying physical discomfort doesn’t exist is just bad faith.

I also haven’t heard anyone seriously use the term since my twenties. And honestly, I’m not on board with these newer waves of feminism that thrive on division and hot‑take absolutism. I’ve always leaned toward socialist feminism—material conditions, power structures, and solidarity—not this culture‑war posturing.