Everyone experiences a certain rage where suddenly everything and everyone they see is the color of vibrant, blood red. They no longer can articulate sentences as only the loud, abruptness of a scream encapsulates their words.

For women this rage, which is often felt because of experiencing different treatment than men, possess the negative cognition of “feminine rage” because of archetypes like the “crazy ex-girlfriend” or the “hysterical woman” — the word hysteria also symbols how people viewed this rage as strictly a female problem as it is the Greek word for uterus.

“For centuries, women’s anger was pathologized as a medical condition tied to their reproductive organs,” says Austin Newcomb, a staff therapist at the Cira Center for Behavioral Health in Chicago.

Newcomb says these depictions of women are meant to be used as tools of control, prompting women to not want to be viewed in these unfavorable lights. However, the pressure to resistant this rage can take a physical toll on women. For example, clenching one’s jaw is an attempt at preventing those words for leaving one’s mouth.

“It can literally get locked our jaw muscles, just physically holding back words or — holding back your own voice,” Newcomb says. “Over time, that becomes a chronic pattern. People will clinch their jaws while they’re sleeping, when they wake up with headaches.”

He also adds that the mouth is one of the areas, next to people’s shoulders, were a majority of energy is held.

Recognizing the power from not holding back one’s voice, Newcomb views feminine rage as a “focused” one, motivating movements like #MeToo and encouraging women to be confident setting boundaries with others.

“I think it’s important to have perspective, and maybe challenge some of the questions,” Newcomb says. “Instead of, ‘How do I get rid of this anger,’ we shift it to, ‘What is the anger telling me’ or ‘What does this energy want to protect or create?'”

Adriana Gąsiewski is editor-in-chief. Contact her at [email protected].

Yasmeen Matthews is a photographer. Contact her at [email protected].