Menstruation Menstrual Activism feminism Menstrual Equity Period Poverty Menstrual Stigma Period Stigma
Abstract:
The current conceptualization of menstrual activism carries the influence of neoliberalism, consumerism, and capitalism, resulting in product-based initiatives as opposed to radical, structural solutions (e.g. Bobel & Fahs, 2020; Helmick, 2020; Lysa, 2021). Western-centered activism has made menstruation visible through products, forcing menstrual management and concealment to become the standard way menstruating individuals care for their menses (Bobel, 2010; Bobel & Fahs, 2020; Wood, 2020). The establishment of menstrual hygiene management initiatives and the formation of menstruation as a public health crisis perpetuates harmful rhetoric and places the burden of product use on individual menstruators (Lahiri-Dutt, 2015; Bhandal, 2020). Embodiment and inclusivity within menstrual activism must be brought to the forefront, and menstrual stigma and inequity must be resisted on a more radical level. In this paper, I will examine menstrual equity from a decolonial, feminist perspective to expand menstrual activist theoretical frameworks beyond menstrual management.
