Journal
SOCIAL SEMIOTICS
Volume 31, Issue 3, Pages 421-439Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/10350330.2021.1930858
Keywords
Menstruation; stigma; social media; memes; activism
Funding
- Leverhulme Trust [ECF-2019-232]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In recent years, menstruation has become increasingly politicized on social media, driven by activists aiming to destigmatize it and raise awareness of issues such as period poverty. While many memes still perpetuate stigma, a significant number use humor to challenge harmful ideologies.
Since 2015, menstruation has become increasingly politicised on social media. This impetus has been driven by activists who strive to destigmatise menstruation and raise awareness of issues such as period poverty. As sociological studies demonstrate, menstrual stigma is rooted in ideologies that construct menstruating women as leaking, unhygienic and irrational. Such discourses are indicative of a societal imperative to ensure that menstrual blood remains concealed. By creating memes, social media users are increasing the visibility of menstruation in the public space. Drawing on concepts from critical menstruation studies and theories about humour and ideology, this article explores the discourses that inform menstrual memes. Using Nvivo, 220 memes posted on Instagram with the hashtag #periodmemes were coded and then analysed with MCDA. Although many of these memes perpetuate stigma, a significant number use humour to problematise harmful ideologies. This article argues that, despite appearing trivial, menstrual memes have the potential to normalise menstruation and advance the objectives of menstrual activism.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available