Abstract
Based on thorough research from the United States, The Menstrual Movement in the Media is the first study providing a view of the menstrual movement in Scotland, England, and Wales. Given the increased visibility of menstruation studies in mainstream media, Maria Kathryn Tomlinson highlights the importance of creating a template for present and future research to design and execute a comprehensive study examining the social, cultural, political, and psychological aspects of the experience of menstruation. The two-part volume considers interviews with 37 activists in Part I and focus groups with 77 teenagers in Part II. There is a large emphasis placed on menstrual stigma and the resulting effects on services, in media, and within public language and discourse. The study follows an introduction into menstrual health communication studies and traces the menstrual movement throughout the waves of feminism. Along with stigma, menstrual equity (‘period poverty’) is at the forefront of discussion. Chapters 2 and 3, in interviews with menstrual activists, focus on discussing the spread of misinformation whilst reinforcing social inequalities as the most harmful mode of menstruation mediation. The latter chapter provides an in-depth analysis of the tactics used by participants to enforce social change through media. Humour is identified as the leading contributor to the normalisation of topics surrounding menstruation in Chapter 4. It is based on focus groups with young people to evaluate their engagement with mediation, media (including social media, news stories, and advertisements), and memes. Subsequently, more in-depth analysis of this information can be found in the final two chapters. As part of the Communication for Social Change (CSC), this volume brings together research to explore and advocate for further change within menstrual movements and is intended for both scholars and practitioners.