Date of Award

Spring 2020

Thesis Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Honors Bachelor of Arts

Department

Philosophy

Sponsor

Dr. Margaret McLaren

Committee Member

Dr. Tom Cook

Committee Member

Dr. Ryan Musgrave

Abstract

From innovative new products to cheeky advertisements to period politics, menstruation appears to be having its moment. This thesis serves to offer some skepticism towards the changing cultural attitudes towards periods, categorizing many of these recent developments as a consequence of a postfeminist cooptation. To support this process, this thesis first identifies menstruation as a political issue with implications for both gender politics and anti-capitalist efforts, identifying the stakes at play with this paradigm shift. Then, it deconstructs the consequences of the changing corporate narratives and advertisements and of the most recent mainstream political engagement with menstruation, the menstrual equity movement. Ultimately, I argue that the growing political consciousness surrounding menstruation and its various social issues has, through these cultural sites, been redirected towards more palatable and accommodating neoliberal channels, diminishing the radical and intersectional potential of the bodily process as a site of political struggle.

Comments

The fourth committee member for this theses was Dr. Stephanie Gonzalez Guittar.

Rights Holder

Kenzie Helmick

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