Hiding in Public or Going with the Flow: Human Rights, Human Dignity, and the Movement for Menstrual Equity

Abstract

Menstrual health and hygiene have become important parts of the human rights agenda in recent years. This article examines the ways in which human rights actors invoke the language of human dignity to illuminate and address the vulnerabilities menstruating individuals face. It argues that although the norms associated with conventional accounts of human dignity provide an important resource for this project, they can also present a stumbling block. To the extent that menstrual rights actors rely on conventional accounts of human dignity associated with bodily self-control they may unwittingly reinforce the period stigma at the heart of the problem.

Topics & Concepts