Menstrual dirt: An exploration of contemporary menstrual hygiene practices in Sweden

Abstract

Why is menstruation so often considered a dirty phenomenon, in both material and symbolic terms? How do ideas and realities of menstrual pollution affect the lived experience of menstruation and everyday hygiene practices? Josefin Persdotter’s study Menstrual Dirt explores how notions and materializations of pollution are enacted in different menstrual practices. It unpacks taken for granted aspects of menstrual life and reveals persistent gendered inequalities in relation to menstruation.

Topics & Concepts