Today on the show I’m talking to Chris Bobel, author of New Blood: Third-Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation and The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South. We discuss the history of menstrual activism, what’s working — and what’s not — in the menstrual movement, the “seeds of menstrual shame” and Chris’ vision for a future menstrutopia.
Listen now:
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What we discussed:
- The history of menstrual activism (before 2015!)
- What’s working and what’s not in the menstrual movement
- The destructive power of menstrual stigma and the crisis of the menstrual mark
- Why we disempower the female body
- How capitalism sells you a problem and a solution
- “My body, my information” and the importance of centering menstrual literacy
- How menstrual shame is at the root of issues with consent
- Normalizing our menstrual cycles and our bodies
- Refusing the normalization of pain
- Finding your own normal throughout your life
- How we compartmentalize the body in the West
- Being culturally sensitive to menstrual practices
Connect with Chris:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Heavy Flow: Breaking the Curse of Menstruation
New Blood: Third-Wave Feminism and the Politics of Menstruation
The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South
The Curse: A Cultural History of Menstruation
Blood Magic
Women with Severe Endometriosis May Be More Attractive
A qualitative study of the impact of endometriosis on male partners
Shirley Weir on The Heavy Flow Podcast
I receive an affiliate commission from some of the links above.
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Produced by: TK Matunda
Music credit: Julia and Bradley of Home Studios
Graphic Design: Rachel Laird