What is it about?
Social media has become a powerful space for people to share their stories, emotions, and experiences, especially within specific groups. Popular campaigns like #MeToo, #HappytoBleed, and #HeForShe have shown how these platforms can bring attention to important issues like women’s rights and gender equality. When it comes to menstruation, social media offers a unique way for people to connect and share their feelings, challenges, and stories. Through posts, videos, memes, and more, individuals can openly discuss their experiences and find support from others who understand what they are going through. Memes, in particular, have become a favorite way to talk about menstruation. These funny and relatable images spread quickly on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, helping to break the stigma and start meaningful conversations about periods. This research looks at how social media, especially memes, has become a platform for people to share their menstrual experiences. It shows how these memes help normalize periods, spark dialogue, and provide a sense of connection and support for menstruating individuals.
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Why is it important?
What makes this paper unique is its focus on how social media has transformed the way menstruation is discussed and represented in public spaces. While many studies explore the stigma and challenges surrounding menstruation, this research highlights the creative and impactful use of memes as a tool for storytelling and collective expression. The paper connects the tradition of "life writing", where people share personal stories to make sense of their experiences, with modern digital platforms, showing how memes serve as a contemporary form of self-expression. By analyzing how menstruating individuals use humor and visual storytelling, the paper demonstrates the power of memes to foster connection, challenge taboos, and promote open conversations about menstruation in an engaging and accessible way. This study stands out by combining insights from digital culture, gender studies, and communication, offering a fresh perspective on how a traditionally private subject is being transformed into a collective dialogue through social media.
Perspectives
I hope this article sheds light on a topic that many might consider too personal or even taboo to discuss openly, menstruation, and makes it relatable, engaging, and thought-provoking. Menstruation is a natural part of life, yet societal stigma often silences conversations about it. By exploring how memes and social media serve as creative outlets for self-expression and collective storytelling, I aim to show that talking about periods doesn’t have to be uncomfortable or boring, it can be empowering. This topic is not just important for those who menstruate; it is a matter that intersects with broader issues of gender equality, health, and communication in our society. Social media has provided a powerful platform to amplify these conversations, turning private experiences into public dialogues that challenge outdated taboos. More than anything, I hope this article inspires readers to think differently about the ways we connect, share, and support each other in the digital age.
Josiya P Shaju
Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Exploring Collective Experiences: Menstruation-related Memes and Menstrual Narratives in Social Media as an Avant-garde Form of Life Writing, Rupkatha Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities, December 2023, Aesthetics Media Services,
DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v15n4.09.
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