Goffman's Different Types Of Menstruation

One of the great taboos in societies worldwide, menstruation has historically been a source of discomfort, pain, inconvenience, and shame to women. Although some cultures celebrate a pubescent girl’s menarche and imbue the experience with an empowering message, many others use menstruation (either consciously or unconsciously) to alienate, exclude, and otherwise delegitimize women (Vostral, 2000). There are countless euphemisms to refer in a roundabout way to menstruation; some refer to female visitors, some to the cyclical nature of the menstrual period, some to sickness, and even more to nature, blood, and menstrual products themselves (Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler, 2013). The term “on the rag” stems from the last category; In America and

Chrisler delve deeper into the stigma surrounding menstruation and the effects menstrual hygiene advertisements can have on said stigma. They define stigma as “any stain or mark that renders the individual’s body or character defective” (2013, 10). They discuss Goffman’s three different types of stigma categories: “abominations of the body” such as burns or deformities, “blemishes of individual character” such as addictions or criminality, and “tribal identities” such as gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or race Johnston-Robledo and Chrisler assert that menstrual blood fits all three of Goffman’s categories. In some cultures, there is a pervasive belief that women are unclean during their menstrual period (Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler, 2013). This societal association of women and uncleanliness can be traced back to biblical times; it was believed that women received this infliction because of Eve’s sin. Early Greek and Roman cultures believed that menstrual blood was toxic; Persian lore suggests that menstruating women were possessed by demons. These ideas appear outside of the constraints of ancient history as well: a 1923 British school board report suggested that girls have less energy than boys, partially due to “a lower level of specific gravity in their blood” (Merskin 1999, 944). Menstruation can also lead to a negative view of a woman’s character. An Australian study concluded that the primary message menstrual hygiene advertisements send to young women is focused on the idea that menstrual leaks are damaging to women’s femininity an occur because one should have been using the correct products, namely theirs (Raftos et al., 1998). Because only biological females menstruate, the tribal stigmatization applies due to the gender-specific nature of menstruation. The cultural beliefs in which menstruation has long been steeped can lead to the stigma marking women in general as disabled, ill, unfeminine, uncontrollable,