Femvertising and Postfeminist Discourse: Advertising to Break Menstrual Taboos in China

Women, blood, and dangerous things: socio-cultural variation in the conceptualization of menstruation

“…Although these limits of the data should be taken into account, a clear trend can be distinguished for Mandarin Chinese speakers: whereas the older Chinese respondents stick to syntagmatic grouping and generic terms informed by politeness strategies, middle-aged and especially younger Chinese speakers are moving toward a more direct approach. This progressive change appears to be in line with the recent increase in public consciousness and awareness for menstrual difficulties in China (Guo et al, 2022). The correspondence plot for source and the three main effects can be found in Fig.…”

“…After all, although taboos are often concerned with universal, human phenomena such as death, illness, and menstruation, the actual behavior toward these phenomena may vary across societies. Whereas menstruation is considered taboo both in Western and Eastern cultures (Cheng et al, 2007), for instance, Guo et al (2022) notice that whereas "Western societies have become increasingly open to the discussion of menstruation shame" (p. 5), in Chinese society, despite recent sparking of the debate around the menstrual taboo, "deeply ingrained beliefs continue to impact Chinese women, subjecting them to moral, linguistic, and behavioral constraints" (pp. 5-6).…”

“…This position of menstrual blood within humoral theory characterizes the substance as hazardous human waste. Similarly, in pre-modern China, menstrual blood was believed to be the most dangerous bodily fluid, capable of infecting others and of offending supernatural powers (Guo et al, 2022, p. 5; Jiang, 2019, p. 21). These shared pollution concerns led to practices of strict menstrual regulation and of menstrual seclusion in both cultures, where menstruators were carefully controlled and excluded from particular activities and places during their bleeding.…”

“…Such direct discussion of menstruation is a development observed more broadly in the whole of Western society. Western-based brands of sanitary protection Kotex and Libresse, for instance, have begun airing commercials in which the usual blue fluid to promote absorption qualities of menstrual pads is replaced by a more representative red liquid (Patel 2020; Guo et al, 2022, p. 1). However, Thomas (2007) notes that although “within Western culture, messages and campaigns exist to end international menstrual taboos and encourage women’s advancement through access to the public sphere (…) the discourses contain messages which continue to portray menstruation as an act that threatens to publicly harm women and expose their weakness” (pp.…”

“…Peng et al see this as a reflection of the general attitude toward menstruation in the more socially conservative China, in which “menstruation is treated as a dirty, polluting bodily waste” (p. 3). As it is still associated with uncleanliness, the menstrual cycle remains surrounded by shame and secrecy (Guo et al, 2022, p. 5), and menstrual blood ought to be controlled and hidden. The institutionalization of this idea is exemplified by the fact that the China Advertisement Association prohibits the use of red liquid for the depiction of menstrual blood in advertisements for sanitary products.…”