Menstrual Shame: Exploring the Role of ‘Menstrual Moaning’

Abstract

McHugh introduces the term ‘menstrual moaning,’ to refer to women’s negative communication about menstruation. Women’s talk about menstruation is often negative through its focus on pain, discomfort, and moodiness. McHugh ties menstrual moaning to the stigma associated with menstruation. Cultural attitudes that require girls and women to maintain secrecy and silence regarding menstruation contribute to the experience of menstrual shame. Breaking the taboos against menstrual talk may be a form of resistance. Brown argues that breaking the silence and secrecy taboo may help women to develop shame resilience. However, McHugh suggests that menstrual moaning, by reiterating negative cultural constructions of women’s bodies as flawed, deficient, and diseased, may have a deleterious impact on women’s menstrual attitudes, and perpetuate menstrual shame. Women could develop shame resistance and build community through more positive talk about menstruation, but positive menstrual conversations are rarely documented. McHugh recommends further research and activism on menstrual shame, resistance, and resilience.

Menstrual cycle characteristics, perceived impact on performance, and barriers to communication: Perspectives of high‐performance adolescent athletes in Singapore

“…This is not surprising given how society has constructed the MC and, specifically, menstruation as a negative occurrence. Indeed, conversations about the MC often focus on negative experiences such as pain, inconvenience, and discomfort before and during menstruation, without considering positive aspects that may emerge across the entirety of the MC 33 . While there is indeed a physiological basis for negative MC‐related symptoms that may result in underperformance and its burden should not be downplayed, perhaps the existing negative social constructs need to be reframed to avoid shaping or reinforcing the MC as a barrier to athletic success.…”

The social form of the secret. Gendered bodies, senses and menstruation

“…Yet, paradoxically, menstruation continues to be seen as something abject (Young, 2005, p. 109) that should be kept out of sight and hidden from sense of smell. When it is shown to the public, the response is shame, and in extreme cases, disgust (Young, 2005, p. 98;Tarzibachi, 2017;Miller, 1998;McHuhg, 2020), even within intimate relationships, such as between couples (Sabido Ramos & García, 2017; Sabido Ramos & García, 2018), as with Celia and Strephon. For this reason, menstruation is closely linked to the idea of secrecy, and one of its key emotional responses is shame (Sabido Ramos, 2022).…”

Examining menstrual health experiences in Philadelphia, PA: A qualitative investigation

“…Menstruation remains a highly stigmatized, socially fraught, and physiologically misunderstood topic at the individual, community, and societal level. 1 – 5 Menstruation occurs roughly 400–500 times in an individual’s lifetime and lasts ~3–5 days per cycle. 6 , 7 While menstruation refers to the physiologic monthly shedding of the uterine lining, which causes visible bleeding, it is often accompanied by other signs and symptoms—most commonly abdominal cramps, bloating, breast tenderness, dysregulated sleep, and mood changes.…”