Menstruation and Memory

Abstract


 
 
 This paper explores the lack of menstruation representation in museums and possible historical and social explanations for this exclusion. The decision to overlook the importance of including periods in exhibitions has contributed to an erasure of menstruation from historical memory and aids in the construction of period mythologies. By failing to address how people manage their periods, we risk the perpetuation of false information, neglect a normal biological process, and impede access to proper menstrual and fertility care for vulnerable populations including homeless, disabled, persons of colour, Indigenous, members of the LGBTQ2SIA community, and incarcerated peoples. Museums are positioned favorably to discuss the ways in which periods are experienced differently by people across time, gender, race, and other factors. In light of these gaps, museums should consider implementing an exhibition on periods, thereby fostering an environment to debunk period myths and facilitate open conversations and experiences around periods.