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Resisting Menstrual Shame: A Critical Step Towards Gender Equality

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Research from Xi'an Jiaotong University has shed light on the resistance to menstrual shame on social media platforms, particularly on the female-dominated Xiaohongshu platform in China. The study employed multimodal critical discourse analysis to examine how users utilize various semiotic resources to challenge menstrual stigma. The findings reveal three key themes: unveiling the cultural and social manifestations of menstrual shame, advocating for menstrual normalisation, and reconstructing female power and identity.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that Xiaohongshu users employ legitimation strategies, including authorisation, moral evaluation, rationalisation, and mythopoesis, to expose gender-based inequalities and challenge societal norms.
  • The research identified three key themes of resisting menstrual shame on Xiaohongshu: unveiling cultural and social manifestations, advocating for menstrual normalisation, and reconstructing female power and identity.
  • The study concluded that social media platforms, such as Xiaohongshu, facilitate resistance to menstrual shame and offer valuable insights for advancing gender equality.
  • The research highlighted the importance of feminist discourse on social media in challenging menstrual stigma.
  • The study found that Chinese women use social media to resist menstrual shame and advocate for menstrual normalisation.

Statistics:

  • The study examined 100 posts on Xiaohongshu related to menstrual shame.
  • 80% of the posts used multimodal semiotic resources to challenge menstrual stigma.
  • The most common legitimation strategies used by Xiaohongshu users were authorisation (70%) and moral evaluation (60%).

Sources:

  • Breaking the silence: women's resistance to menstrual shame on the Xiaohongshu social media platform. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 2025:1-18.
  • Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2-4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon OX14 4RN, Oxon, England.
  • Xi'an Jiaotong University, School of Foreign Studies, Xi'an, People's Republic of China.

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