Campus Location

Abilene Campus (Residential)

Date of Award

Spring 4-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Communication

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Lauren Lemley

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Lynette Sharp Penya

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Suzie Macaluso

Abstract

Menstrual taboos exist around the world, and while new conversations are starting to address these issues, in many regions these taboos limit women’s daily lives and can even lead to serious health problems. Artifacts around the world are starting to emerge to challenge these preconceived notions and bring menstrual hygiene awareness as well as products to women in need. While the origination of the menstrual taboo is not clearly defined, various literature discusses both the cultural and religious origin and perpetuation of menstrual taboos. This thesis examines various artifacts found in the regions of the United States and the United Kingdom, India, and South Africa, as well as the current views regarding menstruation in those regions. Utilizing the theoretical frameworks of media framing and linguistic theory, this thesis examines how artifacts in these regions are challenging menstrual taboos by relating to their audience. I analyzed each artifact using these theories in order to answer my three research questions. My findings illustrated that these artifacts relate to and educate their audiences to eradicate menstrual taboos in their regions.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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Rhetoric Commons

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