IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/gender/v29y2022i4p1095-1112.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stigma, sustainability, and capitals: A case study on the menstrual cup

Author

Listed:
  • Lara Owen

Abstract

This paper develops theory on stigma, capitals, and the female reproductive body, explored through analysis of empirical research on the uptake of menstrual cups, a reusable menstrual technology. Conventional menstrual products are single‐use disposables increasingly made of plastic and often disposed of by flushing, adding a significant load to marine pollution. Uptake of reusable products such as cloth pads, period underwear, and menstrual cups is increasing, but so far little is known about the effects of using such products on menstruators and on menstrual organization more broadly. My empirical research studied menstrual cup use in a small cohort of undergraduates in Melbourne, using a dual diary and interview technique. “Sustainability” as a key value was primary in participants' desire to try the cup, which most then found to be more convenient than other methods. These factors contributed to increased cultural capital surrounding menstruation, to the point where the cup and its use were described as “cool”. This new status facilitated articulation of menstrual experience with partners, peers, and families, rendering users greater agency and community in what has normatively been constructed as a solitary, silenced experience. Using the cup detached users from the menstrual disposability market economy, and therefore to some extent from its stigmatizing narrative and symbolic violence. Yet the cup had a significant paradoxical effect, in that users were able to “forget” they were menstruating during the day and in organizational settings, while encountering menstrual blood more intensely when they got home, differently enclosing the female reproductive body.

Suggested Citation

  • Lara Owen, 2022. "Stigma, sustainability, and capitals: A case study on the menstrual cup," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1095-1112, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:4:p:1095-1112
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12808
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.12808
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/gwao.12808?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alison Pullen & Carl Rhodes, 2010. "Gender, Mask and the Face: Towards a Corporeal Ethics," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Patricia Lewis & Ruth Simpson (ed.), Revealing and Concealing Gender, chapter 12, pages 233-248, Palgrave Macmillan.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Valentin, Alvin Patrick M. & Hechanova, Ma Regina M., 2023. "Addressing plastic pollution through green consumption: Predicting intentions to use menstrual cups in the Philippines," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Mustafa F. Ozbilgin & Cihat Erbil & Sibel Baykut & Rifat Kamasak, 2023. "Passing as resistance through a Goffmanian approach: Normalized, defensive, strategic, and instrumental passing when LGBTQ+ individuals encounter institutions," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 862-880, May.
    3. Berndt, Virginia Kuulei & Bell, Ann V., 2024. "Beyond knowledge: Introducing embodied aversion through the case of contraception," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 341(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.

      More about this item

      Statistics

      Access and download statistics

      Corrections

      All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:29:y:2022:i:4:p:1095-1112. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

      If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

      If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

      If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

      For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0968-6673 .

      Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

      IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.