The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies Chris Bobel · Inga T. Winkler · Breanne Fahs · Katie Ann Hasson · Elizabeth Arveda Kissling · Tomi-Ann Roberts Editors The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Menstruation Studies Editors Chris Bobel Inga T. Winkler Department of Women’s, Gender, and Institute for the Study of Human Rights Sexuality Studies Columbia University University of Massachusetts Boston New York, NY, USA Boston, MA, USA Katie Ann Hasson Breanne Fahs Center for Genetics and Society Women and Gender Studies & Social Berkeley, CA, USA and Cultural Analysis Arizona State University Tomi-Ann Roberts Glendale, AZ, USA Department of Psychology Colorado College Elizabeth Arveda Kissling Colorado Springs, CO, USA Women’s & Gender Studies Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA, USA ISBN 978-981-15-0613-0 ISBN 978-981-15-0614-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0614-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this book are included in the book’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the book’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifc statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affliations. Cover image: © Jen Lewis This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A book project of this scope and scale requires the creativity, grit, tenacity, and goodwill of legions—more than can be properly acknowledged here. Our exhaustive outreach depended on many intersecting networks of countless scholars, advocates, and others who helped connect us with the right person to write the right piece at the right time. We know that every chapter in this book is possible because of the labor of many and we regret that we cannot list each of these behind-the-scenes helpers. But we will take a moment to explicitly name a few people and organizations whose support of this project was invaluable. Sharra Vostral helped conceive the rationale and framework for this handbook. Her visionary work crafting the proposal for this Handbook set the project in motion, and now, several years later, we remain in her debt. Our thanks also go to the anonymous peer reviewers who provided incisive feedback [and encouragement] at both proposal and clearance review stages. They, too, helped shape this Handbook. We leaned heavily on several editors and editorial assistants along the way. In the early days, Michelle Chouinard managed the communication and organization of our call for proposals. Trisha Maharaj, Victoria Miller, Laura Charney, and Sydney Amoakoh provided invaluable support for many chap- ters. During the fnal and all-important stage of preparing the book for production, Sydney Amoakoh also single-handedly managed the abstracts, bios, images, fgures and tables, and various consent forms plus more for more than 130 contributors. Her calm effciency and capacity to track detail is a marvel. We also benefted from the hand of Dakota Porter, who stepped in to help with myriad administrative tasks in the last phase of manuscript preparation. Many thanks also to Virginia Roaf who provided editorial sup- port and special appreciation to the peerless Perri Schenker whose invaluable editorial skills were essential to producing this resource. Others who stepped v vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS in at key moments include Adrian Jjuuko, Marcy Darnovsky, the Center for Genetics and Society, Radu Dondera, Dawn Dow, and Anna Krakus. We thank them each. We also note with gratitude the team at Palgrave Macmillan/Springer Nature, especially Holly Tyler who frst pitched the idea of a handbook to Chris with irresistible enthusiasm, and Joshua Pitt who succeeded her and walked with us throughout the subsequent years of this project. He and edi- torial assistant Sophie Li responded to every query—the trivial, the profound, and the anxious–with equanimity and unfagging support for our vision for this book. “Thank you” is too small a phrase. Finally, we appreciatively acknowledge those who donated resources to support the book. First, we thank artist Jen Lewis, self-described ‘menstrual designer’ whose arresting 2015 macrophotograph “The Crimson Wave” (2015) graces our cover. Second, we express our gratitude to our gener- ous funders—the Center for the Study of Social Difference at Columbia University through its Working Group on Menstrual Health and Gender Justice and the University of Massachusetts Boston Periodic Multi-Year Review Fund. Without their support, we would not have been able to meet our ambitious goal of publishing this robust and richly diverse body of work. And above all, we express our sincerest gratitude to the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council whose abiding belief in the value of this book enabled us to not only engage crucial editorial help, but also covered the fees necessary to make the digital edition permanently open access world- wide. From the very beginning, our fervent hope for this book was that it function as a reliable and accessible ‘go to’ resource for the widest possible audience, and WSSCC’s generosity makes this truly possible. Thank you! ABOUT THE COVER: BEAUTY IN BLOOD— A MACROPHOTOGRAPHIC LENS ON MENSTRUATION, BODY POLITICS, AND VISUAL ART “The Crimson Wave” (2015) exemplifes the Beauty in Blood collection, my feminist, bioartography project that seeks to confront social taboos pertaining to menstruation and the female body through macrophotography of men- strual fuid. I challenge the notion that menstruation is “gross,” “vulgar,” or “unrefned” through candid, real-life photos of my menstrual blood which force viewers to see and think about menstruation in an entirely new way. There is an abstract artistic quality when blood meets water that warrants a closer look not only by women but also by society as a whole. Capturing the artful quality of this natural occurrence is my way of progressing society’s view and conversation around menstruation as well as redefning some traditional fne art aesthetics. In my opinion, society’s squeamishness about menstruation is completely ridiculous considering its graphic consumption of bloodshed through vio- lence in pop culture entertainment, that is, blood sports like boxing, hockey, and wrestling; video games like Call of Duty; shows and movies like Dexter and Twilight; and even the news media. Pacifying social taboos only serves to give more power to society than to the self, and as women we have done that for far too long. My work quashes this taboo, reclaims feminine power, and puts menstruation in the context it so rightly deserves. Creating each piece of work is a four-step process: media (aka blood/men- strual fuid) collection, design layout (aka pouring), photoshoot, and fnally photo selection. The images of menstrual fuid are obtained in two different manners. During the early stages, we captured images by mounting a cam- era on a tripod and strategically angling it over the toilet bowl, so Rob, my husband, artistic collaborator and project photographer, could snap photos as soon as I poured the freshly collected menstrual fuid from my cup. After sev- eral shoots and a desire to capture more dynamic imagery, we began shooting vii viii ABOUT THE COVER: BEAUTY IN BLOOD—A MACROPHOTOGRAPHIC … in a small aquarium (about 15 gallons). Rob discovered a fuid photogra- phy technique that greatly improved our fnal designs. Both Rob and myself approach each shoot with an experimental spirit and love to play with varia- bles to see how it will effect the menstrual fuid’s movement in the water, for example, salt density, ratio of freshwater to saltwater, and tools to distribute the blood. The clarity of the fnal images can be credited to the use of saltwa- ter, which slows menstrual fuid movement, and macro lenses, which show us more than the naked eye can see. If I have learned anything over the past few years of producing Beauty in Blood it is that menstruation matters more than most people in society are willing to recognize; it is deeply embedded in our global body politics and is a major contributor to the vast gender inequity between men and women today. Institutionalized hierarchies maintain and support the outdated patri- archal belief that menstruation makes the female body inferior to the male body. Billions of dollars are spent annually trying to make women’s bodies conform to male “norms” by suppressing the natural menstrual cycle through hormonal birth control.