The Lia and William Poorvu Gallery at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute Schlesinger Library held the Out for Blood exhibition from April 4, 2022 to September 30, 2022 to display the ways "marketing and social norms around menstruation have created a cultural construct with power to shape people’s lives." The exhibition was spearheaded by Lee Sullivan, Head of Published and Printed Materials, Marylène Altieri, Curator of Published and Printed Materials, and Erin LaBove, Cataloger, Published and Printed Materials.
Some of the exhibition materials were contributed by community members, Chris Bobel, Professor of Women's Gender and Sexuality studies at UMass Boston, as well as Love Your Menses, Boston-based nonprofit organization.
DIY zines about menstruation.
Menstruation zine with calendar dial to help track and plan for one's menstrual cycle.
The above photos, both from the 1970s, display the state of menstrual stigma – it was frowned upon so much so that the writer of "Dear Beth" put a call out for help in a letter. The Playtex corporation played into the misconception and stereotype that menstruation is something that is smelly and dirty, and that menstruators should be worried about whether or not the menstrual products they use hide the signs that they are on their period.
Various menstrual products over the years.
Playable menstruation board game.
To learn more about menstruation stigma and its relation to menstrual education, read the full written story, Education as a Method of Combating Menstruation Stigma, here.
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