月经，是每个女性生命中的一个自然过程，也标志着女性生育系统的常规运作。一直以来，我们习惯性称它为 “大姨妈”，“来事”，“例假”等等的隐喻和代号来避免直接称呼月经。在一些文化中，女性在生理期时会被禁止参加宗教仪式，因为月经被视为是不干净的。除此之外，有些广告仍然选择使用蓝色液体来代表月经，展示卫生用品的吸收能力。但事实上，这些禁忌、污名化和羞耻反映了社会对月经的偏见和刻板印象，并渐渐地使月经成为一个令人感到不适和羞耻的话题，从而导致更多延伸的问题，例如严重限制了月经教育和无法根本性的解决国内月经贫困的问题。Kotex Period Poverty and Stigma 在2022年的进行了一项针对马来西亚年龄介于10至24岁的750名女孩的月经研究，并揭示超过半数的女孩表示在月经期间不想上学。同时，研究也显示在马来西亚尽管有超过86％的受访者承认月经是一种正常的生理现象，但其中只有32％的人能舒适地公开讨论它，其中包括与异性讨论。这研究表明了月经羞耻的问题不仅仅关乎女性个体，还关系到社会的文化、健康、性别平等和经济方面的各个层面。

 

月经是女性生活的一部分，应该受到尊重和理解。因此，我们决定将月经羞耻作为我们的展览内容和展示的核心主题。通过这个主题，我们希望能够打破月经羞耻，促进月经教育，并且减少社会对月经话题的污名化，最后为妇女提供支持和资源，以维护女性的月经健康和尊严。并且，我们希望能够使所有女性都能够自信地看待她们的月经，而不受羞耻和偏见的困扰。

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Menstruation, a natural process in every woman's life, also signifies the regular functioning of the female reproductive system. In the past, we often used metaphors and code words such as "my aunt is visiting," "that time of the month," and "menstrual cycle" to avoid directly referring to menstruation. In some cultures, women were prohibited from participating in religious rituals during their menstrual periods because menstruation was considered impure. Additionally, some advertisements still choose to use blue liquid to represent menstruation and the absorption capacity of menstrual hygiene products. In fact, these taboos, stigmatization, and shame reflect society's biases and stereotypes about menstruation and gradually make menstruation an uncomfortable topic, leading to further issues such as restricted menstrual education and menstrual poverty.

 

The Kotex Period Poverty and Stigma study conducted in 2022 covered 750 girls aged 10 to 24 in Malaysia, revealing that more than half of the girls reported not wanting to go to school during their periods. The study also showed that, in Malaysia, although over 86% of respondents acknowledged that menstruation is a normal physiological function, only 32% of them felt comfortable discussing it openly, even with members of the opposite sex. This research indicates that the issue of menstrual shame is not only about individual women but also involves various aspects of culture, health, gender equality, and the economy in society.

 

Menstruation is a natural part of women's lives and should be respected and understood. Therefore, we have decided to make menstrual shame the central theme of our exhibition. Through this theme, we hope to break the stigma surrounding menstruation, promote menstrual education, and reduce the societal stigmatization of menstrual topics. Ultimately, we aim to provide support and resources to women to maintain their menstrual health and dignity. Furthermore, we want all women to confidently embrace their menstruation without the burden of shame and prejudice.