menstrual taboo
Cycle-related social shame
A menstrual taboo is any cultural or religious prohibition surrounding menstruation—restrictions on what menstruating women may touch, where they may go, or who may interact with them.
Such taboos have existed across most human societies, treating menstrual blood as ritually impure or spiritually dangerous.
Modern usage often critiques these practices: The menstrual taboo keeps girls out of school in some regions.
- stigmaMark of dishonor
- shamePainful awareness of failure
- dirty secretConcealed shameful information
- impuritySubstance degrading another's quality
- uncleanSoiled or contaminated
blood · period · ritual · sacred · red tent · secluded · forbidden · silence · hidden · curse · pollution · hygiene · feminine hygiene · period poverty · feminine · women's issues · cultural · isolation
menstrual, menstruate, menstruation, menstruating, menses, month, monthly, moon, lunar