There Will Be Blood: Menstruation, Orientation, and the Practice of Resistance

Abstract: While feminist scholars have exposed the many ways in which menstruation is used to oppress and marginalize, less attention has been paid to the way menstrual blood is marshalled in practices of political resistance. Drawing on the phenomenological insights of Sara Ahmed, I argue that the intentional public display of menstrual blood harnesses menstrual blood’s abject status to expose and disrupt forms of power. This “mis” or “queer” use of an abject object contests forms of bodily privilege and power and opens up new forms of subjectivity for menstruating individuals.