#menstrala

So the Universe always gives you signs, right? 

Foto: Kristel Øverland 

“Menstrala” is a word first coined by artist Vanessa Tiegs to represent her collection of 88 paintings created using menstrual blood. Though not exactly mainstream, the term has since become more widely adopted by bloggers, academics, and other creators of menstrual activist art. Tiegs describes the significance of menstrala as follows:

"Menstrala simply reminds us that menstrual blood is not invisible, not to women. Menstrual blood is the only blood that is non-violent." (listen to the full interview this quote is from here)

Many artists seek to shock their viewers. Creators of menstrala, however, take it one step further; they seek to question why a natural bodily process evokes such feelings of fear, shock, and disgust in the first place (Johnston-Robledo & Chrisler, 2013).

View a selection of Tiegs’ menstrala creations in the video below, or click here for a more in-depth exploration of menstrala from an article in Guernica magazine.

Reference

Johnston-Robledo, I. & Chrisler, J. (2013). The Menstrual Mark: Menstruation as Social Stigma. Sex Roles, 68:9–18