More Than Just Periods - Understanding the role of communication and advertising in shaping and challenging menstrual stigmas in Urban India

Aug 21, 2026

This thesis investigates how communication and advertising influence and challenge menstrual stigmas in urban India. Grounded in social science and media studies, it reviews scholarship on impurity and pollution, biomedical framings, media narratives of seclusion, and the knowledge-making role of advertisements. Using a structured qualitative approach, it examines experiences of seclusion and the communicative contexts around menstruation, including education and affective implications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages143

Reading Time6 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Menstruation through social sciences’ perspectives

Impure and polluted

Menstrual Hygiene Management

Menstruation in cultural and ritual practices

Media Studies on Menstruation

Theoretical Framework

Methodology

Ethics

Methods

Sampling

Data Collection

Data Processing

Analysis

Part 1: Experiences of Seclusion

Part 2: Communication Around Menstruation

Conclusion

Limitations and Future Research

Bibliography

Appendix

More Than Just Periods: Understanding the role of communication and advertising in shaping and challenging menstrual stigmas in Urban India Author: Aditya Sen Supervisor: Mia-Marie Hammarlin MSc in Media and Communication Lund University TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................1 ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 5 LITERATURE REVIEW..............................................................................................................9 1. Menstruation through social sciences’ perspectives............................................................. 9 2. Impure and polluted.......................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Menstrual blood as impure........................................................................................... 11 2.2 The Biomedical gaze.................................................................................................... 13 3. Menstrual Hygiene Management........................................................................................ 14 4. Menstruation in cultural and ritual practices...................................................................... 16 5. Media Studies on Menstruation.......................................................................................... 17 5.1. Media Narratives of Seclusion.................................................................................... 17 5.2. Menstrual Body Politics Through Media.................................................................... 19 5.3 The Fourth Wave of Feminism: New media technologies and dialogues....................20 5.4 Advertisements as knowledge production................................................................... 21 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK............................................................................................. 23 1. Stigma.................................................................................................................................. 23 2. Communities, Popular Culture, and Cultural Citizenship................................................... 24 3. Bio-power, Body Politics and Cultural Citizenship.............................................................26 4. Affect and Conversations.....................................................................................................28 METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................................... 29 Ethics........................................................................................................................................30 Methods....................................................................................................................................31 Sampling.................................................................................................................................. 33 Data Collection........................................................................................................................ 34 Data Processing........................................................................................................................35 ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................38 PART 1: Experiences of Seclusion................................................................

FAQs

What is the thesis focused on regarding menstrual stigmas in urban India?

The thesis examines how communication and advertising shape and challenge menstrual stigmas in urban India, linking media narratives and public messaging to social perceptions.

Which themes are covered in the literature review?

The review covers social science perspectives on menstruation, ideas of impurity and pollution, menstrual hygiene management, cultural and ritual practices, and media studies on seclusion, body politics, and advertising.

How is the analysis structured in the study?

The analysis is divided into experiences of seclusion and communication around menstruation, including narratives, information, education, and the affective implications of advertising.

Aug 21, 2026

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