Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Menstrual Expressions And Menstrual Attitudes, Terence Hays

Terence Hays

Women's responses to a questionnaire survery in a Northeastern U.S. college community are examined to determine whether usage preferences in menstrual expressions are systematically related to reported attitudes towards menstruation. While those women who use expressions with negative connotations tend to report negative attitudes, the converse is not true. A striking contrast is noted between familiarity and use of menstrual expressions and, in general, menstrual expressions are not consistently associated with or reflective of menstrual attitudes.