A while back I taught an Introduction to Rhetoric class with a theme of Taboos. We discussed everything from the etymological origins of dirty words to the visceral reaction that we have to cannibalism and other violations of the dead, but by far the subject that made my students the most uncomfortable was menstruation. Male and female students alike blanched at having to say words like “period” and “tampon” aloud in public. Both sexes agreed that menstrual blood was way grosser than other bodily fluids including sweat, piss, and shit. I guess that some taboos are too strong to be broken in a single semester.*
That’s why I am super tickled to learn about Tampon Run, a game designed by New York City high school students Andrea Gonzales and Sophie Houser to question why the natural processes women’s bodies are viewed with such disgust in our culture.
I think that this screen shot says it all.
Go check it out!
*For more on teaching taboos, see this piece I co-wrote with fellow University of Illinois grad Sarah Alexander Tsai.
Megan Condis 