ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s, menstrual taboo and stigma have been problematized by Western women, but it was not until recent years, especially since 2015, that public attention has been brought to menstruation, both in the Global North and South. Nowadays, there is a global menstrual movement characterized by activism, research, and intervention. Unfortunately, Latin America has been overlooked and understudied, despite the work that menstrual activists and educators have conducted on the region since the 2010s. Thus, this chapter introduces the Latin American social movement for menstrual dignity, a particular strand within the broader Latin American menstrual movement. Through analysis of empirical materials and interviews with six key actors from Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico, the Latin American social movement for menstrual dignity is introduced as an emerging, vital, and developing social movement, rooted in the regional history of critical thinking and resistance, feminism, and decolonization. It is concluded that the Latin American social movement for menstrual dignity holds potential for informing the global menstrual movement with educative and activist strategies that put the experiences and knowledge of women and menstruators at the centre, while addressing the structural factors that negatively affect menstruation.
