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Article published In:
Journal of Language and Sexuality
Vol. 12:2 (2023) ► pp.258–283

“You’re a woman now”

Depiction of first menstruation in movies and TV series

| Stockholm University , Sweden

This paper analyses menarche episodes from TV series using the discourse-historical approach to compare how menarche has been depicted on TV during different decades and takes a closer look into inter-generational experience of menarche. The analysis focuses on membership categorization analysis of the scenes and dialogues involving menarche. After analyzing several decades of menstrual discourse, it is possible to conclude that TV discourse has changed from depicting menarche as a shameful taboo to a powerful visual storyline statement. However, the menarche scenarios did not change dramatically and continue to rely heavily on a mother-daughter bonding plot and highlight childbearing as the main and sometimes the only positive aspect of menstruation. The continuous use of menstruational euphemisms is still predominating the TV discourse.

Keywords: language and gender, menarche, popular culture, TV discourse
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Literature review
    • 2.2Language of concealment
    • 2.3Euphemisms and menstruation
  • 3.Data and methods of analysis
    • 3.1Data
  • 4.Analysis
    • 4.1From the roaring 20s to the swinging 60s
    • 4.2Menarche in the 70s and 80s
    • 4.3Menarche in the 90s
    • 4.4After the 2000s
    • 4.5Period drama in period drama
  • 5.Discussion and conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 13 July 2023
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jls.00027.met
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