Breaking the silence: women’s resistance to menstrual shame on the Xiaohongshu social media platform

Resisting menstrual shame is both an act of personal liberation and a critical step towards gender equality. While feminist discourse on social media is growing, systematic research on the use of multimodal discursive resources to challenge menstrual stigma remains limited. This study employed multimodal critical discourse analysis to examine how menstrual shame is resisted on Xiaohongshu, a female-dominated social media platform in China. By analysing both textual and visual semiotic resources, the research identified three key themes: (1) unveiling the cultural and social manifestations of menstrual shame; (2) advocating for menstrual normalisation and educational outreach; and (3) reconstructing female power and identity. Within these themes, Xiaohongshu users utilise legitimation strategies including authorisation, moral evaluation, rationalisation, and mythopoesis to expose gender-based inequalities, challenge societal norms, advocate for menstrual normalisation, and contribute to the empowerment and reimagining of female identities. Study findings deepen our understanding of how social media platforms facilitate resistance to menstrual shame and offer valuable theoretical and practical insights for advancing gender equality and fostering social change.