Critiquing Menstrual Pain Technologies through the Lens of Feminist Disability Studies

Critiquing Menstrual Pain Technologies through the Lens of Feminist Disability Studies

May 11-16, 2024 | Joo Young Park, Stacy Hsueh, Nadia Campo Woytuk, Xuni Huang, Marianela Ciolfi Felice, Madeline Balaam
This paper critiques menstrual pain technologies through the lens of feminist disability studies (FDS), arguing that current products often fail to account for the lived experience of menstrual pain. The authors use FDS to reframe menstrual pain as a cyclical, chronic, and socially constructed experience, rather than a medical condition to be cured. They conduct an interaction critique of three market exemplars: Myoovi (TENS-based), Maia (heat-based), and Moonai (app-based). The critique reveals a generally skewed conception of menstrual pain as a diagnosed, pathological, and individual condition. The authors offer three design provocations to better design menstrual pain technology, emphasizing the lived experience of menstrual pain, the cyclical nature of pain, and the potential for pain to create leaky, contagious coalitions. The paper highlights the need for designers to consider menstrual pain as a complex, socially constructed experience that intersects with gender, disability, and embodiment. The authors argue that menstrual pain technologies should be designed to support rather than conceal or medicalize the experience, and that feminist disability studies offers a critical framework for doing so. The paper also calls for a shift in how menstrual pain is understood and addressed, moving away from a medicalized, individualized perspective towards a more holistic, inclusive, and socially just approach. The authors conclude that menstrual pain technologies should be designed with an awareness of the social, cultural, and political contexts in which they are used, and that feminist disability studies provides a valuable framework for achieving this.This paper critiques menstrual pain technologies through the lens of feminist disability studies (FDS), arguing that current products often fail to account for the lived experience of menstrual pain. The authors use FDS to reframe menstrual pain as a cyclical, chronic, and socially constructed experience, rather than a medical condition to be cured. They conduct an interaction critique of three market exemplars: Myoovi (TENS-based), Maia (heat-based), and Moonai (app-based). The critique reveals a generally skewed conception of menstrual pain as a diagnosed, pathological, and individual condition. The authors offer three design provocations to better design menstrual pain technology, emphasizing the lived experience of menstrual pain, the cyclical nature of pain, and the potential for pain to create leaky, contagious coalitions. The paper highlights the need for designers to consider menstrual pain as a complex, socially constructed experience that intersects with gender, disability, and embodiment. The authors argue that menstrual pain technologies should be designed to support rather than conceal or medicalize the experience, and that feminist disability studies offers a critical framework for doing so. The paper also calls for a shift in how menstrual pain is understood and addressed, moving away from a medicalized, individualized perspective towards a more holistic, inclusive, and socially just approach. The authors conclude that menstrual pain technologies should be designed with an awareness of the social, cultural, and political contexts in which they are used, and that feminist disability studies provides a valuable framework for achieving this.
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