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MOLT / FAQ |
The Museum of the
Menovulatory Lifetime
“sometimes
a little lighter, sometimes a little heavier”
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Go to
MOLTXIBITS / Go to
Menstrual Monday / Curator’s
Note / Contact
Us 1.
Why do you use big words like “menovulatory” and “menovulography?” I
can hardly pronounce them. 2.
Why is MOLT’s logo a dragon? 3.
I’ve been to The Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health website. It
seems like an okay museum, and I had fun looking around. What’s your problem
with MUM? I mean, look at all the endorsements it has! 4.
I’ve written something that has to do with menstruation (pregnancy,
menopause, sexuality, reproduction, menarche, advertising, etc). Will you add
it to your site? 5.
Why would a city like Detroit want to be home to a museum like MOLT? 6.
I think the Menstrual Monday holiday is a great idea, and I love all
the menstrual-themed decorations. So why spoil the fun by attaching it to
something “serious” like a museum? |
And the answers are:
1. Why
do you use big words like ‘menovulatory’ and ‘menovulography?’ I can hardly
pronounce them. And why use ‘lifetime’ instead of ‘pattern?’ ‘Lifetime’ is so
grandiose.
‘Menovulatory’ is a combination
of ‘menstrual + ovulatory.’ It rhymes with ‘congratulatory,’ if that makes it
easier to pronounce.
MOLT uses
‘menovulatory lifetime’ instead of ‘reproductive pattern’ because not all women reproduce; therefore,
the former way of putting it is more inclusive than the latter.
Note: ‘Menovulatory
lifetime’ doesn’t imply that women should menstruate and ovulate as much as
possible between puberty and menopause. Rather, the implication is that girls
and women will be making choices
about menstruation and/or ovulation, or others will be making those choices for
them. So using ‘menovulatory lifetime’ is a way of placing choice
at the center of the museum narrative.
Similarly, MOLT uses ‘lifetime’ instead of
‘pattern,’ because the former emphasizes the historical nature of the
journey from puberty to menopause, rather than the physiological, or even
‘biopsychosocial.’
By focusing so much on
the cyclical nature of the menstrual cycle, the fact that there is a linear, historical
trajectory from puberty to menopause gets pushed to the margin. MOLT is hopeful
that the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
will someday consider changing their name, to better reflect awareness of (and
hopefully, research effort directed toward) the linear, historical aspects
of the menstrual cycle.
‘Menovulography’ is a
combination of ‘menstruation + ovulation + biography,’ and is defined as ‘the
years from puberty to menopause, told as a story with pictures.’ Indeed, the menovulographies to occupy
MOLT’s central gallery are like biographies – except that their sole
focus is on the ‘historical era’ from puberty to menopause, and as well, place
greater emphasis on menstrual, sexual and reproductive experience than is
typical in biography.
MOLT looks forward to
the day when men’s biographies more fully integrate seminal, sexual and
reproductive experience – a “seminography” exhibit of American ‘Founding
Father’ Thomas Jefferson at Monticello,
perhaps?
2. Why is MOLT’s logo a dragon?
One of the definitions of ‘dragon’ in ‘The
American College Dictionary,’ copyright 1955, is “a severely watchful woman; a
duenna.” The latter is “an older woman serving as an escort or protector of a
young lady.”
3. I’ve been
to The Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health website. It seems like an okay
museum, and I had fun looking around. What’s your problem with MUM? I mean,
look at all the endorsements it has!
First, contrast the
reason it uses ‘MUM’ as its acronym: “MUM stands for MUseum of Menstruation; it
fits in neatly with "Mum's the word," which means "Shhh! Don't
talk about it!” with the reason for MOLT’s acronym: “MOLT stands for the Museum
of the MenOvulatory LifeTime; it rhymes with lightening bolt.”
For MOLT’s more in
depth answer to this question, click here to read: “Holomenses
and Holocaust: A Comparison of the Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health
and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.” In a nutshell: Aside from problems with
the quality of scholarship at MUM, there is also the question of WHY taboo and
shame, rather than choice, should be central to MUM’s museum narrative.
For a more scholarly analysis of
MUM, please visit http://www.capitalizingonthecurse.com/,
and learn about the recently published
“Capitalizing on the Curse: The Business of Menstruation,” by Elizabeth Arveda Kissling, Ph.D., professor of Communication and
Women's Studies at Eastern
Washington University. Kissling
discusses both MOLT and Mum, AND, more generally, what features museums
exhibiting menstrual culture could and should have. Check it out!
4. I’ve
written something that has to do with menstruation (pregnancy, menopause,
sexuality, reproduction, menarche, advertising, etc). Will you add it to your
site?
Right now, MOLT is looking for menovulographies, that
is, guest-curated exhibits on “the years from puberty to menopause, told as a
story with pictures.” For one example, click here
to see Anna Oravecz’s menovulography. And click here to
learn more about the specifics of the menovulography creation process – makes a
great school project, seminar presentation, even fulfillment of a community
service requirement. MOLT offers support and guidance throughout the creation
process.
MOLT is also interested in suggestions you may have
for MOLTXIBITS, and is happy to read whatever you may feel like sharing. If
what you’ve written seems like something that will work in a MOLTXIBIT, MOLT
may include it, or an excerpt, on the web site. However, MOLT is interested in
exploring the question: “What IS the visual culture of the menovulatory
lifetime, beyond commercial advertising?” So if you submit a piece of writing
for MOLT’s consideration – please include a photo or two – or consider donating
an item.
5. Why would a city like Detroit want to be
home to a museum like MOLT?
MOLT could possibly provide jobs – for instance, in
the manufacture of Dragon
Bags, or even a MOLT brand of tampon and/or pads; the
museum, and the Broken
Tampon Memorial Fountain, could be a tourist attraction
for visitors from around the world; MOLT could become a funding source for
cutting-edge research addressing ‘toxicity, shock, protection and confidence’;
MOLT could provide internships for both high school and college students; MOLT
could support health education efforts on the part of the Detroit
Department of Health and Wellness Promotion.
6. I think
the Menstrual Monday holiday is a great idea, and love the menstrual-themed
decorations and party favors. So why spoil the fun by attaching it to something
“serious” like a museum?
Museums require funding; sales of
menstrual-themed decorations and party favors could be a source of museum
funding. As well, by being attached to a museum, Menstrual Monday can become a
day not only for parties, but a day for education, commemoration and advocacy –
see Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney’s web page about her
introduction of the Robin Danielson Act (H.R. 3411) – which addresses tampon safety.
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From
Protection to Expression: The Future of Menstrual Advertising |
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Menovulography:
the years from puberty to menopause, told as a story with pictures
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Contact MOLT
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