Confronting Silence: Kenyan Women Narrating Female Health Traumas on Social Media
摘要
Perimenopause and menopause, often associated with physical discomfort and societal stigma, intersect with deeply rooted cultural narratives about ageing, fertility, and femininity. Menopause and perimenopause can be traumatic for many women due to their intimate link to identity, societal expectations, and physical and emotional well-being. This chapter examines social media as a networked, intimate public, a powerful tool that breaks societal silence and brings to light the issues affecting the female body. It investigates how trauma related to perimenopause and menopause is conveyed on social media. The chapter explores how trauma related to perimenopause and menopause is discussed on social media through the lens of scriptotherapy. For analysis, posts or messages where women recount their experiences with reproductive health traumas will be purposively sampled from one social media site commonly used by Kenyan women: WhatsApp. The chapter argues that social media spaces facilitate a personal and collective sharing of uncensored narratives that convey the complexities of women’s traumas that may not always be visible, tellable, or representable in public. This research explores how social media has become a vital outlet for women to challenge the silence around these issues, build communities, and share coping strategies. The platforms have raised awareness of such traumas’ medical causes and social implications, enlightening the audience and empowering women to find creative coping methods.