Blood Stories: Menarche and the Politics of the Female Body in Contemporary U. S. Society

Blood Stories focuses on menarche as a central aspect of body politics in contemporary US society, emphasizing that women are integrated into the social and sexual order through the body. Using oral and written narratives of 104 diverse women, the authors address the central question of how menarche as a bodily event signifying womanhood takes on cultural significance in a society that devalues women. Exploring issues of contamination and concealment and the sexualization of women's bodies that occurs at menarche, the authors emphasize how the politics of gender are negotiated on/through women's bodies. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: Menarche and Body Politics 1 Bodies and Blood 2 Women Re-membering Firstblood 3 Contamination and Concealment 4 (Hetero)Sexualization 5 Intricate Relationships 6 Older Women's Bodily Histories Conclusion: Consciousness and Resistance References Index This text focuses on menarche, the first menstrual period, as a central aspect of body politics in US society. Using narratives of 104 diverse women, the authors address the central question of how menarche as a bodily event takes on a cultural significance in a society that devalues women. Janet Lee And Jennifer Sasser-coen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [183]-198) And Index.