Girls in Power

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Girls in Power
Gender, Body, and Menstruation in Adolescence

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Laura Fingerson - Author

Price: $65.50
Hardcover - 200 pages

Release Date: August 2006

ISBN10: 0-7914-6899-2
ISBN13: 978-0-7914-6899-9

Price: $22.95
Paperback - 200 pages

Release Date: August 2006

ISBN10: 0-7914-6900-X
ISBN13: 978-0-7914-6900-2

Summary

A consideration of menstruation in the lives of teenage girls—and in the lives of teenage boys.

Girls in Power offers a fascinating and unique look at the social aspects of menstruation in the lives of adolescent girls—and also in the lives of adolescent boys. Although there has been much research on other aspects of gender and the body, this is one of the few books to examine menstruation and the first to explore how it plays a part in power interactions between boys and girls. Talking openly in single- and mixed-gender settings, individuals and groups of high school–age girls and boys share their interpretations and experiences of menstruation. Author Laura Fingerson reveals that while teens have negative feelings about menstruation, teen girls use their experiences of menstruation as a source of embodied power in their interactions with other girls and with boys. She also explores how boys deal with their own reduced power. The book extends our theoretical and analytical understanding of youth, gender, power, and embodiment by providing a more balanced view of adolescent social life.

“Fascinating … an important contribution and will be of interest to scholars in the fields of gender studies, the sociology of the body, postmodern feminism, sociolinguistics, and the sociology of childhood.” — Sociologists for Women in Society

“Girls in Power is a well-organized, highly engaging, and informative study that demonstrates how an ostensibly individual experience—menstruation—is profoundly social. Given the age-relevance of the subject and Fingerson’s clear presentation of key sociological concepts, [it] should find its place in the undergraduate classroom, especially in courses on gender, bodies, youth, and reproduction.” — Contemporary Sociology

“In a field that focuses upon discourses and representations, Fingerson’s focus upon experience is a refreshing change.” — Lilith
“Girls in Power is a good read for those interested in adolescence and body politics. It provides a thorough review of the literature on menstruation and is unique in its inclusion of data on boys. Most of all, however, it offers insight about the current generation of teens who were born after Gloria Steinem wrote ‘If men could menstruate’ (Ms. Magazine, October 1978, p. 110), a narrative, according to Fingerson, that is now ‘a part of their culture.’” — Journal of Marriage and Family

“This work is part of a growing field that gives more attention to children and adolescents in creating their own unique social networks within the broader world constructed by adults. Fingerson’s interviews with girls as well as boys concerning attitudes about menstruation are new and refreshing. How we are taught to socially manage this bodily process deserves more attention, and Fingerson has helped to carve a path that other researchers may follow.” — Sharra Vostral, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Laura Fingerson is an independent scholar, who received her PhD in Sociology from Indiana University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction

                        Menstruation is . . .
                        Salient Body Experiences
                        The Teen Participants
                        The Interviewers
                        Analysis of the Data
                        Organization of This Book

2. Negative and Ambivalent Experiences

                        Concealment and Shame
                        The Horrors of Leaking
                        “Why I Never Carry a Purse”
                        The Body as Actor
                        What If It Gets Stuck?
                        Tampax Ads in a Room Full of Boys
                        The Checkout Boy
                        “Surfin’ the Crimson Wave”
                        “It’s Not a Big Deal”

3. Cultural Contexts

                        Cultural History of Menstruation
                        Concealment and Hygiene
                        Taboos
                        Contemporary Views and Advice
                        Historical Context of Health and Medicine
                        Schools
                        The Family
                        Media, Advertising, and Merchandising

4. Medicalization and Gender Politics of the Body

                        Medicalization of Menstruation
                        Fifth-Grade Health Class
                        Menstruation as a Reproductive Issue
                        What About the Blood?
                        Every Single Month Forever and Ever
                        Menstrual Suppression?
                        The Value of Female Bodies
                        What If Men Could Menstruate?
                        Understanding Gender
                        Living in Our Bodies

5. Girls in Power

                        Agency and Power
                        Creatively Responding to Dominant Social Norms
                        Forging Connections
                        “I Don’t Think Boys Could Handle It”
                        Menstruation Is Social
                        Getting “It”
                        Stories and Supportive Talk
                        What’s Normal
                        How Embarrassing!
                        But Adults Don’t Talk This Way!
                        Interviewing in Community Groups
                        Isn’t Menstruation a Personal Event?
                        “We Should Just Create a Women’s Store”

6. Boys’ Responses

                        Knowledge Is Power
                        Blaming Menstruation
                        “Grossing Them Out”
                        Menstruation as a Sexual Issue
                        Boys’ Jokes
                        Who Has the Power?
                        Embarrassing and Teasing Girls
                        Girls’ Advantages
                        Expressing Power: Second and Third Wave Feminism
                        Potential for Manipulation
                        Alternate Responses by Boys
                        “My Friend Kristin Explained . . .”
                        Beef Jerky

7. Conclusion: Bodies in Interaction

                        The Teens’ Concluding Thoughts
                        Different Interpretations
                        Social Interactions and Gendered Power
                        Menstrual Celebrations
                        Reflections on Research Methods
                        Conclusion

Appendix A: Participants in Individual and Group Interviews

Girls
Boys

Appendix B: Interview Guides

Individual Interviews
Group Interviews

Notes
References
Index

Related Subjects

Education
Sociology
Women's Studies

45354/45355(NE/LDS/AV)