Women In Cycles Of Culture

Exploring the ways in which women have formed and defined expressions of culture in a range of geographical, political, and historical settings, this collection of essays examines women's figurative and literal roles as "sites" of culture from the 16th century to the present day. The diversity of chronological, geographical and cultural subjects investigated by the contributors-from the 16th century to the 20th, from Renaissance Italy to Puritan Boston to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to post-war Japan, from parliamentary politics to the politics of representation-provides a range of historical outlooks. The collection brings an unusual variety of methodological approaches to the project of discovering intersections among women's studies, literary studies, cultural studies, history, and art history, and expands beyond the Anglo- and Eurocentric focus often found in other works in the field. The volume presents an in-depth, investigative study of a tightly-constructed set of crucial themes, including that of the female body as a governing trope in political and cultural discourses; the roles played by women and notions of womanhood in redefining traditions of ceremony, theatricality and spectacle; women's iconographies and personal spaces as resources that have shaped cultural transactions and evolutions; and finally, women's voices-speaking and writing, both-as authors of cultural record and destiny. Throughout the volume the themes are refracted chronologically, geographically, and disciplinarily as a means to deeper understanding of their content and contexts. Women as Sites of Culture represents a productive collaboration of historians from various disciplines in coherently addressing issues revolving around the roles of gender, text, and image in a range of cultures and periods.

A bold reappraisal of science and society, "The Woman in the Body" explores the different ways that women's reproduction is seen in American culture. Contrasting the views of medical science with those of ordinary women from diverse social and economic backgrounds, anthropologist Emily Martin presents unique fieldwork on American culture and uncovers the metaphors of economy and alienation that pervade women's imaging of themselves and their bodies. A new preface examines some of the latest medical ideas about women's reproductive cycles.

Menstruation seldom gets a starring role on screen despite being experienced regularly by nearly all women for a good many decades of their lives. Periods in Pop Culture: Menstruation in Film and Television, by Lauren Rosewarne, turns the spotlight on period portrayals in media, examining the presence of menstruation in a broad range of contemporary pop culture. Drawing on a vast collection of menstruation scenes from film and television, this study examines and categorizes representations to unearth what they reveal about society and about our culture's continuingly fraught relationship with female biology. Written from a feminist perspective, menstrual representations are analyzed for what they reveal about sexual politics and society. Rosewarne's thorough investigation covers a range of topics including menstrual taboos, stigmas and fears, as well as the inextricable link between periods and femininity, sexuality, ageing, and identity. Periods in Pop Culture highlights that the treatment of menstruation in the media remains an area of persistent gender inequality.

Contemporary popular culture has created a slew of stereotypical roles for girls and women to (willingly or not) play throughout their lives: The Princess, the Nymphette, the Diva, the Single Girl, the Bridezilla, the Tiger Mother, the M.I.L.F, the Cougar, and more. In this book Ames and Burcon investigate the role of cultural texts in gender socialization at specific pre-scripted stages of a woman's life (from girls to the "golden girls") and how that instruction compounds over time. By studying various texts (toys, magazines, blogs, tweets, television shows, Hollywood films, novels, and self-help books) they argue that popular culture exists as a type of funhouse mirror constantly distorting the real world conditions that exist for women, magnifying the gendered expectations they face. Despite the many problematic, conflicting messages women receive throughout their lives, this book also showcases the ways such messages are resisted, allowing women to move past the blurry reality they broadcast and toward, hopefully, gender equality.

“A normally taboo topic claims attention with the surprising—and sometimes horrifying—history of cultural reactions to menstruation.” —Publishers Weekly In this hip, hilarious and truly eye-opening cultural history, menstruation is talked about as never before. Flow spans its fascinating, occasionally wacky and sometimes downright scary story: from mikvahs (ritual cleansing baths) to menopause, hysteria to hysterectomies—not to mention the Pill, cramps, the history of underwear, and the movie about puberty they showed you in 5th grade. Flow answers such questions as: What’s the point of getting a period? What did women do before pads and tampons? What about new drugs that promise to end periods—a hot idea or not? Sex during your period: gross or a turn-on? And what’s normal, anyway? With color reproductions of (campy) historical ads and early (excruciating) femcare devices, it also provides a fascinating (and mind-boggling) gallery of this complex, personal and uniquely female process. As irreverent as it is informative, Flow gives an everyday occurrence its true props—and eradicates the stigma placed on it for centuries. “Its contents, I found, are plainspoken—perhaps it will start chipping away at the taboo . . . the style is important and groundbreaking.” —The New Yorker “In many ways, Flow is a breakthrough.” —Daily Beast “Flow isn’t just a book; it’s a movement.” —January Magazine “A witty look at the history of ‘the nuisance’ . . . for women of all ages. Who hasn’t wondered why we get a period, what women did before the invention of the tampon—let alone the pad. Flow explains all.” —Body and Soul Magazine

"In its hard headed, richly documented concreteness, it is worth a thousand polemics." -- New York Times, from a review of the first edition "The Curse deserves a place in every women's studies library collection." -- Sharon Golub, editor of Lifting the curse of Menstruation "A stimulating and useful book, both for the scholarly and the general reader." -- Paula A. Treichler, co-author of A Feminist Dictionary

Rich, original, and transformative, the latest edition of A New Psychology of Women examines how gender-related expectations interact with other cultural assumptions and stereotypes, and with social and economic conditions, to affect women’s experiences and behavior. Absorbing narratives centered on essential topics in psychology and global research engage readers to grasp cutting-edge insights into the psychological diversity of women. Aware that our own cultural experience colors and limits what we think we know about people, veteran educator and scholar Hilary Lips imbues her discussions with international examples and perspectives to provide an inclusive approach to the psychology of women. A wide range of new and extensively updated topics optimize readers’ knowledge of how disparate perspectives from cultures throughout the world shape women’s behavior and attitudes toward: health care / violence against women / poverty / labor force participation / occupational segregation / unpaid work / stereotyping and discrimination / expectations about power within marriage / female genital mutilation / theories of gender development / women’s attitudes toward their bodies / use of social media / media portrayals of girls and women / women in political leadership roles Among thoroughly updated topics particular to US culture are same-sex marriage, Latina women’s issues, the portrayal of women of different ethnic and cultural groups on television, and breast cancer survival rates of African American and European American women. Boxed items containing learning activities, profiles of women who helped shape psychology, and suggestions for making social changes appear throughout the text. Each chapter concludes with discussion questions, key terms, suggestions for additional reading, and Web resources.