Girls in Power: Gender, Body, and Menstruation in Adolescence

by Laura Fingerson

Overview

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.

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791480977
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	200
File size:	418 KB

About the Author

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       
             &nb