The Politics of Women's Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior

This is an anthology of previously published writings on the politics of women's bodies, intended to provide a basic overview of significant issues in the fields of gender and women's studies. The book is divided into 4 sections - The Social Construction of Women's Bodies; The Politics of Sexuality; The Politics of Appearance; and Bodies, Behavior and Politics - and addresses topics such as the cultural versus biological differences between men and women, the medicalization of menstruation and menopause, the politics centering around reproductive freedom and abortion rights, weight issues and eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, cultural standards of beauty, and lesbian and bisexual issues.