The Politics of Womens Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior

For the past three decades, feminist scholars have examined how the female body and ideas about the female body affect womens lives. Revised and updated in its third edition,The Politics of Womens Bodies: Sexuality, Appearance, and Behavior brings together recent critical writings in this important field. The selections reflect three themes: how ideas about womens bodies in the United States are socially constructed, how these social constructions can be used to control womens lives, and how women attempt to resist these forces. Exceptionally wellwritten and edited for accessibility, the articles cover a wide range of topics and also address issues of class, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.Featuring eleven new cuttingedge articles, the third edition of The Politics of Womens Bodies expands the books focus with coverage of intersexuality, fatness, body modification, images of African American and Latina women, Goth culture and womens sexuality, how poverty is marked on the female body, how boys concerns about masculinity lead them to subjugate girls bodies, and other issues. This edition also includes new introductions to each article that explain key concepts and put the articles in context.A unique interdisciplinary anthology, The Politics of Womens Bodies, Third Edition, is ideal for undergraduate courses on the body or sexuality. It is also an excellent fit for introductory courses in womens studies as well as courses in women and health, feminist theory, and the psychology, anthropology, or sociology of women.