MENARCHE AND THE (HETERO)SEXUALIZATION OF THE FEMALE BODY
- 1 September 1994
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Gender & Society
- Vol. 8 (3) , 343-362
- https://doi.org/10.1177/089124394008003004
Abstract
Menarche—or a woman's first menstrual period—is a central aspect of body politics. Through explorations of oral and written narratives, I suggest that girls' subjective sense of themselves as maturing women at menarche develops simultaneously with a process of sexualization whereby young women experience themselves as sexualized, and their bodies are produced as sexual objects. While women internalize negative scripts associated with the bleeding female body, they also respond with consciousness and resistance.Keywords
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