Jennifer A. Gorman

Education and Advertising: A Content Analysis of Commercially Produced Booklets about Menstruation

Educational booklets published by manufacturers of menstrual hygiene products have been used to teach several generations of girls about menstruation. The ubiquity and importance of the booklets make them potentially important contributors to attitudes toward menstruation. The content of 28 booklets that were produced commercially between 1932 and 1997 was analyzed for this study. The quality of the information presented in the booklets was examined to determine whether the later booklets contained more information that was both accurate and positive than did the earlier booklets. The later booklets were less likely than the earlier booklets to portray menstruation as a hygiene crisis but equally likely to promote secrecy. They also were more likely to depict ethnic diversity in their illustrations and less likely to make assumptions about the composition of girls’families. Adolescents’knowledge could be increased through the presentation of educational materials that are accurate, balanced, and developmentally appropriate.

Facing Up to Aging: Mid-Life Women's Attitudes toward Cosmetic Procedures

Despite the fact that mid-life and older women are a major consumer group for cosmetic procedures (e.g., botox, face lifts), few studies have been done on their attitudes toward these procedures and their willingness to undergo them. The purpose of the present study was to gather information about the popularity of these procedures among a group of 57 mid-life American women, examine whether some personality and attitudinal measures might predict attitudes toward these procedures, and consider the ramifications of the data for the treatment of women in feminist therapy. About one third (38.5%) of our sample had had one or more cosmetic procedures, and 81% said that they would have a procedure if cost were not an issue. Positive attitudes toward cosmetic surgery and preoccupation with being over-weight best predicted womens interest in cosmetic procedures. The popularity of these procedures is discussed in light of the double standard of aging and age discrimination, weight as a “normative discontent,” and the ubiquity of advertisements for, and normalization of, these procedures in the popular media.

Body appreciation and attitudes toward menstruation

Menstruation is an important function of the female body, yet it has rarely been included in research on body image. As womens attitudes toward menstruation are so often negative, this study was designed to examine whether women with positive body image would have more positive attitudes toward menstruation. Seventy-two American women, ages 18-45 years, were recruited online to complete the Body Appreciation Scale (Avalos et al., 2005) and the Beliefs about and Attitudes toward Menstruation Scale (Marván et al., 2006) and to answer some questions about their interest in menstrual suppression. Linear regressions showed that higher scores on body appreciation predicted more positive attitudes toward and beliefs about menstruation, but were not related to interest in menstrual suppression. Our findings may be useful in designing interventions to increase womens comfort with their bodies and bodily functions.

Queer periods: attitudes toward and experiences with menstruation in the masculine of centre and transgender community

Abstract Menstruation has long been viewed as an important aspect of women’s health. However, scholars and healthcare providers have only recently begun to recognise that transgender men and people with masculine gender identities also menstruate, thus little is known about their attitudes toward and experiences with menstruation. A sample of masculine of centre and transgender individuals with a mean age of 30 years was recruited online to complete measures of attitudes toward menstruation and menstrual suppression and to answer exploratory questions about their experiences managing menstruation. Participants reported mixed attitudes toward menstruation, but generally positive attitudes toward menstrual suppression. Many participants said that they try to avoid public restrooms during menstruation because of practical and psychological concerns. Implications of our findings for the transgender health are discussed.

Ambivalent Sexism and Attitudes Toward Women in Different Stages of Reproductive Life: A Semantic, Cross-Cultural Approach

College students in southeastern Mexico (n = 185) and the northeastern United States (n = 96) utilized a semantic differential scale to rate subtypes of women: a menstruating woman, a menopausal woman, a pregnant woman, a premenstrual woman, a woman with a hysterectomy, a teenage girl, a woman in love, and a woman with a young baby. Americans reported significantly more negative attitudes than Mexicans did toward a menstruating woman, a premenstrual woman, a teenage girl, and a pregnant woman. Participants chose more positive words to describe a teenage girl, a woman in love, a pregnant woman, and a woman with a young baby, which is suggestive of a pronatal bias. Participants also completed the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI). Men scored significantly higher than women on hostile sexism. Mexicans scored significantly higher than Americans on both hostile and benevolent sexism. Sexism scores are related to attitudes toward premenstrual, menstruating, and menopausal women; women with a hysterectomy; and women with a young baby.

Adventures in Feminist Health Psychology: Teaching about and Conducting Feminist Psychological Science

Feminist psychology and health psychology both coalesced into organized fields of scientific study and clinical practice in the 1970s. However, there has been relatively little integration of the two fields. In this chapter, the authors consider why it can be difficult to conduct feminist research in health psychology and teach health psychology from a feminist perspective. Reasons include changing perspectives on “feminists” and “feminism” and differences in philosophical approaches (e.g., medicalization, research methods) that can be difficult to reconcile. The authors also discuss strategies they have employed in their careers as feminist psychologists with strong interests in health psychology.