Our Bodies, Ourselves
Encyclopedia
Our Bodies, Ourselves is a book about women's health and sexuality produced by the nonprofit organization Our Bodies Ourselves (originally called the Boston Women's Health Book Collective). First published in 1971, it contains information related to many aspects of women's health and sexuality, including menopause
, birth control
, childbirth
, sexual health, sexual orientation
, gender identity
, mental health
and general well-being.
Now in its 9th edition, and published in 26 foreign editions and braille
, the current edition, published in 2011, contains 825 pages. The New York Times
has called the book "America's best-selling book on all aspects of women's health" and a "feminist classic."
In addition, the organization has created two single-topic books. Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause was published in 2006, and Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth in 2008. The Boston Women's Health Book Collective earlier produced Changing Bodies, Changing Lives: A Book For Teens on Sex and Relationships and The New Ourselves, Growing Older: Women Aging with Knowledge and Power. After the release of the original Our Bodies, Ourselves, at least one other publisher produced a women's health book written for women as health consumers, namely The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health.
The booklet was originally intended as the basis for a women's health course, the first to be written for women by women. The health seminar that inspired the booklet was organized in 1969 by Nancy Miriam Hawley at Boston's Emmanuel College
. "We weren't encouraged to ask questions, but to depend on the so-called experts," Hawley told Women's eNews
. "Not having a say in our own health care frustrated and angered us. We didn't have the information we needed, so we decided to find it on our own."
The women researched and wrote up the information themselves. Wendy Sanford wrote about abortion
, Jane Pincus and Ruth Bell about pregnancy
, and Paula Doress and Esther Rome about postpartum depression
. The booklet sold 250,000 copies in New England without any formal advertising.
As a result of their success, the women formed the non-profit Boston Women's Health Book Collective (which now goes by the name Our Bodies Ourselves) and published the first 276-page Our Bodies, Ourselves in 1973. It featured first-person stories from women, and tackled many topics then regarded as taboo
. Since then, over four million copies have been sold. Simon & Schuster is the current publisher.
and could still be said to reflect its values. The personal experiences of women are taken into account and are quoted throughout, while the social and political context of women's health informs the content of the book.
Topics such as male-to-female and female-to-male transsexualism
/transgenderism
are discussed in the most recent edition and considered in a nonjudgmental manner, despite the controversy to which they have been subject within the feminist movement. The writing style of the book tends toward a familiar, inclusive tone, with the authors referring to women and themselves as a collective group.
The current edition uses material published in the 1984, 1992, 1998 and 2005 editions.
1. Our Female Bodies: Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction and the Menstrual Cycle
2. Intro to Sexual Health
3. Body Image
4. Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Relationships and Sexuality
5. Relationships
6. Social Influences on Sexuality
7. Sexual Pleasure and Enthusiastic Consent
8. Sexual Challenges
Sexual Health and Reproductive Choices
9. Birth Control
10. Safer Sex
11. Sexually Transmitted Infections
12. Unexpected Pregnancy
13. Abortion
Child-Bearing
14. Considering Parenting
15. Pregnancy and Preparing for Birth
16. Labor and Birth
17. The Early Months of Parenting
18. Miscarriage, Stillbirth and other Losses
19. Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Post-Reproductive Years
20. Perimenopause and Menopause
21. Our Later Years
Medical Problems and Navigating the Health-care System
22. Selected Medical Problems
23. Navigating the Health Care System
Major Forces Affecting Women's Sexuality and Reproductive Health
24. Violence Against Women
25. Environmental Health
26. Politics of Women’s Health
27. Activism in the 21st Century
stating they "appreciate[d] Alexandra Jacobs' nostalgia for earlier editions," but that they were "evolv[ing] ... to stay relevant and accessible to ... [their] readers."
Our Bodies, Ourselves also was listed on the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute
's "50 Worst Books of the Twentieth Century". The book's website saw this as newsworthy and accepted the designation gracefully, even posting the text of the review.
Menopause
Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...
, birth control
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
, sexual health, sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
, gender identity
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
, mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
and general well-being.
Now in its 9th edition, and published in 26 foreign editions and braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
, the current edition, published in 2011, contains 825 pages. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
has called the book "America's best-selling book on all aspects of women's health" and a "feminist classic."
In addition, the organization has created two single-topic books. Our Bodies, Ourselves: Menopause was published in 2006, and Our Bodies, Ourselves: Pregnancy and Birth in 2008. The Boston Women's Health Book Collective earlier produced Changing Bodies, Changing Lives: A Book For Teens on Sex and Relationships and The New Ourselves, Growing Older: Women Aging with Knowledge and Power. After the release of the original Our Bodies, Ourselves, at least one other publisher produced a women's health book written for women as health consumers, namely The New Harvard Guide to Women's Health.
History
The book arose out of a 35-cent, 136-page booklet called Women and Their Bodies, published in 1970 by the New England Free Press, and written by twelve Boston feminist activists.The booklet was originally intended as the basis for a women's health course, the first to be written for women by women. The health seminar that inspired the booklet was organized in 1969 by Nancy Miriam Hawley at Boston's Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, Boston
Emmanuel College is a coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919 , Emmanuel became coeducational in 2001....
. "We weren't encouraged to ask questions, but to depend on the so-called experts," Hawley told Women's eNews
Women's eNews
Women's eNews is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It publishes international news articles specializing in coverage of women's lives.- History :...
. "Not having a say in our own health care frustrated and angered us. We didn't have the information we needed, so we decided to find it on our own."
The women researched and wrote up the information themselves. Wendy Sanford wrote about abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, Jane Pincus and Ruth Bell about pregnancy
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, and Paula Doress and Esther Rome about postpartum depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression , also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, typically after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual...
. The booklet sold 250,000 copies in New England without any formal advertising.
As a result of their success, the women formed the non-profit Boston Women's Health Book Collective (which now goes by the name Our Bodies Ourselves) and published the first 276-page Our Bodies, Ourselves in 1973. It featured first-person stories from women, and tackled many topics then regarded as taboo
Taboo
A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...
. Since then, over four million copies have been sold. Simon & Schuster is the current publisher.
Style
The first book was a product of the feminist movementFeminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
and could still be said to reflect its values. The personal experiences of women are taken into account and are quoted throughout, while the social and political context of women's health informs the content of the book.
Topics such as male-to-female and female-to-male transsexualism
Transsexualism
Transsexualism is an individual's identification with a gender inconsistent or not culturally associated with their biological sex. Simply put, it defines a person whose biological birth sex conflicts with their psychological gender...
/transgenderism
Transgenderism
Transgenderism is a social movement seeking transgender rights and affirming transgender pride.-History:In her 1995 book Apartheid of Sex, biopolitical lawyer and writer Martine Rothblatt describes "transgenderism" as a grassroots social movement seeking transgender rights and affirming transgender...
are discussed in the most recent edition and considered in a nonjudgmental manner, despite the controversy to which they have been subject within the feminist movement. The writing style of the book tends toward a familiar, inclusive tone, with the authors referring to women and themselves as a collective group.
The current edition uses material published in the 1984, 1992, 1998 and 2005 editions.
Chapter Topics in Book
Bodies and Identities1. Our Female Bodies: Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction and the Menstrual Cycle
2. Intro to Sexual Health
3. Body Image
4. Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
Relationships and Sexuality
5. Relationships
6. Social Influences on Sexuality
7. Sexual Pleasure and Enthusiastic Consent
8. Sexual Challenges
Sexual Health and Reproductive Choices
9. Birth Control
10. Safer Sex
11. Sexually Transmitted Infections
12. Unexpected Pregnancy
13. Abortion
Child-Bearing
14. Considering Parenting
15. Pregnancy and Preparing for Birth
16. Labor and Birth
17. The Early Months of Parenting
18. Miscarriage, Stillbirth and other Losses
19. Infertility and Assisted Reproductive Technologies
Post-Reproductive Years
20. Perimenopause and Menopause
21. Our Later Years
Medical Problems and Navigating the Health-care System
22. Selected Medical Problems
23. Navigating the Health Care System
Major Forces Affecting Women's Sexuality and Reproductive Health
24. Violence Against Women
25. Environmental Health
26. Politics of Women’s Health
27. Activism in the 21st Century
Criticism
On July 17, 2005, New York Times columnist Alexandra Jacobs wrote an unflattering review of the new edition of OBOS, stating that she disliked the pink cover, as well as the sharper editing and new policies. The editors of the book responded in an August 14 letter to the editorLetter to the editor
A letter to the editor is a letter sent to a publication about issues of concern from its readers. Usually, letters are intended for publication...
stating they "appreciate[d] Alexandra Jacobs' nostalgia for earlier editions," but that they were "evolv[ing] ... to stay relevant and accessible to ... [their] readers."
Our Bodies, Ourselves also was listed on the conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute
Intercollegiate Studies Institute
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Inc., or ', is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1953 as the Intercollegiate Society of Individualists...
's "50 Worst Books of the Twentieth Century". The book's website saw this as newsworthy and accepted the designation gracefully, even posting the text of the review.
Further reading
- Our Bodies, Ourselves companion website
- Translating 'Our Bodies, Ourselves'
- Ginty, Molly M., "Our Bodies, Ourselves Turns 35 Today", Women's eNewsWomen's eNewsWomen's eNews is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It publishes international news articles specializing in coverage of women's lives.- History :...
, May 4, 2004