Author: Elissa Stein

Publisher: Macmillan + ORM

Published: 2009-11-05

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 1429983396

“A normally taboo topic claims attention with the surprising—and sometimes horrifying—history of cultural reactions to menstruation.” —Publishers Weekly In this hip, hilarious and truly eye-opening cultural history, menstruation is talked about as never before. Flow spans its fascinating, occasionally wacky and sometimes downright scary story: from mikvahs (ritual cleansing baths) to menopause, hysteria to hysterectomies—not to mention the Pill, cramps, the history of underwear, and the movie about puberty they showed you in 5th grade. Flow answers such questions as: What’s the point of getting a period? What did women do before pads and tampons? What about new drugs that promise to end periods—a hot idea or not? Sex during your period: gross or a turn-on? And what’s normal, anyway? With color reproductions of (campy) historical ads and early (excruciating) femcare devices, it also provides a fascinating (and mind-boggling) gallery of this complex, personal and uniquely female process. As irreverent as it is informative, Flow gives an everyday occurrence its true props—and eradicates the stigma placed on it for centuries. “Its contents, I found, are plainspoken—perhaps it will start chipping away at the taboo . . . the style is important and groundbreaking.” —The New Yorker “In many ways, Flow is a breakthrough.” —Daily Beast “Flow isn’t just a book; it’s a movement.” —January Magazine “A witty look at the history of ‘the nuisance’ . . . for women of all ages. Who hasn’t wondered why we get a period, what women did before the invention of the tampon—let alone the pad. Flow explains all.” —Body and Soul Magazine