Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation

Editorial Reviews

"At long last, along have come these two women to give us as plainspeaking, comprehensive, and witty a compendium of menarcheal information and reference as we've ever had. There is probably no better book for moms who want their daughters to respect themselves in every aspect, and for female pre-teens and teens who would never say a word about their moms reading a book about menses but surely would like several sneak peaks into its pages. One can only ask Stein and Kim,'What took you so long?'" –Booklist

"Perfect for a preteen's introduction to adulthood and for women of all ages, this is guaranteed to spark conversation about old early sanitary technology (belts and pins), the pad's evolution, during WWI, when nurses found cellulose bandages more absorbent than plain cotton, and whether this universal female experience is a blessing, a curse—or just part of life." –Publishers Weekly

"With wit, sarcasm, and common sense...the authors convey a great deal of information in an approachable and straightforward way, using a pop culture lens to posit a modern, feminist, female perspective on menstruation...An entertaining and insightful book for women of all ages." –Library Journal

"A witty look at the history of "the nuisance"...for women of all agees.  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

"Flow is a beautiful book (coffee table worthy!) and quite educational, while keeping you laughing. There are some amazing factoids in here! (psst...There should be a trivia board game that goes along with this baby.) And the vintage ads are fab. Courteney Cox Arquette was the first person to say period in a commercial. I believe that Cybil Sheppard and Laurie Laughlin are in a few ads too. Did you know that the Hite Report didn’t say anything about our periods? Lots of fun facts to wow your friends during the next girls night out!" –Viva La Feminista

Product Description

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.

Click Here To Buy. Flow: The Cultural Story of Menstruation