Submitted August 5, 2007, 9:15 PM
What year did you first read Our Bodies, Ourselves?
Which edition did you read? [Women and Their Bodies, newsprint edition published by New England Free Press (1970); Our Bodies, Ourselves (1973, 1976); The New Our Bodies, Ourselves (1984, 1992); Our Bodies Ourselves for the New Century (1998); or a foreign translation or adaptation?]
I think the first one I saw was the 1976 version.
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How old were you at the time?
Who brought the book to your attention?
I had heard of it both through friends who read it (positive), and members of my conservative family and rural southern community who disapproved of women being able to control their reproduction and their futures, with or without men.
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What, if anything, surprised you about the book? (such as graphic photos, or particular themes such as masturbation or lesbianism)
The positive coverage of masturbation, and the information on "older" sex-- I don't think I realized anyone over 50 still had sex! While nothing else really surprized me, a lot of the information was new, at least in detail, to me.
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What had the biggest impact?
On a persoonal level, it was absolutely the information on nutrition, and on birth control-- after reading OBOS, I felt confident enough in the diaphragm to get one & to give up the pill, which had been causing side effects.
However, I felt much more tied in to other women across the US, aware of problems women had that I had never been aware of. I became more involved politically and philanthropically because of that.
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Did it influence your choice of doctor or your relationship with your doctor?
Yes, by looking for women doctors who were okay & nonjudgmental with my sex life (and found her!)
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Did you use the book as a resource to learn about particular issues of healthcare or sexuality? If so, in what areas?
To a degree. I used it as a jumping off point for both a paper and for an article I wrote in college. The paper was on medical testing & women, and the article was on the portrayal of minority women in pornography.
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Were you completely satisfied with the book, or did you disagree with any of the content? If so, in what area(s)?
I agreed with it all, though I wanted more info on some areas. It inspired me to find that information, though.
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Did you find that there were any important topics left unaddressed?
Not enough was on getting out of bad relationships. Not a lot was out there at that time, though. Had a friend who needed that.
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Did it affect the way that you understood your own body or your health?
Yes! I was more aware of the good and of the damage I was doing to my health, and I changed my habits for the better . It did take a while....
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How did the book\'s information contribute to or contrast with what you had learned in school about women\'s health and sexuality?
I went to Catholic schools until eighth grade, and while we had some sex education, NOTHING on birth control, abortion, relationships outside of marriage etc. Then, in public high school, we had NO sex ed WHATSOEVER, and the highest teen pregnancy rate in Virginia.
So, outside of the rare conversation with my mom and lots of bad info from my sisters and friends, everything worthwhile I learned was from OBOS and/or Planned Prenthood of Petersburg, VA, which was the closest place I could get birth control-- one hour away from where I lived. My dad had been military, and the only ob-gyn I saw until I left home was during 2 appointments on base, with doctors who wanted my mother in the room with me during the exam. To her credit, she refused both times, but I had no confidentiality.
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Did you give or recommend the book to anyone else? If so, who and why?
YES! Lots of folks, over the years. Most recently to my teen niece.
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Did you ever contact the authors with additional comments or questions?
Have you read any other BWHBC publication? (including Ourselves and Our Children (1978), Changing Bodies, Changing Lives (1998), Ourselves, Growing Older (1987), Sacrificing Ourselves for Love (1996). Do you have any comments about these books?
Yes. A few years ago, I got Ourselves, Growing Older, both for myself & because I was helping take care of my mom. My only complaint is that sometimes I wanted more detail/info, but was glad for the referrals for further reading.
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Did you ever seek medical treatment or advice from a feminist health clinic? If so, did your decision to do so have anything to do with reading Our Bodies, Ourselves?
Were you ever actively involved in the womenís health movement? If so, in what capacity?
Volunteered with NARAL & Planned Parenthood. Held a fundraiser for Pathfinder International. Have worked on lots of political campaigns. Worked on 1994 gubernatorial & presidential campaigns, on NOW task force, largely focussed on women's & family's health issues.
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How did you get to this webpage? How did you find out about this study?
Have been on this page a number of times before. Stumbled across survey.
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