Premenstrual syndrome as scientific and cultural artifact.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has been defined in a variety of scientific and cultural ways over the years, but there is no consistent or agreed upon definition. For some women, the public legitimization of PMS and its symptoms as a real and natural part of the female body have led to a positive sense of vindication. However, a more negative image of PMS as something that controls women once a month, that makes them "crazy" and subject to their hormones, is much more pervasive in our contemporary Western culture. In this essay, the author explores the various definitions: PMS as a medical condition, as a social scientific and feminist issue, as an explanation for women's behavior and moods in the popular culture, and, finally, as something bought or sold in a market. The author shows how PMS is real because, if for no other reason, various people in different situations choose to define it as such.
Figert
Anne E
AE
Loyola University, Chicago, IL, USA.
D000328:Adult; D016477:Artifacts; D003469:Culture; D004345:Drug Industry; D005260:Female; D019513:Feminism; D006801:Humans; D008598:Menstruation / Q000523:psychology; D011293:Premenstrual Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*