Study, 1996
How is premenstrual syndrome presented in magazines and self-help books?
Women's personal stories about premenstrual symptoms are prominently used in magazines and self-help books to establish PMS as a medical disease. These stories reflect assumptions about what is normal for women's bodies and health.
What they did
Researchers examined magazine articles and self-help books to see how premenstrual syndrome is presented and discussed as a medical disease.
What they found
Women's personal accounts of premenstrual symptoms are prominently used to establish PMS as a medical disease in magazines and self-help books. The way these experiences are described reflects assumptions about women, gender, and health.
What it means for you
Personal experiences are central to how medical conditions are understood in popular media. This raises questions about whose experiences are included and what ideas about gender are built into medical definitions. The limitation is that this examined published materials, not actual medical evidence.
About the study
- Original title
- THE PROBLEMATIC OF “EXPERIENCE”
- Authors
- Susan Markens
- Journal
- Gender & Society
- Year
- 1996
- Study design
- Study
- What was tested
- None - analysis of media content about PMS
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1177/089124396010001004
Topics
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