The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South

by Chris Bobel

The Managed Body productively complicates ‘menstrual hygiene management’ (MHM)―a growing social movement to support menstruating girls in the Global South. Bobel offers an invested critique of the complicated discourses of MHM including its conceptual and practical links with the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) development sector, human rights and ‘the girling of development.’ Drawing on analysis of in-depth interviews, participant observations and the digital materials of NGOs and social businesses, Bobel shows how MHM frames problems and solutions to capture attention and direct resources to this highly-tabooed topic. She asserts that MHM organizations often inadvertently rely upon weak evidence and spectacularized representations to make the claim of a ‘hygienic crisis’ that authorizes rescue. And, she argues, the largely product-based solutions that follow fail to challenge the social construction of the menstrual body as dirty and in need of concealment. While cast as fundamental to preserving girls’ dignity, MHM prioritizes ‘technological fixes’ that teach girls to discipline their developing bodies vis a vis consumer culture, a move that actually accommodates more than it resists the core problem of menstrual stigma.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Health

373 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2018

Reviews

[Michelle Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a fine balance to question the current framework of menstrual health 'management'. I think the author does justice with a very thorough analysis, questioning current discourse. At the same time, briefly acknowledging how it is a very western take on things. An interesting read, illuminating in terms of regularly quoted 'stats' available. I would recommend for anyone undertaking global health work.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish that Bobel had written a less academic book and instead written one that was more accessible to the general population. This is such an important topic.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very insightful take on MHM and the influence the West has on this global health topic. Bobel challenges regurgitated assumptions and narratives surrounding menstrual health that, just like menstrual stigmas, are out of date. The findings of this research are likely applicable in many other international development fields, cautioning against generalizations and exemplifying the need for more data and research.