How Junk Science, Gender Politics, and Lies about PMS Keep Women Down
August 1, 2017
Do hormones make women go a little crazy right before their menstrual period? Not really. In this debunking of the mental disorder aspect of PMS, DeLuca, who holds a PhD in social and health psychology, elaborates on the points she makes in her widely viewed TED Talk, The Good News about PMS. As she notes in her introduction, the hormone myth encourages stereotypes of women as irrational, which dismisses and discounts us. It can also lead to excessive, expensive and sometimes harmful cures.' DeLuca raises thought-provoking questions about how doctors and pharmaceutical companies profit from perhaps ineffective products targeting hormonal fluctuations. She points out that tampons and pads are designed and advertised to maintain secrecy, implying that menstruation is shameful. She refers to unfortunate stereotypes, such as women as witches, and shares stinging pop-culture PMS references. Written in a conversational tone and full of helpful information about hormones (including appended primers on what each of them is and how to spot junk science), DeLuca's guide is uplifting and empowering.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)