How Can We Understand Our Body Without “our Body, Ourselves”?

Our Bodies, Ourselves began as a brochure on women’s health in the early 1970s, but soon evolved into a textbook for every young (and old) person with questions about everything related to puberty, sex, and even relationships. The book has been published and updated in numerous reprints over the decades, but all good things must someday come to an end; The nonprofit in charge of OBOS just announced that they are moving to a volunteer-only model, which means that updates will be few and far between.

According to their press release, Our Bodies, Ourself will continue to print from Touchstone / Simon & Schuster using his 2011 edition, which is still pretty accurate in 2018. The nonprofit mostly used its website to keep people up to date with the latest medical news – something that everyone is about to lose. While there was a brief resurgence of interest in 2015 when prominent feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Lena Dunham supported fundraising efforts, OBOS was unable to create a financially sustainable business model. The hired staff will leave by September this year.

Judy Norisigian is the co-founder of OBOS and the new chairman of the board of directors of this new release. She told the Boston Globe that she mostly retired from retirement to support the organization during this transition.

“You have worked for almost 50 years with an organization that has meant so much to women around the world, and you understand that in the era of Trump and his reactionary forces, this work is more important than ever,” said Norsigian. “We can not afford to let the voices of our bodies, we had themselves subdued.”

In an email Lifehacker Norsigian stated even more clearly that the decline in the popularity of OBOS seemed extremely important at Trump’s administration, which is working on the limited information on women’s health throughout the world.

“ Now is the right time for OBOS to contract for the important work that it does,” she wrote. “But taking into account the financial realities faced by OBOS, this new model, driven by volunteers – the best thing that can make OBOS».

Even though OBOS has been around for so long, it never felt out of date, although the rise of the internet would theoretically put all the same information about your body in just a few clicks. According to Norsigian , OBOS has remained quite strong so far because it is a reliable source and trust is not one of the strengths of the world wide web.

“In my own experience, with so much WRONG INFORMATION all over the Internet right now, reliable resources like OBOS are needed more than ever,” says Norsigian. “But there is always an ongoing challenge of how best to reach a wide audience. Right now, so many people don’t realize how misguided they are, so they don’t necessarily look for another source of information. “

So where do you go if you are looking? Norsigian had several suggestions for where to turn when the volunteer version of OBOS can’t move at the same speed as before.

• Scarleteen , run by author Heather Corinna ( All About SEX: The Scarleteen Book ). This site bills itself as “sex for the real world” and refers to “teens and aspiring adults.” There is a regular column of advice around the come as a pansexual to deal with sexual assault scenes in the media. They also have a media section where you can check out other trusted sources.
• Author Tony Weschler is the author of Taking Responsibility for Your Fertility and runs a website of the same name.
• Bodies Trans, Trans Selves – a book created by OBOS model with Web site for more frequent updates.

These are just a few of Norsigian’s favorites, but OBOS also maintains a list of reliable information on topics such as menstruation, body image, breast cancer and gynecological cancer – the list goes on with so much to know and so much that the group has shared. years. And if you’d like to read more, Norsigian also recommends Come As You Are Emily Nagoski, Vibrator Nation by Lynn Comell, and The Managed Body: Developing Girls and Menstrual Health in the Global South by Chris Bobel.

When asked if she has any fears for the future of public health, Norsigian honestly answered that she is, especially because she believes that a profit-driven culture (in medicine and beyond) is detrimental to everyone.

“But,” she adds, “I’m the kind of person who never gives up hope. OBOS may one day be able to revive on a more secure financial footing, but that will require forward-thinking (and generous) donors. Meanwhile, working with trusted OBOS colleagues on a range of promotional activities will continue to be of value, as always. ”