---
title: "The Legacy of \"Our Bodies, Ourselves\": Sex, Plumbing and Menopause"
date: 2011-10-26T02:23:34-04:00
author: OBOS Admin
canonical_url: "https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/the-legacy-of-our-bodies-ourselves-sex-plumbing-and-menopause"
section: Blog (Archive)
---
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[From the Archives of Our Bodies, Our Blog](/blog)# The Legacy of "Our Bodies, Ourselves": Sex, Plumbing and Menopause

By Christine Cupaiuolo • October 26, 2011

Please note: This entry -- originally posted at [Our Bodies, Our Blog](https://ourbodiesourselves.org/blog) -- has not been updated since the publication date listed above.

Great segment on "Our Bodies, Ourselves" on [NBC Nightly News](https://www.nbcnews.com/video/how-our-bodies-ourselves-changed-womens-lives-44450371751 "NBC Nightly News")! We're delighted they featured some of the original authors and women talking about what the book has meant to them. And the camera shots provided good context, showing the many different editions over the years. We'll post video here once it's available. (see below!)  
  
A few quick observations:  
  
- Didn't know Mona Charen was taking part, or that she's still angry "Our Bodies, Ourselves" separated sex from marriage.  
  
- We need to see and hear more younger women activists like [Veronica Arreola](http://www.vivalafeminista.com "Veronica Arreola"), and Veronica's daughter is super adorable.  
  
- NBC censors must be ridiculously tough these days. From Brian Williams' introduction:  
  
> "Our Bodies, Ourselves" was ground-breaker, a game-changer. It got its start in life as a short pamphlet 40 years ago this month. Then, it became a book and started arriving in American homes. And it was a revelation for women for what it talked about, **like sex and plumbing and menopause**, information a lot of women at the time weren't getting from their mostly male doctors. For some it quickly became a kind of bible for the female body in terms of health and empowerment. ..."

  
  
My partner asked me if the 1971 edition included home improvement advice. For the record, the book did not.

---

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