The Shrinking Goddess

Wild and strange stories have been told about the female body since antiquity. Ranging from the empowering to the absurd, they have not only survived, but continue to influence modern discourse.
The Shrinking Goddess brings together these myths about the female form - including poisoned hymens and witches with multiple mammalia and traces subsequent male efforts to 'tame' it. Mineke Schipper examines why the first creation figure, Mother Earth, fell out of popular culture, and how women's bodies have been represented around the world ever since, from the demon daughter of New Mexico with a toothed vagina to the Japanese supermarkets and European festivals where 'breast puddings' are still considered delicacies.
Drawing together the vast reservoir of writing and art that shape how women are seen in today's world, Schipper reclaims the female body as a source of power.