The Edible Woman

The Edible Woman Glossary

second-wave feminism

a period of the feminist movement lasting between 1960 and roughly 1980. The Edible Woman is often referred to as a pivotal text for the second-wave feminist movement

term paper

a longer paper written at the end of an academic term

misogyny

prejudice against women

bachelor

a single man

housewife

a woman whose primary occupation is managing her household, taking care of her children, and fulfilling her role as a wife to her husband

laundromat

a commercial establishment for doing laundry

cannibalism

the act of eating human flesh

invalid

a person handicapped by injury

inertia

inactivity; resistance to change

sensible

practical, prudent

coiffured

to have elegantly styled hair

scotch

a malt whisky with a high concentration of alcohol, made in Scotland

cynical

distrustful of human sincerity

conscience

a person's internal moral compass

femininity

qualities that are associated with or represent womanhood

evasion

avoidance

monopolize

to completely dominate or take control of

temperance

moderation, self-restraint

flesh

the body's physical muscle, skin, and fat

neurotic

anxious, tense