Everyone Else's Body

Author

Alexandra Boutelle, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Abstract

Everyone Else's Body is a memoir following one woman’s journey towards understanding herself, her body and taking back control. Growing up with moderate-severe eczema, life-altering allergies, a sleep disorder, and disordered eating, Alexandra Boutelle explores her journey towards research, diagnosis, recovery, self acceptance, and control. At the intersection of education, healthcare, inheritance and autonomy, Boutelle's experience highlights the pressures women face to conform, fend off those who police their bodies, and fight to overcome those who manipulate, gaslight, and ignore. From eating non-food items for years, to internally bleeding from a hemorrhaging ovarian cyst, Boutelle's honesty and sharp wit while exploring her experience will enthrall and inspire resistance for change. Through humor, reflection, and lyrical prose, at a time when women's bodily autonomy is being threatened, Everyone Else’s Body forces us to question: what are women being fed, and should they trust the hands that feed them?

Advisor

Michael Torres

Committee Member

Rachael Hanel

Date of Degree

2024

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Program of Study

Creative Writing

Department

English

College

Humanities and Social Sciences

Recommended Citation

Boutell, Alexandra. (2024). Everyone Else's Body [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1442/

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.