Köhne & Lange: Endometriose. Populäre Bildformeln der chronischen ›Frauenkrankheit‹ aus kulturwissenschaftlicher Perspektive

Abstract: This essay, from the perspective of the history and theory of culture, focuses on diverse visual formulas that play a dual role in the German-language discourse on endometriosis. On the one hand, they identify this ›women’s disease‹ as a long-invisible, painful, incurable condition. On the other hand, they highlight a complex problem that is not purely individual but sociopolitical. This essay analyzes incisive images from medicine and popular culture that demonize endometriosis, stylize it as natural, or downplay its severity. In doing so, it draws on the history and images of other ›women’s diseases‹ such as ›female hysteria‹. At the same time the contemporary imagery helps to make the social problem of endometriosis more visible both visually and politically, and these images help to invent strategies of empowerment, such as addressing those affected personally and opening up new associations.