Did You Hear About The Girl Who . . . ?: Contemporary Legends, Folklore, and Human Sexuality

by Mariamne H. Whatley, Elissa R. Henken

Ever hear the one about the man who wakes up after a chance sexual encounter to discover he's been involuntarily relieved of one of his kidneys? Or the tiny gift-wrapped box from a recently departed lover that reveals a horrible secret? Everyone knows contemporary legends, those barely believable, often lurid, cautionary tales, always told as though they happened to the friend of a friend. Sometimes we pass them on to others unsure of their truthfulness, usually we dismiss them as mere myth. But these far-fetched legends tell us quite a bit about our deepest fears and fantasies.
In fact, a large part of what we know about our bodies we have learned informally, from kids on the playground or colleagues at work, from piecing together the information contained in folk beliefs, jokes and legends. Sexual folklore goes beyond classroom lessons of mechanics to answer many questions about what people actually do and how they do it.
Mariamne H. Whatley and Elissa R. Henken have collected hundreds of sexually-themed stories and jokes from college students in order to tell us what they reveal about our sexual attitudes and show us how they have changed over time. They confront myths and stereotypes about sexual behavior and use folklore as a tool to educate students about sexual health and gender relations. Whether analyzing popular rumors about celebrity emergency room visits or the latest schoolyard jokes, Did You Hear About The Girl Who . . . ? presents these tales in a way that is intriguing and educational.

Genres: Sexuality, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2000

Reviews

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my first folklore reads, and I really liked it! Since the goal was to teach about folklore and how to use it in the sex ed classroom, I wish there was just more to this. It seemed like there just was not enough examples of how to connect folklore to teaching. Each chapter I kept wanting more.

Overall, the author is credible and open-minded, and I think that is what makes a good sex educator. This is a great resource for educators of all kinds, and it will always be relevant no matter the year.

[Georga Hackworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The funny thing about this book is it was written in 2020 and is still relevant. It's an easy read filled with a lot of information. I think this should be required reading for all sex ed classes.

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting as a contemporary folklore (or urban legend if you wish) study of sex education.

I think an important thing to acknowledge here is that we as humans have always used folklore for education. And a large part of it has seemingly always been both outrageously wrong while seemingly making sense. From the pov of an educator, it is therefore vitally important to reexamine all personally held beliefs based in contemporary folklore. I think this book is a nice little touchstone for that.

[Lena Lang]

I really enjoyed this book. I think it's a really good tool not only for educators but also for anyone in society that is invested in questioning widely held ideas about gender and sexuality. I never really realized the powerful way in which jokes and urban legends serve to reinforce stereotypes much less the way in which those same stories articulate our anxieties about gender and sexuality.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for sex educators and youth workers to read as it provides tips for dispelling "myths" about human sexuality and reproduction, and also explores some of the (possible) origins of these legends as a reflection of the culture in which they arose.

[Julie N · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting examination of urban legends and where they come from/what motivates people to continue telling them.