Why do we wear bras? Why do we shave our body hair? Why do we spend so much on acne treatments? Why do we use disposable menstrual products, like pads and tampons? Why do we use deodorant? These things might sound normal to you, but American teenagers today look very different from the teenagers of two hundred, one hundred, or even fifty years ago. Doctors used to think pimples were a sign of moral corruption, and they told girls that eating pickles might make them get their periods early. Most women in the 1900s wore "sanitary aprons" while they menstruated, until advertising for pads convinced them that it was gross. Politics, medicine, companies, immigrant communities, parents, and of course, young women--they've all shaped the culture of puberty today. Come learn about the making of the American teenager! This class will focus mainly on the history of cisgender women, but it is open to students of all gender identities who want to learn how sexism, racism, classism, and nativism have shaped our "body projects" today.