The Body

The body is the way someone interacts with the world.

The Body and Culture
Theorist Elizabeth Grosz proposes that the body is a process, which determines what is normal and what is in the range of acceptable. Feminist theorist Judith Butler describes the body as "a mode of enacting and re-enacting received gender norms which surface as so many styles of the flesh." Beauty is not something that is inherent, but rather it is something that is created. Roxanne Gay echoes this sentiment, suggesting that if an individual is not deemed "beautiful" in America, she may be denied her humanity.

An analogy for explaining the relationship between the body and culture is the mobius strip. This analogy serves to explain that the body and culture are inseparable, and that the body is coterminated by management.

The Body and Fashion
Malcolm Barnard has proposed that the body is the tool with which we navigate the world; we are not our bodies, but we cannot be ourselves without our bodies. Barnard proposes that the body itself is an item of fashion, and he understands the body as a "tool and prosthetic."

The Feminine Body
Women's bodies in particular are regulated. Sandra Bartky argues that "the properly feminine body exhibits a specific repertoire of gesture, posture, and movement," including taking up as little space as possible, being graceful, and always appearing groomed. The properly feminine body must be attained through "disciplinary practices," including shaving, painting nails, wearing makeup, dieting and exercising, and more.