The Body
Sociology: AQA A Level, topic 5.1.1
The Body as a Social Construction
Sociologists see the human body as both socially and biologically constructed. This view informs sociological beliefs about health and illness, as well as mental health.
Creating the body
- Sociologists believe that the body is something that is created and moulded by:
- Social structure and culture.
- People’s interpretations of the dominant social attitudes, norms and traditions in society.
- This view informs sociological beliefs about health and illness, as well as mental health.
Body projects
- According to Shilling, people are actively working on body projects in order to remould themselves to create their sense of identity.
- Body projects differ from culture to culture and might include:
- Binding feet and waists, scarring, tattooing, body piercing and cosmetic surgery, as well as sex-change operations and hormone treatment.
Sex and gender
- Sex (male and female) describes the biological differences between sexes.
- This is then socially transformed into gender, with specific social norms of behaviour associated with being masculine or feminine, including body shape.
Skin colour
- The colour of people’s skin also has social meaning attached to it and is linked to race and racism.
Medical advances
- Advances in medicine and surgery now make it possible to renew deteriorating bodies through transplants, heart bypasses, pacemakers, etc.
Globalisation
- Globalisation has resulted in attitudes to body image being drawn from different cultures across the world, changing attitudes towards the ‘ideal’ body image.
Sociological Approaches to the Body
Different sociological approaches, such as postmodernist, feminist and marxist approaches, all have different perspectives regarding how we construct our bodies.
Postmodernist approaches
- Featherstone believes that human bodies have become vehicles for people to form their identities on consumer culture.
- Both men and women maintain and construct/shape their bodies by purchasing services and products that correspond to their individual identity project, such as cosmetics, surgery, health foods and body piercing.
Feminist approaches
- According to feminists, men and women construct their bodies to conform with the prevailing patriarchal norms of masculine and feminine identities.
- The media promote the ‘cult of thinness’ (Hesse-Biber), reinforcing patriarchal attitudes that help to control women, even if these attitudes to the body are damaging.
Marxist approaches
- According to Marxists, capitalist societies simply view the body as another means of making a profit – a lucrative business opportunity.
- Images of the body are used to sell products through advertising and other means.
Marxists feminist approaches
- Marxist feminists argue that the body has become a commodity, particularly in the case of women, such as in sex work and the pornography industry.
Test yourself on The Body
Who claims that the media promotes the ‘cult of thinness’?