The Social Construction of the Body
When sociologists talk about the body, we do so
in three distinct ways. First we discuss the ways in
which we construct our identity through our bod-
ies: what we think is beautiful, for example, or the
ways we adorn and transform them to fit with cul-
tural norms. Second, we discuss the ways in which
our interactions are embodied—that is, the ways
in which we use our bodies in interacting with oth-
ers. And, third, we discuss the ways that social
institutions use those bodies—in work or family
life, for example, disciplining and training bodies
to participate in social life (Lorber and Moore,
2007; Weitz, 2002).The Sociology of Beauty
What we think of as beautiful is less a matter of
individual perception and more about ever-shift-
ing cultural standards. Standards of beauty vary
enormously from culture to culture, and, within
the United States, among different racial and
ethnic groups, ages, and even classes. In general,
standards of women’s beauty vary depending on
economic trends and the status of women: When
the economy goes up, women’s standards become522 CHAPTER 16THE BODY AND SOCIETY: HEALTH AND ILLNESSthe foundation principle of many laws, including all crimes against a person, child abuse,
rape laws, and women’s reproductive rights.
But on the other hand, our bodies are subject to enormous social control—what we canand cannot do to them, with them, and for them. How we present our bodies; the risks we
are permitted to pose to them; the responsibility we bear for injury, disability, or disease—
all are subject to social scrutiny and control.
Is the body an individual possession or a social space? To the sociologist, it’s both.There are few things more personal and private than our bodies and few things that are
more shaped by social processes. Our bodies are ourselves, as the women’s health handbook
told us, but they are also profoundly social.
© The New Yorker Collection 2000 William Haefeli from cartoonbank.com. All Rights
Reserved. Reprinted by permission.