INTRODUCTION TO THE PHYSICAL SELF Vol. 1, p.49).

A simple example could be the numerous

reports of soldiers in the battle or a boxer in the ring
Our physical self is mostly represented by our face. It
who suffer severe wounds but were not notice of them
gives other people a first impression about who we are
until the intensity of the fighting abates. For James, the
and what we are. How we look give initial clues about
body is an expressive tool of indwelling consciousness
our attitudes and the cosmetics put onto our faces may
and good physical health. It is an element of spiritual
give hints about our economic status in life. Our face is
hygiene of supreme significance (James, 1899. p. 103).
the primary part of our body that we protect in times
of danger. We maintain a face value because we
consider our face as our initial asset. Before other
Sigmund Freud's construction of self and personality
people can discover our true attitude and capabilities,
makes the physical body the core of human
they first rely on what they can physically see. The way
experience. Freud was of the view that the ego is first
we take care of ourselves, especially our faces,
and foremost a body ego. However, in spite of Freud's
represents the kind of personality we have. It is no
recognition of the centrality of body, his own writings
wonder that people spend significant amounts of
on therapy rarely discussed it.
money just to make themselves beautiful,
Erikson, on the other hand, mentioned that experience
Through the years, the concept of physical self has
is anchored in the ground-plan of body. According to
gained a considerable attention in the fields of
him the role of bodily organs is especially important in
Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology, including
early developmental stages of a person's life. Later in
religious and biological or health studies. These
life, the development of physical as well as intellectual
disciplines agree on the premise that the physical self is
skills help determine whether an individual will achieve
an important component in the study of the person's
a sense of competency and ability to choose demanding
self and identity.
roles in a complex society.

For example, healthy children derive a sense of

Sanjay Singh, the physical self refers to the body, a competence as their bodies become larger, stronger,
marvelous container and complex, finely timed machine faster, and more capable of learning complex skills.
with which we interface with our environment and However, as a stage theorist Erikson is aware of the
fellow beings. constant interaction of the body, psychological
processes and social forces. He acknowledges the
The Physical Self is the concrete dimension, the
classical Freudian view of fundamental biological drives
tangible aspect of a person that can be directly
but insists that these drives are socially modifiable.
observed and examined.
Furthermore, Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1945) placed
As with William James “The self is the sum total of all
the body at the center of human existence, as a way of
that man call his, which includes his body, family and
experiencing the world. Such ideas make clear to us the
reputation, also his clothes and his house….”
fact that the body is the way through which we make
 Extended Self - body, family, clothes, and the sense of the world and our environment. We
like are also described by Russell W. Belk experience life through our bodies and senses (sight,
smell, touch, etc.), allowing us to interpret the world
The concrete or tangible aspect or dimension of the around us.
person which is primarily observed and examined
through the body is known as the physical self. The body is not merely an object in the world but we
are also our bodies in that the body is the vehicle for
William James considered body as the initial source of our expression in the world. The body is the sight for
sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance the articulation of all our identifications of gender, class,
of personality. However, James considered body as sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion.
subservient to the mind e.g., mental concentration can
be so tightly focused… as not only to banish ordinary
sensations, but even the severest pain. (James, 1890,
The emergence of "body culture" massive amount of societal pressure to conform to
conventional beauty standards.”
From the late 1970s to 1980s, Humanities and Sociology
developed a new and broader interest in the body. People do set unrealistic images of beauty, genetically
Sociologists, historians, philosophers, and impossible for many of us to emulate. Yet we are told
anthropologists, including scholars from sport studies that these unattainable bodies are normal, desirable,
and medical studies spoke about this interest on the and achievable. When we don't measure up to this
body which was then called then called "body culure". satisfaction, we develop a strong sense of
The sociologists, Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, dissatisfaction.
agree in saying that the body is the only fix-point of
Now, let’s talk about "body image" and "identity".
“self-identity”.
Popular interest in body image issues has grown
Studies also show that one of the visible and deeper dramatically in recent years, due to an emphasis on
changes in relation to the modern body concerns the individual limitless capacities of modern medicine.
dress reform and the appearance of the naked body.
Society shapes us in many ways, possibly more than we
The change from noble pale skin to suntanned skin as a
realize from our interactions to our personal
"sportive" distinction was not only linked to sport, but
development through to other's perception of our
had a strong impact on society as a whole. The change
bodies as a reflection of self-worth. We are social
of appreciated body color reversed the social-bodily
beings. Genetically, we rely on one another for the
distinctions between people and classes, and nudism
survival of humanity. That primal connection makes our
became a radical expression of this body-cultural
interactions physiologically and psychologically
change
important. So it is not surprising that how society
perceives our bodies.

Well dressed, elegant, good-looking, attractive! These

are the words we usually associate with beauty. As
Body image is both internal (personal) and external
Kenny and Nichols describe, they are the determining
(society)
factors shaping beauty. "Attractive children, and adults
are treated more favorably by others in the society. The inner beauty - inner qualities of the person and the
external beauty - physical characteristics of the person.
External beauty focuses on the physical features of the
 THE MALE IDEAL “Adonis” body built” body commonly defined as "a combination of qualities,
which includes shape, color, or form that pleases the
"muscular wash-board abs, powerful legs, chiseled
aesthetic senses, especially the sight."
features.
Body image is the perception that a person has of their
6-pack or ripped abs shoved in the face of men via
physical self and the thoughts and feelings that result
famous sportsmen and male fitness models, which for
from that perception. These feelings can be positive,
many is impossible to achieve without illegal steroids
negative or both, and are influenced by individual and
environmental factors. (Psych alive by Collin Mc Shirley)

 THE FEMALE IDEAL "coca-cola contoured

figure”
Body image lies at the heart of adolescence. In this
Life today sees image upon image of fashionably clad concept, we think of how attractive our body is. It is the
women, perfect skin, tiny waists, ample breasts, mental representation of one's own body, or
fashionably protruding behinds (of Kardashian and somebody’s own impression of how his or her body
Beyonce fame) all with a weight of no greater than looks which is a very important aspect of identity.
59kg. This pursuit of perfection puts a huge strain on
both genders but “females in particular receive a
This includes: For Samantha Lovascio, visually appealing traits greatly
impact our lives, in matters of modest importance
 How we perceive our bodies visually
(friend selection) to great importance (friend selection)
 How we feel about our physical appearance
(e.g. getting a job career mobility). Thus, the promise of
 How we think and talk to ourselves about our
an aesthetic capital concept lies in enabling Sociology to
bodies
better understand inequality and the socially based
 Our sense of how other people view our bodies
forms of wealth available to modern society. It seems

such attraction to “body image” and “aesthetic capital”
Body image is determined by 4 factors: is increasingly becoming today's preoccupation,
especially of young people as it gradually becomes the
1. How you SEE your body is your perceptual body basis upon which one's identity and self-esteem are
image. This is not always a correct representation of built.
how you actually look. For example, a person may
perceive themselves as overweight when they are
actually underweight. AESTHETIC CAPITAL

2. The way you FEEL about your body is your Authored by: Sylvia Holla , Giselinde Kuipers
affective body image. This relates to the amount of ROUTLEDGE INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF THE
satisfaction or dissatisfaction you feel about your shape, SOCIOLOGY OF ART AND CULTURE
weight, and individual body parts.
People are also inclined to associate ‘good looks’ with
3. The way you THINK about your body is your other positive qualities, from moral goodness to
cognitive body image. This can lead to preoccupation economic success.
with body shape and weight.
Social psychologists call this the ‘halo effect’: the
4. BEHAVIORS in which you engage as a result of assumption that persons with visible desirable traits
your body image encompass your behavioral body also have other, maybe less visible, positive qualities
image. When a person is dissatisfied with the way (Nisbett and Wilson 1977; Kaplan 1978). In present-day
he/she looks, they may isolate themselves because they societies, research has shown that people who are
feel bad about their appearance. deemed more attractive tend to have higher wages,
How we look at our bodies has possibly never held as more durable relationships, higher grades and better
much societal importance or reflected so significantly assessments (Andreoni and Petrie 2008). Thus, physical
on our perceived self-worth. Each one, male or female, attractiveness comes with many rewards, also in fields
strives to acquire the body of his/her dream. We are in that at first glance have nothing to do with physical
a culture in which beauty is judged by numbers. As appearance. Beauty comes with benefits. There are the
commonly observed, attraction to another person’s obvious perks, such as sexual attractiveness and a desire
body increases if that body is symmetrical and in on the part of others to seek out the company of good-
proportionate, we are more likely to notice it and find it looking people.
beautiful. We even perceive proportional bodies to be The Role of Culture in our Understanding of "Body
healthier. Image" and "Self-esteem"
 The promise of an “aesthetic capital” What is culture?
The presence of aesthetically based cultural goods and the shared patterns of thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and
their ever- increasing influence in modern society poses habits in both material and symbolic realms.
a new conceptual opportunity to Sociology. A new term
“aesthetic capital”, is introduced. Such concept covers "Culture includes language, technology, economic,
the privileges and wealth people receive from aesthetic political and educational systems, religious and
traits, such as their face, hair, body, clothes, grooming aesthetic patterns, social structures and so on. It is
habits and other markers of beauty. widely recognized by social scientists that the self is
shaped, in part, through interaction with groups."(Harry permanent or temporary, although most are
Triandis). permanent and alter the body forever" (Margo
de Mello, 2014).
Through culture, society shapes us in many ways. As
mentioned earlier, body image is both internal
(personal) and external (society). These include how we
A particular practice related to body modification is
perceive our bodies visually, how we feel about our
Female Genital Mutilization (FGM). Here are some key
physical appearance, how we think and talk to ourselves
facts regarding FGM provided by the World Health
about our bodies, and our sense of how other people
Organization (2020).
view our bodies.
 Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the
partial or total removal of external female
We are all body-builders genitalia or other injury to the female genital
organs for non-medical reasons.
“Drawing on contemporary culture, our bodies are not
 The practice has no health benefits for girls and
only biological but also cultural in that we say, we all
women.
shape and manipulate our bodies. We are all body-
 FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems
builders as we build and style our bodies on a daily
urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as
basis. We decide how to dress and style our bodies, we
complications in childbirth and increased risk of
decide how much hair we want on our bodies, and we
newborn deaths.
shave, wax, etc. We manipulate our bodies' weight
 More than 200 million girls and women alive
through diet and exercise and we even modify our
today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa,
bodies to extreme levels and introduce mechanical
the Middle East and Asia where FGM is
agents into our bodies merging flesh and technology.
concentrated.
The body is enthralled to cultural regimes, telling us
 FGM is mostly carried out on young girls
how we should look - especially how we should dress
between infancy and age 15.
and what our bodies weight (fat levels) should be".
 FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls
De Mello (2014). In the ‘Encyclopedia of Body and women.
Adornment', De Mello explores these questions as she
WHO is opposed to all forms of FGM, and is opposed to
says:
health care providers performing FGM (medicalization
All cultures everywhere have attempted to change of FGM).
their body in an attempt to meet their cultural
Treatment of health complications of FGM in 27 high
standards of beauty, as well as their religious. In
prevalence countries costs 1.4 billion USD per year.
addition, people modify and adorn their bodies as part
of the complex or process of creating and recreating
their personal and social identities.
What is Pop culture?
 Body adornment refers to the practice of
Audrey Tramel (2013) mentions that the predominance
physically enhancing the body by styling and
of "pop culture” in today’s society definitely has some
decorating the hair, painting and embellishing
effects such as the way teenagers think of themselves,
the fingernails, wearing makeup, painting the
how they associate with others, and how they express
body, wearing jewelry, and the use of clothing
characteristics of their maturation.
Body adornments are by definition temporary.
Pop culture or popular culture from a common
 Body modification, on the other hand, refers to understanding is a culture widely accepted and
the physical alteration of the body through the patronized by the public as in pop music which is very
use of surgery, tattooing piercing, scarification, appealing to the youth. Pop culture influences how
branding, genital mutilation, implants, and teens define themselves.
other practices. Body modifications can be
Its influence on them goes to the point of imitating the look; also telling us how we should dress, what our
way they dress and style their bodies, the way they talk weight should be, how we should spend our leisure and
and express themselves. It influences the way they even how our bodies should age. Through media,
define themselves. Indeed, an important characteristic campaign on the use of certain beauty products, has the
of every teenagers’ maturation is his/her self-definition. goal of improving the look of the spokes model in order
to improve his/her appearance to perfection using
 Self-definition refers to the way a person sees
those cosmetics. As a result, most women are
himself. For teens, that image is influenced to a
dissatisfied with their appearance which, Annie Lennox
large extent by personal choices, which are, in
says, is the "stuff that fuels the fashion and beauty
turn, influenced by the images and associations
industries". This results in women feeling insecure
teens glean from pop culture on a daily basis.
about their own appearance and then conforming to
Recent researchers agree that pop culture has some the media's perception of beauty by buying beauty
impact on teenagers’ self- definition. Pop culture can products such as make-up, creams, and hair dyes.
provide benchmarks which become the teenagers’ basis "Beauty has become a currency system and it assigns
of their self-definition. In this way, they see themselves hierarchical value to women, encouraging escalating
adopting certain characteristics from the various consumerism.
celebrities and other models they see in pop culture.
Lastly, self-definition can be intrinsically tied into self-
esteem and confidence, two critical components of a
healthy disposition throughout maturation and into
adulthood.

 Pop culture icons tend to extend their visibility

beyond culture and into brands, which they sell
via advertisements or products carrying their
name.

Beyond fostering a certain degree of commercialism,

these brands have associations in and of themselves
that tie into self- definition or social groups within a
teenager’s life. Often, celebrity brands tie into an
acceptance level among teenagers, such that some
teenagers feel they must own a particular brand in
order to be accepted. These sentiments can distract
teenagers from key aspects of their development.

So then, in our hyper-mediated society, we are

constantly beset with media images especially
advertisements representing appropriate bodies or skin,
so that we internalize these and either attempt to
conform to them or resist them. The media creates
ideals, in the form of celebrities and models, for men
and women to admire. These give us pressure to
conform to expectations. Images in the media often
make us worry about our own appearance, defining
what body is attractive and which one is not, seeing
being fat as unattractive, etc.

It seems contemporary culture is obsessed with the

body. At any moment, we are likely to be told, from a
variety of media, how the body should act and should