ABSTRACT
Transitions are integral to the lifecourse. Puberty, when the individual moves from childhood to adolescence, and retirement, when paid work ceases to be a social expectation, are perhaps the two most notable transitions. One hallmark of lifecourse transitions is often a changing attitude to matters concerning health and bodily appearance. There may be resignation about increasing ill-health or enhanced concern with personal appearance; alternatively health may be taken for granted or the outward appearance of the body may cease to be a matter of great interest. Transitions are also often inherently spatialized. Not only do people’s life concerns change, so too may their locations; they can literally “change place.” These re-locations shift the contexts in which health and bodies are constructed. They expose welllearned behavior to new stimuli and threaten established understandings.
