ABSTRACT
The idea that the human body is a cultural object might initially strike us as absurd. After all, our bodies are most decidedly a part of nature, subject to natural processes such as growth and decay, hunger and illness, and so forth, all of which daily remind us of our connection to a realm outside culture and society. While the human body consists of an indisputable natural substratum, cultural studies takes seriously the notion its appearance, condition and activity are culturally shaped. We do not have to look far for illustration of this fundamental theme.
