ABSTRACT
What do bodies reveal about their ‘owners’? Is it possible to accurately assess a person’s character or well-being, for example, from an initial meeting with them? The belief that one can classify and judge the trustworthiness, personality, outlook, health or mental disposition of another person or a group of people from their face or body shape, size, age or appearance is deeply rooted in Western culture. This suggests that there is a close relationship between the external, physical body, and the inner self. The long-held idea that appearance reveals an essential nature has been mirrored and extended in studies of human types (Porter 2003: 247). Regardless of whether or not it is valid for one to classify and evaluate others on the basis of appearance or public presentation alone, people do routinely make such judgements which affect whether or not and how they interact with others. In contemporary societies, classificatory schemes affect how we view and conduct ourselves; that is, our self identity. But is classification and judgement a universal and inevitable human trait? And, what are the broader social implications of our particular ways of classifying bodies? This chapter examines the mechanisms and socio-political dimensions of body classification in the contemporary West, particularly in the context of growing consumerism in healthcare and more generally, and explores some of the concerns and opposition to classification that have arisen in response. Making reference to examples drawn from a number of different spheres of everyday life, it is shown how processes of body classification are inextricably connected to broader workings of power and political economy.
