Abstract

MAROUN, Kalyla  and  VIEIRA, Valdo. The body: a commodity in post-modernity. Psicol. rev. (Belo Horizonte) [online]. 2008, vol.14, n.2, pp. 171-186. ISSN 1677-1168.

The body may be considered one of the objects that assume relevant symbolic values in today’s world. The purpose of this study is to point out some fundamental subsidies to map the imaginary transformation and/or consolidation of the body into a commodity in the consumption culture and, consequently, in contemporary society. For such, a bibliographical review concerning the contemporary body and consumption culture was carried out, in order to establish intersection points between them. In this context, we found the category body-commodity, oriented particularly towards the selling of successful body images, in which the conquest of the aimed body is objectively conditioned, like any other commodity. In conclusion, the approach demonstrates that the study of the body as a cultural construct is able to point out the dynamics of some important social relations, which can be renewed or maintained along time in any society.

Keywords : Commodities; Consumption culture; Contemporaneousness.

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