THE DICTATORSHIP OF A PERFECT BODY: A STUDY OF SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE BODY THROUGH EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP

Abstract

In schools, the human body is usually treated in a fragmented and purely biological. The textbook brings the body outside the social context not discussing the power relations that are submitted. Seeking strategies to map and discuss the representations of body produced by different social practices, we developed the workshop "The dictatorship of the perfect body" which discusses the role of culture and language in the constitution of the ideal of the perfect body in society. Through the workshop, we noted social representations of a universal body in the European molds, a beautiful body ideal and representations of masculinity and femininity.