What a body can do: Rethinking body functionality through a feminist materialist disability lens

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Body Image Research
• Feminist Theory

Background:

• Growing evidence links body functionality with positive body image.
• Research on individuals with disabilities and diverse bodily experiences is expanding this field.
• Existing research often overlooks the socio-material contexts influencing body perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate feminist materialist disability theory with body functionality research.
• To explore the relationship between bodily perceptions and socio-material environments.
• To propose new theoretical and practical directions for body image studies.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis integrating feminist disability theory and body functionality.
• Examination of four core orientations of feminist disability theory: difference as basic, not deficiency, societal rather than individual problems, and challenging the mythical norm.
• Application of this integrated framework to understand body image.

Main Results:

• Feminist disability theory reframes body image as relational and processual.
• It emphasizes that societal ableism, not individual difference, is the primary issue.
• Centering diverse bodily experiences challenges idealized 'normal' body standards.

Conclusions:

• Bridging body functionality research with feminist disability theory opens novel avenues for study.
• This integration offers a robust framework for understanding body image across diverse populations.
• Implications extend to research, clinical practice, and theoretical advancements in body image studies.