Pain and Technical View in the Contemporary Body Cult

Abstract

Contemporary Cult of the Body intertwines discourses that promote wellness with somatic conformity devices that are linked, among others, to performance, to organic instrumentalization, and to the celebration of youth. In this sense, we have researched the relations between body modeling practices – here understood as technological interventions on the body –, consumer policies, and youth. The research has focused on youngsters and it was developed in a gym in the coast city of Florianopolis, in Brazil. Ethnographic procedures were used, such as the analysis of graphic material participant observation, interviews, logs, description of actors, and considerations on the subjectiveness of the researchers. The results we show up regard to body consumption as a consequence of the cult of somatic techniques. KEYWORDS: human beautifi cation – body education – culture industry – body techniques.