Adorning the Female Body: Feminist Identification, Embodied Resistance, and Esthetic Body Modification Practices

Using survey data collected from college women at three large public U.S. universities, we examine the relationship between feminist identification and the likelihood of engaging in various esthetic body modification practices. Specifically, we test a feminist embodied resistance hypothesis that asserts that compared to women who do not identify as feminist, feminist-identified women are less likely to engage in mainstream practices (e.g., body hair removal) and more likely to engage in alternative practices (e.g., body piercing and tattooing). Results from logistic regression analyses reveal that feminist-identified women are more likely to engage in alternative practices and less likely to engage in mainstream practices. Our research offers insight into recent discussions about postfeminism and women’s relationship to their bodies, identity, and bodily practices.