Between “not yet” and “no longer”. Framing and regulating the female body
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/LSE.2026.65.02Keywords
women’s corporeality, body project, imaginaries, media, ageing, momfluencersAbstract
The article examines cultural mechanisms shaping the imaginaries of the female body during two transitional periods: pregnancy/postpartum and the perimenopausal period. It argues that the female body exists in a constant state of simultaneous “not yet” and “no longer”, subjected to contradictory expectations concerning age, attractiveness and authenticity. Two case studies – one focused on the momfluencer discourse, the other on media reactions to the transformation of Pamela Anderson’s image – demonstrate how practices of bodily care intertwine with the neoliberal imperative of self-acceptance and self-improvement. The authors introduce the innovative concept of the temporal hinge, which brings together the perspectives of two researchers coming from different generations and engaging with the convergence culture in differing ways.
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