Variations on the pursuit of beauty: Toward a corporal theory of the body

Departing from the tradition in physical‐attractiveness research, this article proposes an a priori taxonomy of body types that distinguishes people according to how they experience their own corporality. Consumers are shown to differ in how their bodies constitute a sense of self and this conception in turn leads to characteristic modes of body deployment. Depending on how people regard their bodies, their pursuit of beauty varies considerably and these differences have a significant effect on consumers' reactions to attractiveness‐based products and services.