Bodies act as powerful signs as cultural settings: How are bodies represented and how are they
looked at? Which types of bodies are never shown or only shown in a particular way or context?
Normative ideas of beauty and the body shape our perception of ourselves and the world - and
the bodies shown manifest inequalities and reflect the prevailing relations of power and
violence. Talking Bodies questions the body images propagated by our visual culture through the
medium of the poster. Masterpieces of art history contemporary self-dramatizations in social
media gender stereotypes images of black bodies and the representation of disabled and
non-normative bodies are juxtaposed and critically analyzed. With its focus on the construction
and impact of body images but also on possible strategies of resistance the publication sees
itself as a critical contribution to current debates.
