Body image/attitude is one of the aspects of self-expression. The issue of body image is particularly important for women. Every woman has been taught to constantly control her appearance since early childhood. She is faced with the demand to be beautiful and attractive to others. She identifies herself with corporeality more than a man. Ellyn Kaschak states: ‘the appearance in not simply her feature as in a man’s case; she is her appearance.’

In the past, early socialisation permanently delimited womanhood. Nowadays, femininity constructs change from season to season. A woman is being constantly constructed and reconstructed. In the classic depiction, femininity is understood as an orientation typical of a traditional woman’s role. It manifests itself through being orientated towards interpersonal relations, experiencing and maintaining feelings as well as such female features as protectiveness, cordiality, being dependant on others and being interested in other people. Nowadays,  however, there are many different definitions of femininity which tend to be extremely variable. What is at a given moment defined as femininity, may not be defined as such at a different moment. Current determinants of a woman may be out of date in a few months’ time and then a more up-to-date model may need to be found.

According to L. Kopciewicz’s research, in Poland, there are four concepts of understanding femininity. The following concepts can be distinguished: femininity as an attractive appearance, femininity as mothering, femininity as a mystery, femininity as naturalness. Particular attention must be paid to the fact that femininity means an attractive appearance for most respondents. Physical appearance is treated in terms of a working capital which is used by women for achieving strategic goals in the public sphere. Women create their appearance primarily for men. According to Nancy Etcoff, beauty is woman’s best currency.

Since early childhood girls are socialised to be real women. They acquire the knowledge of what is behind this concept at home, at school and through media. In this way, they develop attitudes towards their own bodies as a basic determinant of femininity.

Bourdieu, P. Disctinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Tast, trans. R. Nice, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press 1984 Bourdieu, P. Masculine Domination, trans. R. Nice, Stanford University Press 2001 Etcoff N., Survival of the Prettiest. The Science of Beauty, New York: Anchor Books a Division of Random House, Inc. 1999 Kaschak, E. Engendered lives. A new psychology of women’s experience, New York: Basic Books 1992 Kopciewicz L., Kobiecość, męskość i przemoc symboliczna. Polsko – francuskie studium porównawcze, Oficyna Wydawnicza „Impuls”, Kraków 2005 Kowalczyk I., Kobieta, ciało, tożsamość, „Biuletyn OŚKA”, no 3/2000 Wojciszke B., Psychologia miłości. Intymność – Namiętność – Zaangażowanie, Gdańskie Wydawnictwo Psychologiczne, Gdańsk 2003