As an entity contributing to and at the same time affected by our cultural, political and economic structures, that is, by cultural institutions and forms, the body is a collection of ideological practices that creates a sense of wholeness and cultural stability.

Framing the body thus establishes the fact that bodies are related to structures of power as well as desire. From this perspective, it shows that structures of power and desire may also lead to meaning formation and knowledge. The body as a site of culture, as an embodied and knowing entity, affects perception and interpretation, identity and knowledge. It also therefore encodes social values and changes. This gives an alternative framework to understanding the body which may be represented in the following illustration: