The second way of theorizing the body is not simply agreeing that the body is central to perception and interpretation or that it may be framed in discourse. An important concept in Cultural Studies about the body involves the idea of “body image” (see Barker). The body as a cultural image is not static or a given but is variable in our perception. One's body image includes the space which surrounds it, the environment beyond the borders of the physical body. Moreover, individuals produce different body images at different times. This depends on the space and distance between themselves and others.

The body image that emerges in Cultural Studies is one that is variable. Thus its cultural image is flexible. It is also not just the body but what is outside of it i.e., the space around it which is also important in our body image. Thirdly, we may feel that we have a body of a certain kind. But as an entity in culture the body is variable because the body will go beyond its physical margins and respond to the space that surrounds it and a single individual is bound to produce different body images depending on how they place themselves not only in relation to the surroundings but also to other people.