Body Transformations: A Conceptual Framework and Road Map for Future Research

Shuyi Hao and Bernd Schmitt

Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2026, vol. 11, issue 4, 356 - 369

Abstract: This article presents an integrated, consumer-centric framework for understanding body transformations as a dynamic process. Building on psychology, sociology, and consumer research, the framework conceptualizes the body as mutable, modular, and permeable—continually reshaped through deliberate interventions. We identify life-embedded factors (personal self, critical life events, and social influences) that motivate transformation goals (enhancement, restoration, decoration, rebodying, and maintenance) and permeate the entire transformation process. Transformation goals operate through psychological body dynamics (body image and body experience) that guide consumption choices varying in permanence, expansiveness, and invasiveness. The framework also highlights the cyclical nature of body transformation, as consumption choices influence subsequent psychological states and future goals and behaviors. We outline future research directions to further study body transformations and related consumer domains, including aging and mortality salience, objectification, privacy and intrusion, consumer well-being, as well as digital embodiment.

Date: 2026
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