The Body as a Site of Control
Hearing the slogan “your body, my choice,” made my stomach knot up. A grimace took my face like I had eaten a pungent lemon. I could not really comprehend how the psyches of men could fathom such a concept or embody such a distorted sense of self and other. What was this need to assert power over and what social forces in society even allowed people to dream up such atrocious ideas? What kind of emotional landscapes did these men belong to? Of course I understood it in theory. But to see it in praxis? Fascism. The vitriolic hate removed from the safety of the pages I had studied from now here in the collective threatening half the population en masse.
It reminds me that the body is more than a biological entity; it is a political terrain shaped by societal forces. It reminds me that bodies are often disciplined to conform to ideologies that serve the interests of dominant power structures. Antonio Gramsci’s theory of structural Marxism offered me a lens through which I could understand how these hegemonic forces dictated the body’s movement and presentation. Ever grateful to him, Gramsci’s concept of cultural hegemony underscores how institutions, norms, and values infiltrate individual consciousness, subtly but powerfully regulating embodied behavior.
This regulation and disciplining finds a parallel in the work of somatic theorist Stanley Keleman, who describes how life experiences are “shaped” into the body’s very structure—muscles, bones, and tissue. When combined with Wilhelm Reich’s psychoanalytic critique of fascism, the narrative emerges of how bodies conform to authoritarian ideals, often at the expense of individual freedom and authentic emotional expression. This paper explores these intersections and suggests pathways for resistance through somatic awareness.
Gramsci and Structural Marxism: The Body as a Cultural Artifact
Gramsci’s structural Marxism posits that social institutions maintain control not through overt coercion but through the internalization of norms. The “conforming body,” then, is not merely an individual’s choice but a reflection of societal structures embedded in cultural practices, education, religion, and the media. For example, the idealization of certain body types—slim, disciplined, able bodied, and white—serves capitalist and white supremacy interests by creating consumers for the skin whitening beauty industry among others.
The body becomes an artifact of structural power and structural violence. It is disciplined to perform productivity, docility, and obedience. Such disciplining parallels the rigidity of bones in the body. Just as the skeletal system provides structure and stability, societal norms create the framework within which the body operates. Yet, when that structure becomes too rigid—physically or socially—it inhibits movement and adaptability, stifling creativity and emotional expression.
Stanley Keleman and the Shaping of the Body
Stanley Keleman’s somatic approach bridges the structural dynamics of the body and the lived experience of societal pressure. Keleman posits that emotions and social experiences are literally “sculpted” into the body. Chronic stress, for instance, may manifest as muscular tension, while long-term suppression of anger or grief can lead to postural collapse or rigidity. These physical patterns mirror societal expectations: a “straight back” may signify pride or compliance, while a “slouched posture” might be read as deviance or defeat.
In a society that demands compliance, Keleman’s framework helps us understand how bodies are shaped not just by personal history but by the expectations of conformity. For women, these expectations are often tied to patriarchal ideals of beauty, submissiveness, and utility. Women’s bodies are policed and manipulated through cultural norms, restricting their agency and autonomy. Keleman’s work challenges this by inviting individuals to reclaim their bodies through somatic exercises that restore emotional flow and structural integrity. Honoring internal cues and drives as well as genuine self expression outside societal pressures is why somatics is inherently radical and healing.
Wilhelm Reich and the Fascist Control of Bodies
In The Mass Psychology of Fascism, Wilhelm Reich examines how authoritarian regimes manipulate the body to enforce ideological conformity. Reich argues that fascism thrives on the suppression of pleasure, spontaneity, and emotional expression, channeling repressed energies into obedience and aggression. The disciplined, militarized body becomes the ideal under fascism—a body stripped of individuality and molded into a tool of the state.
Reich’s concept of “body armoring” aligns with Keleman’s observations of how emotional repression manifests in physical rigidity. Under fascist regimes, women’s bodies are particularly targeted as vessels of reproduction and symbols of purity, subjected to controls that limit their autonomy. For example, the policing of women’s reproductive rights reflects a broader attempt to control societal structure by controlling the literal production of future generations. No where is this more evident than in the fear of white men becoming a minority in the United State. This is beyond the scope of this manuscript but connects to other themes such as how rape is used as an abject of war to ethnically cleanse populations, demoralize the communities and perpetuate white sexual imperialism abroad. The difference is now the rhetoric is finally coming back to the heartland of Western empire.
Somatics and Resistance: Reclaiming the Body
Somatic practices offer a pathway to resist these oppressive dynamics. By cultivating awareness of physical sensations and habitual patterns, individuals can begin to unravel the societal scripts inscribed on their bodies. This process involves more than individual healing; it is a political act that challenges the hegemony of conformity. By becoming more conscious of the internal needs and when we are turning ourselves into objects or tools for the consumption or utility of others are we able to foster greater self-determination, autonomy and agency.
For instance, somatic exercises that emphasize fluidity and adaptability in movement can counteract the rigidity imposed by societal norms. Emotional release, facilitated through somatic techniques, can dismantle the “body armor” Reich describes, fostering authentic connection and creativity. So much of the armor that has been laid is intergenerational in nature. Our mothers and grandmothers knew these patterns and within the snares that they struggled against are the seeds of melting away the need for the armor to begin with. It is a collective struggle although so often our nervous systems’ feel it alone.
The Intersection of Societal and Skeletal Structures
The parallels between societal structures and the body’s physical architecture are striking. Bones provide the framework for movement, just as societal norms provide the framework for behavior. However, both systems can become overly rigid, leading to dysfunction. The body in pain—whether from a skeletal misalignment or an oppressive social system—signals the need for reorganization.
This reorganization can be seen in movements for social justice that challenge cis white het patriarchal and fascist control over bodies. Women reclaiming their bodily autonomy—whether through rejecting beauty standards, advocating for reproductive rights, or embracing non-conforming identities—disrupt the hegemonic structures that seek to control them. Similarly, somatic practices that emphasize self-awareness and agency empower individuals to reshape their physical and emotional landscapes.
Toward an Embodied Liberation
Gramsci, Keleman, and Reich each collectively illuminate how societal structures shape and control bodies, often to the detriment of individual freedom and emotional health. However, they also point toward possibilities for resistance. By understanding the connections between societal structures and the body’s architecture, we can begin to dismantle oppressive norms and reclaim our embodied selves. This is not a new concept when we can begin to explore concepts such as pleasure activism or rest as a form of resistance.
Somatics becomes a tool not just for personal healing but for collective change. In recognizing the ways our bodies have been shaped by societal forces, we open the door to reshaping them—to creating new patterns of movement, emotion, and connection that resist conformity and celebrate individuality. The liberation of the body is, ultimately, the liberation of the self and other.
References
Gramsci, A. (1971). Selections from the Prison Notebooks.
Keleman, S. (1985). Emotional Anatomy.
Reich, W. (1933). The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
Steve Bagga
A writer, somatic psychotherapist, and LMFT helping people re-member the innate healing abilities of their bodies.
IT Telkom
July 3, 2025 at 1:21 amGiven the article’s focus on reclaiming the body through somatic practices, what are some practical, beginner-friendly somatic exercises or routines that individuals can start incorporating into their daily lives to foster greater self-awareness and autonomy?”
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