“LOOK at YOU!”: Disembodiment between ugly bodies and able minds

Abstract

Abstract Evidence points to embodiment being perceived as a lived human experience that bridges the natural and the cultural. Therefore, embodied social identities seem to be related with the way people perceive their body as beautiful/ugly, namely worthy/not worthy. Using data from interviews with employees with disability, this paper explores the process of shaping the body within the postcolonial masculine organizational culture. On these grounds, we argue that the above process involves taking decisions at three levels: first, one must decide what their body is; second, define what their body can be; and third, assume what their body will be. Further, the data revealed how those with “ugly bodies” construct their identities in relation to nondisabled colleagues. Our theoretical and managerial contribution includes a better understanding of how workplace and social life tend to be organized based on the ideal(able) body.