Aesth/Ethics of the Body: (Self) Recognition and Peer Gaze in Adolescence

Abstract

Adolescence is a transformative period in which the body takes centre stage. During this phase, the reworking
of one’s aesthetic and ethical self-representation increases vulnerability, as individuals undergo a transition in
their identity and become more exposed to the gaze of peers. Being seen and appreciated, and belonging to a
group, are fundamental needs, as peers become key reference points for mirroring and mutual recognition, or
its painful absence. Pubertal and neurological changes heighten sensitivity to the judgments of others, making
the body the primary mediator between the self and others. Through the body, adolescents express themselves,
seek recognition, and construct self-understanding. Its primacy in communication also makes it the site where
dissatisfaction with appearance emerges and where emotional and psychological distress are expressed (e.g., through self-harm, eating disorders, or social withdrawal), reflecting a denial of recognition of the emerging affective, social, and aesthetic-ethical self.