Our body image is the mental picture we have of our own physical appearance. It is based on how we feel about our body and what we see in the mirror. The culture and time in which we live determines not only how we appear but also how we expect to appear. If we feel that we don’t fit the ‘normal’ body image expected by society we generally try to change it. However, the technologies and economy of where and when we live are a major influence on what is seen as normal, and on our ability to attain this. This topic looks at three aspects of body image and the attempts that are made to change them. First, the increasing problem of people being overweight in the West; second, the ways that people adorn their bodies; and third, the methods by which the body can be modified.