The thematic focus of this anthology is on the apparent deviations from the norm, the discursive representation of 'beautiful' bodies through image and text, as well as the methods of body staging and optimization. New aspects regarding dominant heteronormative body norms and everyday beauty practices are highlighted in the articles and artistic engagements. Societal normative claims extend their influence deep into the private sphere. 'Beauty' is a firmly established motif in societal discourse that can significantly impact both private and professional success. Whether fat, thin, hairy, hairless, young, old, male, female, or somewhere in between: appearance is standardized, regulated, and manipulated. While the ideology of privacy turns the motto 'My body belongs to me' into a negative justification for voluntary surgical interventions for personal aesthetic optimization, in many cases, intersex individuals are forced into body-normalizing surgeries. This volume aims to raise awareness of the contradictions of neoliberal invocations and stimulate reflection processes to create resistant feminist positions.