When mortality was made salient (brought to awareness), participants showed a stronger preference for descriptions depicting humans as distinct from other animals. This doesn’t mean that every uncomfortable reaction to the body hides a conscious fear of death; the proposed process is subtler. The idealized female body is permitted to be visible, and the fully creaturely female body is often expected to remain discreet. Mortality, Thinness, and Appearance ControlDeath awareness may also intensify efforts to make the body conform to cultural ideals. Making Peace With CreaturelinessSource: Olenka Kotyk / UnsplashThe research doesn’t suggest that death awareness inevitably leads to body shame or sexism.