Shrill, beefy, drilled - hard bodies populate pop culture and science books alike. The essays in this volume trace the flexing muscles of the hard body in various disciplines and spatio-temporal contexts: from the medieval wooer in panty hose to the soldier in a bombsuit, from sculpted marble bodies to the treacherous images of German Terrormädels, from 19th century self-improvement manuals to 21st century technoporn, from Ballets Russes to Charlie's Angels, from Afro-Brazilian male sleeping beauties to the black female war machine.