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Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual or aesthetic. It can range from the socially acceptable decoration (e.g., pierced ears on women in many societies), to religiously mandated (e.g., circumcision in a number of cultures) to the rebellious (e.g., nostril piercings in punk subculture). Opponents of these practices call them disfigurement or mutilation. Nearly every human society practices or has practiced some type of body modification in its broadest definition, from Maori tattoos to Victorian corsets to modern breast implants. One controversial form of body modification is the attempt to resemble another race, such as Asians having their epicanthic folds modified to resemble non-Asian eyes or skin lightened with dyes, suntanning, increase in lips, or buttocks size by Caucasians, or African-Americans straightening their hair or getting a nose job. "Disfigurement" and "mutilation" are terms used by opponents of body modification to describe certain types of modifications, especially non-consensual ones. Those terms are used fairly uncontroversially to describe the victims of torture, who have endured damage to ears, eyes, feet, genitalia, hands, noses, teeth, and/or tongues, including amputation, burning, flagellation, piercing, skinning, and wheeling. "Genital mutilation" is also used somewhat more controversially to describe certain kinds of socially prescribed modifications to the genitals, such as circumcision, female circumcision, and castration. Those opposed to the practice of sexual reassignment surgery may consider it genital mutilation, done for psychological reasons; this is universally rejected by those in favor of it, who more often consider the reasons medical. Body art is body modification for artistic reasons. Some futurists believe that eventually humans will pursue body modification for technological reasons, with permanently implanted devices to enhance mental and physical capabilities, thereby becoming cyborgs (see Democratic transhumanism). For the substantial number of people with heart pacemakers and brain implants such as cochlear implants and electrical brain stimulators for Parkinson's disease, this is already a reality.
"Mainstream" surgical body modification
- body piercing
- tattooing
- branding and other scarification
"Extreme" surgical body modification - tongue splitting
- transdermal implant
- subdermal implant
- subincision
- suspension
Further links of exploration: Whats your views on the practice of body modification? |
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I, in all honsety, have no problems wishing for them to modify their body. Some of the more rebellious types with the various piercings and tattoos say that their body is a canvas and it is for them to decide how they wish to portray themselves. I have no problems with modifications, it makes each of us unique. For instance, I've taken the leisure to permantly inject some ink in my skin (with professional aid of course!). Mind you, I'm staying away from Genital modification... its a touchy subject. But all in all, if someone wants to do somethign to their body, I think they should go for it. If they regret it in the future, they can only blame themselves. Tadrith |
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| | From:  imbas1 | Sent: 3/17/2005 7:22 PM |
Guess I have to agree with the wolf-hound. Though I think some will live to regret certain areas being pierced, I really don't want others regulation over my body. Some piercings I find very attractive, others don't make much sense to me, others I find very unattractive, then there is the pincushion look.....but then there is no reason we should strive to make ourselves attractive to other's taste, there's someone for everyone out there. The tongue splitting thing tho, lol.....that one just looks painful... Tattoos I do like, well, in moderation.....but again, that's personal taste. Don't have any though, maybe one day I'll get to it. Always resisted it before based on those Americas Most Wanted programs. They alway list the tattoos........figured ya never know when ya gonna need to vanish...lol |
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I'm all for it if its done under free will. I agree the body is your own personal canvas feel free to express yourself. Some modifications I find odd and make me wince looking at them. Others are sexy. I won't go into a few of my favorites I'm all for it if its done under free will. Below is a site where body modification is demanded, and forced on the individual. This I find abhorrent. Maybe an activist post. Lace |
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 I have personal issues with body modification ... I don't care what others do to themselves (and only themselves) but when it is inflicted on others and non-consentual I get a bit militant and bad tempered. This means female genital mutalations, circumsion, torture, branding, inflicted deformities (bound feet) etc. Even ear piercing of infants falls in this catergory for me ... I have pierced ears but was never given the option. And then theres my views regarding my own form and what modifications might do to it. First of all, I believe that my physical body is echoed on other levels... what happens to this one happens to all of them in some way or translation. I love tattoos, the concept, the colours, the artistic genre ... I like to look at them, learn the history of them and explore there meaning in both culture and spirituality. In short I am often fascinated by them, lol And so to continue the earlier comment ... tattoos become a coloured pattern staining the "other bodies" ... painting and empowering the temple and physical plane, marking the spirit. They can be extremely spiritual, magical and symbolic. So when the time comes that I can finally gift myself with a tattoo, there will be some highly personal, spiritual and specific choices being made. Now... piercing, and especially branding is off limits for me. My ears are pierced (not by choice) and thats it. I see any piercing of the body (and its other layers) as a way of creating holes, breaching the fabric that is me. Energy is energy, but it the idea of leaving bits of metal embedded in my body all over is not acceptable neither is putting holes in it, lol I'm sure it might seem foolish to some, but its about the integrity of my physical and etheral self as I perceive it. Medical needles unnerve me and having experienced the sensation of having a sewing needle pulled through my flesh is not something I was fond of at all! And the thought of being branded is soooo off the scale for me its not an issue, lol Scarring ... I have scars from accidents and medical procedures, they're more then enough thanks ... although, oddly enough I tend to put scarring somewhere between piercing and tattooing I understand body modification on a artistic level and even as a sub-culture. Some of the work I've seen is kind of neat, and some of it makes my whince ... but when its done by choice theres no denying the individuality of this form of self expression. 
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 by the way, Tadrith ... thats a real nice design! Will you be adding colour to it? or is it as it should be? Anyone else want to show their ink? |
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Red I have to say I agree with you about the genital mutilation, bound feet etc. I also don't think it's right to pierce babies ears. My son has a pierced ear but he was old enough to know that it would sting and how to take care of it and all that. My daughter does not have pierced ears. She is autistic and I don't know if she understands that it would sting. Not to mention she can't communicate verbally her choice and then there is the whole exzema factor too. As for someone who can choose to do what they want with their body, I say go for it. LOL! Of course I am biased as I have 6 holes in one ear , 4 in the other, a pierced tongue and navel. I had a nose ring at one point too. As for tattoos I have five. A Celtic kntowork Spider on my back ( spine between shoulder blades up near the neck) <---where my screenname comes from A skull flower ( I call it my voodoo flower because the petals almost look like a headdress) that I designed ( its on my left arm up near the shoulder) A Carrot between the words "The Rev." on my left ankle ( I got this for a dear friend of mine) A Dragonfly on my left breast. ( I love Dragonflies! ) A yin- yang sign with blue wings where my leg meets my body ( o man THAT one was a tender tat to get YOWCH!). I love good ink art and one of my hobbies is looking through tattoo magazines to see all the different colors, designs and patterns that people create and decide to wear. Okay I rambled enough. C.S. |
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I hate big ugly moles in bad places. Everytime I have them cut off however it seems I get two more for each that pop up somewhere else. I was going to get a couple of tatoos back before they became main stream. I'm cutting edge, once something has become main stream I've already moved on to other interests. (Just Joking) I don't have any peircings or tatoos for I know I will become bored of them eventually and will begin to see only their flaws. I do however love tee-shirt artwork, and collect and wear such. But my favorite places are clubs with pool tables and live cutting edge music. Never know when I'll meet and party with the next new band to make it big before they're big. Not having any peircings or tatoos, my age, and my casual dress make me stand out however. Its my own form of rebeliousness I guess. I've always been a non-conformist. |
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