Body Modifications
Ouch! Suzy made an appointment to have her naval pierced. She was so excited about this new piece of jewelry that she gave little thought to the pain she would endure. When she arrived for her appointment she experienced a feeling of excitement and nervousness all at once. She questioned whether she was going to be given pain killers or anesthetic, but discovered that these drugs can only be administrated by a licensed medical practitioner. At this point Suzy became very nervous; she hadn’t expected to feel the pain of the piercing. However, she was brave and continued with the procedure. The initial pain was very intense. She felt the needle as it passed through her skin creating an opening that had never been there before. This needle was followed by the actual piece of jewelry, yet even more painful than the needle. However, this wasn’t even the worst part. After the procedure Suzy left feeling a bit nausea, light-headed, and incredibly sore. It hurt when her clothing touched the area, or when she moved the skin near her navel. Aside from the pain, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
Then there’s Dillon. Dillon was a senior in High School, in fact he had just turned eighteen. Dillon decided to get a tattoo. He spent countless hours deciding on the design he wanted. Then, he visited some of the local tattoo parlors. He wanted to check the atmosphere and cleanliness of each environment. Finally he came to a place where he felt secure and satisfied with the artist’s work. Dillon spent the next few days deciding if this was what he really wanted. Taking into consideration that the tattoo would be everlasting, he carefully decided upon where he wanted it placed. Less than a week later he returned to the parlor, excited and nervous. He wasn’t quite sure he was ready for the commitment, but he decided to go through with it anyway. Bravely, he sat down in the chair and the tattoo artist got to work. First, he felt the artist drawing the design on his skin. Then he heard the buzz of the tattoo machine. Dillon broke out in a cold sweat. The pain hit him when the needle first entered his skin. It felt as if there was an extremely dull needle dragging across his skin, ripping the flesh along the way. After two hours of painstaking torture, the procedure was finally over. At this point Dillon felt as though he had never endured so much pain before in his life and yet it lingered as the scabs formed on his new tattoo. Dillon’s tattoo felt sore and bruised, but yet he felt proud and happy with himself. These are just two stories of people who have experienced a form of body modification.
Why do people decide to decorate their body at the cost of extreme pain? And why do they feel such satisfaction from the completion of a new body art modification?
Body modification is the newest trend in America today, yet the practice has been around for centuries. It refers to any act that alters the natural body for any of various reasons. There are many forms of body art including, but not exclusive to; body piercing, tattooing, pocketing, and scarification.
Body piercing is becoming one of the most popular forms of body art today. The history of body piercing is not well documented, however it has been practiced throughout the world for thousanRAB of years. Traditionally, many piercing were performed for religious or spiritual reasons. For instance, many African peoples believe that demon spirits will fly up a person’s nostrils and cause illness. A ring worn in the nose warRAB off these evil demons. A similar belief pervaded Europe during the Middle Ages. There, demons were thought to enter the body through the left ear, and it soon became common to wear earrings. In the past piercings have also been used as a means of displaying social rank or status. In ancient Rome, slaves who were in the service of the emperor could be recognized by their distinguishing piercings. Also, Mursi women in Ethiopia’s lower Omo River Valley have used a piercing in their lower lip to display their passage into womanhood (Alexander 2).
Today, in America the practice of body piercing is everywhere. Many young people are getting several parts of their body pierced as an affirmation of their personal identity, as a means of sexual gratification or stimulation, as a reclamation of their bodies from physical or emotional trauma, or as a means of adornment. Whatever the reason, it’s widespread. Body piercing is the piercing of the ears, nose, septum, cheeks, lip, tongue, nipples, navel, clitoris, penis, and scrotum. Body piercing allows people to express their individuality in a new way; by putting a needle through themselves, marking their body as their own. By exploring some of the motivations behind body piercing, one discovers that it’s not an unhealthy practice and is becoming more common.
In the past, however, body piercing was not prevalently accepted. In the eighties body piercing was frowned upon as a method of body ornamentation practiced only by “deviants”. (Todd 8) This idea was partially due to the popularity of piercing in gay and Sado-Masochist circles. However, this idea evolved at the turn of the decade, when now it’s not at all uncommon to see pierced navels and noses anymore, even in largely conservative regions. People are now feeling the need to be individuality minded. It’s a conscious effort to repudiate the conservative minRABet of their parents generation by differing from that which is said to be normal in our society. This explains why many teenagers are pierced during their college years. Indeed, some piercers say that piecing is becoming part of the college experience.
For many, the motivations behind body piercing is highly sexual. This is the primary reason behind nipple and genital piercing. When nipples or genitals are pierced the entire area becomes more sensitive. Many young people pierce their genitals to heighten sexual pleasure. For example, there are four main piercings which men have done to their genitals; a prince Albert, an ampallang, an apadravya, and a frenum. It has been reported that many men experience an increase in sexual stimulation after a piercing (8).
Body piercing for some is a conscious act of reclamation of the body and taking it into possession of their own. The entire piercing experience is transformed into a highly spiritual event. Pain is an intrinsic part of the ritual and sometimes the entire reason for getting pierced. Body piercing is seen by many to be a pain inducing ritual which can be used to attain elevated states of consciousness. This is sometimes the case for genital piercing. Genital piercings are often done as a sexual recovery from sexual abuse. Reclamation is not always sexual, some pierce their bodies in order to demonstrate their bodies exclusively theirs instead of an image painted and manipulated by society. In essence, it improves body image for many young people, especially women. Few others have had piercings done for “psychic protection”. This idea could be based off the conscious act of earlier times when piercings protected the body from demons. It is easy to see the popularity of body piercing as a means of spiritual, mental, and emotional cleansing.
Finally, there are great amounts of people piercing their bodies simply for adornment. The exotic aspect of having a ring in their body appeals to them. Some believe the appearance of piercings on models such as Elle McPherson has had a profound effect on piercing (Trebay18). Another reason for piercing for adornment is the role of multiculturalism in America. Many people get pierced in emulation of African, Indian, or Polynesian body adornments. To these people, body piercing is seen as a way to enhance one’s physical beauty by ornamenting the body. This is the case in the Masai and Padaung of Malaysia. The same is rapidly becoming the case in America.
Regardless of the motivation behind piercing it is important to realize its popularity. However, some see this body modification simply as a dangerous fashionable trend due to the fact that scars will be left and other permanent effects. It is also important to recognize that the tools and jewelry are sanitary, and the piercing must be kept clean to prevent infection (Wattenburg 167-168).
A second form of body modification is tattooing. Tattooing is a permanent method of decorating the skin. It is performed by inserting colored inks or dyes under the surface of the skin with a needle or sharp instrument. The word tattoo originates from the Tahitian tatu, meaning “to mark something”. No one knows exactly where, when or why the practice of tattooing began. However it is generally agreed that the ancient Egyptians used tattoos to indicated social rank as early as 2000 BC.
Tattoos have been seen in hundreRAB of cultures around the world. However, the social meaning of tattoos has varied from society to society. In 1994, Russian archeologists discovered the mummified body of a woman who, they believe lived 2000 years ago. The intricate blue tattoos on the women’s left arm, along with her rich burial trove led the archeologists to conclude that she was a princess and priestess in Siberia.
In New Zealand, the Maori and Tamoko used tattoos to indicate rank in society. The Maori developed a style of facial tattooing known as Moko for its warrior class. The Ainu of Western Asia also used tattoos to show social status. Whereas in Borneo women tattoo artists were marked with hand and finger tattoos to show their position as weavers in their culture (Leo 16).
Also documented in history is tattooing for religious reasons. Burmese tattooing has been associated with religion for thousanRAB of years. Tattooing among the indigenous North American groups including the Arapaho, Mohave, Cree, and Inuit is rooted in spiritual realm as well. Tattoos reserabling spirit birRAB were common in all of these societies.
It was an ancient Japanese tradition to tattoo convicted criminals, but over time the practice underwent an amazing transformation. Around 1700, the role of the Japanese tattoo was changed from one of social marking and religious syrabol to one of artistic beauty. At that time, only merabers of the royal family were legally permitted to wear erabroidered clothing. People who were not merabers of the royal family who wanted to beautify themselves began having large, colorful designs tattooed on their torsos and upper arms. In this way, they could decorate themselves without breaking the law.
At the same time, tattoos were gaining popularity in England among the wealthy. In 1691, the English explorer William Dampter brought a tattooed man from the South Pacific back with him to England (16). This act brought the era of tattooing as an upper-class art form to an immediate end. This ending of upper-class art was also due to the invention of the electric tattoo machine which made the fad affordable to virtually everyone.
The first electric tattoo machine was patented by Samuel O’Reilly in 1891. It was based on moving coils, a tube, and a needle bar. By 1897, tattooing had finally reached the United States, where it immediately became a sideshow attraction (Eckert 45). However, this idea evolved into the accepted form of tattooing that is used today.
There are many different styles of tattooing. It can be divided into several categories including; black and gray work, traditional, fineline, tribal, realistic, custom, and oriental. Black and gray work is tattooing done with only tones of black and gray. This style originated in the prison systems of America due to the prisoner’s difficulty in obtaining colored ink. Traditional tattooing describes pieces with bold black outlines, strong black shading and containing bright colors. This style was first developed to meet the neeRAB of busy tattooers near military bases who strived to utilize the limited color palette available in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Fineline tattoos include delicate outlines that are often highly detailed. Black and gray work is almost always done in this manner, as are many color pieces. The success of this style is dependant upon the artists use of negative space. Tribal tattoo describe black silhouette style designs. Most of this work is based on ancient tattoo designs, though nowadays artists tend to go more for the feeling evoked by the traditional designs, rather than copying them exactly. Realistic tattoos are photographic quality works, which usually include portraits or nature scenes. Custom tattoos are tattoos designed just for you. Finally, Oriental tattooing is a style concerned more with approach than subject matter. It incorporates swirling patterns and figures from eastern mythology into the designs. Although there are many choices of designs, most people just chose a “flash” design which refers to designs that are legally reproduced onto stencils and bodies.
Deciding to get a tattoo is the most permanent commitment that can be made. There are a few basic questions that one should ask oneself including; “What am I willing to commit to forever?”, “What do I aspire to?”, or “What gives me strength?” Aside from these questions one must realize that tattoos will not be acceptable in some professions or workplaces. It is important to consider this before getting a tattoo because although there are removal procedures, they are painful and costly.
“Pocketing maybe the next wave of body modification and will certainly be the means to achieve the full body aesthetic so many people have dreamed of” (qtd in Cobb 20). Pocketing will allow a person to wear jewelry externally. Imagine full forehead plates of vertebra, Kanji, or finalize Celtic cross in polished steel, gold, or anodized purple titanium. With pocketing all of these would be fully interchangeable with the existing points of anchor.
Pocketing is performed by reversing the idea of running jewelry under the skin between incision points to making the bar above the skin between the points and the enRAB are below the skin anywhere from 1/4” to 3/8” (21) on either side. The enRAB of the rod are flattened into thin, slightly triangular washers, and the transitions are bent to accommodate the step from below the skin’s surface to above. All the body has to do is heal a pocket around the enRAB and the possibilities are endless.
The advantages of pocketing are obvious also. Because there’s a good-sized, easily clearable entrance/exit it prevents buildup of secretions, dead skin, oils, soap, and shampoo residue, etc. Plus the entire piece can be removed by simply stretching the skin on either side outward and slipping one end out at a time.
Pocketing is a new form of body modification and has not had a lot of experimentation. However, there is evidence that this will be a new trend of body art.
Scarification is a catch all category for bodyart dealing with creating scars. The basic categories are branding (scarification through burns), cuttings (fine scarification using a thin blade), and scarification (generally more heavy duty scarification using various means).
Branding is the scarification through the application of a heated material, usually metal, to the skin which makes a serious burn eventually becoming a scar. It is done by making many strikes which are individual brand “hits”. A full brand design is made up of many separate strikes, each of them making up a small segment of the final design. The final design looks like a pattern of thick raised lines, slightly lighter than skin color (Todd 8).
A second category of scarification is cutting. Cutting is a design cut into the skin using a sharp blade, leaving a fine scar. If the design is immediately rubbed with ink, leaving a colored scar, it is called an ink rubbing. A cutting looks like a fine slightly raised scar in the shape of the design. This style of body modification started in the lesbian community and was popularized by artists such as Raelyn Gallina (Leo 16). However this presently isn’t a very common art form, but interest is growing everyday.
The final category is simply scarification. Scarification refers to any body modification dealing with creating scars. Many of the designs are based on keloiRAB and scars. They can be anything from simple bumps to complex patterns. Mostly this art form began in Africa, where it is still most commonly found today.
In conclusion, body modification is simply the altering of one’s body for any of several reasons. Body alterations include body piercings, tattoos, pocketing, and scarification techniques. Although these forms of body art are popular now, one must wonder when this trend will end. It is obvious that it will end, long before the scars and tattoos do. However, this idea doesn’t stop people from expressing themselves through body modification. From my own experience, I have found that these alterations of the body are relatively fulfilling. After my first piercing, I felt a sense of satisfaction almost immediately, well actually after I regained consciousness! Although my navel was sore for a few weeks, I am now extremely happy with the experience that I endured. It gave me the confidence I needed to get my tattoo. Even though I didn’t realize a person could feel so much pain, this too was another satisfying experience. After completing my research, I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide what my motivations were, and how I actually could decide to commit to these body modifications. However, I’m not sure how I gained the nerve, but I am very happy that I did. At this point in my life, I feel that I will never regret my decisions, although I guess things do change over time. Anyway, the only advice I can give is to clearly think through any body and life altering decision, and sometimes get a little crazy.
Ouch! Suzy made an appointment to have her naval pierced. She was so excited about this new piece of jewelry that she gave little thought to the pain she would endure. When she arrived for her appointment she experienced a feeling of excitement and nervousness all at once. She questioned whether she was going to be given pain killers or anesthetic, but discovered that these drugs can only be administrated by a licensed medical practitioner. At this point Suzy became very nervous; she hadn’t expected to feel the pain of the piercing. However, she was brave and continued with the procedure. The initial pain was very intense. She felt the needle as it passed through her skin creating an opening that had never been there before. This needle was followed by the actual piece of jewelry, yet even more painful than the needle. However, this wasn’t even the worst part. After the procedure Suzy left feeling a bit nausea, light-headed, and incredibly sore. It hurt when her clothing touched the area, or when she moved the skin near her navel. Aside from the pain, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
Then there’s Dillon. Dillon was a senior in High School, in fact he had just turned eighteen. Dillon decided to get a tattoo. He spent countless hours deciding on the design he wanted. Then, he visited some of the local tattoo parlors. He wanted to check the atmosphere and cleanliness of each environment. Finally he came to a place where he felt secure and satisfied with the artist’s work. Dillon spent the next few days deciding if this was what he really wanted. Taking into consideration that the tattoo would be everlasting, he carefully decided upon where he wanted it placed. Less than a week later he returned to the parlor, excited and nervous. He wasn’t quite sure he was ready for the commitment, but he decided to go through with it anyway. Bravely, he sat down in the chair and the tattoo artist got to work. First, he felt the artist drawing the design on his skin. Then he heard the buzz of the tattoo machine. Dillon broke out in a cold sweat. The pain hit him when the needle first entered his skin. It felt as if there was an extremely dull needle dragging across his skin, ripping the flesh along the way. After two hours of painstaking torture, the procedure was finally over. At this point Dillon felt as though he had never endured so much pain before in his life and yet it lingered as the scabs formed on his new tattoo. Dillon’s tattoo felt sore and bruised, but yet he felt proud and happy with himself. These are just two stories of people who have experienced a form of body modification.
Why do people decide to decorate their body at the cost of extreme pain? And why do they feel such satisfaction from the completion of a new body art modification?
Body modification is the newest trend in America today, yet the practice has been around for centuries. It refers to any act that alters the natural body for any of various reasons. There are many forms of body art including, but not exclusive to; body piercing, tattooing, pocketing, and scarification.
Body piercing is becoming one of the most popular forms of body art today. The history of body piercing is not well documented, however it has been practiced throughout the world for thousanRAB of years. Traditionally, many piercing were performed for religious or spiritual reasons. For instance, many African peoples believe that demon spirits will fly up a person’s nostrils and cause illness. A ring worn in the nose warRAB off these evil demons. A similar belief pervaded Europe during the Middle Ages. There, demons were thought to enter the body through the left ear, and it soon became common to wear earrings. In the past piercings have also been used as a means of displaying social rank or status. In ancient Rome, slaves who were in the service of the emperor could be recognized by their distinguishing piercings. Also, Mursi women in Ethiopia’s lower Omo River Valley have used a piercing in their lower lip to display their passage into womanhood (Alexander 2).
Today, in America the practice of body piercing is everywhere. Many young people are getting several parts of their body pierced as an affirmation of their personal identity, as a means of sexual gratification or stimulation, as a reclamation of their bodies from physical or emotional trauma, or as a means of adornment. Whatever the reason, it’s widespread. Body piercing is the piercing of the ears, nose, septum, cheeks, lip, tongue, nipples, navel, clitoris, penis, and scrotum. Body piercing allows people to express their individuality in a new way; by putting a needle through themselves, marking their body as their own. By exploring some of the motivations behind body piercing, one discovers that it’s not an unhealthy practice and is becoming more common.
In the past, however, body piercing was not prevalently accepted. In the eighties body piercing was frowned upon as a method of body ornamentation practiced only by “deviants”. (Todd 8) This idea was partially due to the popularity of piercing in gay and Sado-Masochist circles. However, this idea evolved at the turn of the decade, when now it’s not at all uncommon to see pierced navels and noses anymore, even in largely conservative regions. People are now feeling the need to be individuality minded. It’s a conscious effort to repudiate the conservative minRABet of their parents generation by differing from that which is said to be normal in our society. This explains why many teenagers are pierced during their college years. Indeed, some piercers say that piecing is becoming part of the college experience.
For many, the motivations behind body piercing is highly sexual. This is the primary reason behind nipple and genital piercing. When nipples or genitals are pierced the entire area becomes more sensitive. Many young people pierce their genitals to heighten sexual pleasure. For example, there are four main piercings which men have done to their genitals; a prince Albert, an ampallang, an apadravya, and a frenum. It has been reported that many men experience an increase in sexual stimulation after a piercing (8).
Body piercing for some is a conscious act of reclamation of the body and taking it into possession of their own. The entire piercing experience is transformed into a highly spiritual event. Pain is an intrinsic part of the ritual and sometimes the entire reason for getting pierced. Body piercing is seen by many to be a pain inducing ritual which can be used to attain elevated states of consciousness. This is sometimes the case for genital piercing. Genital piercings are often done as a sexual recovery from sexual abuse. Reclamation is not always sexual, some pierce their bodies in order to demonstrate their bodies exclusively theirs instead of an image painted and manipulated by society. In essence, it improves body image for many young people, especially women. Few others have had piercings done for “psychic protection”. This idea could be based off the conscious act of earlier times when piercings protected the body from demons. It is easy to see the popularity of body piercing as a means of spiritual, mental, and emotional cleansing.
Finally, there are great amounts of people piercing their bodies simply for adornment. The exotic aspect of having a ring in their body appeals to them. Some believe the appearance of piercings on models such as Elle McPherson has had a profound effect on piercing (Trebay18). Another reason for piercing for adornment is the role of multiculturalism in America. Many people get pierced in emulation of African, Indian, or Polynesian body adornments. To these people, body piercing is seen as a way to enhance one’s physical beauty by ornamenting the body. This is the case in the Masai and Padaung of Malaysia. The same is rapidly becoming the case in America.
Regardless of the motivation behind piercing it is important to realize its popularity. However, some see this body modification simply as a dangerous fashionable trend due to the fact that scars will be left and other permanent effects. It is also important to recognize that the tools and jewelry are sanitary, and the piercing must be kept clean to prevent infection (Wattenburg 167-168).
A second form of body modification is tattooing. Tattooing is a permanent method of decorating the skin. It is performed by inserting colored inks or dyes under the surface of the skin with a needle or sharp instrument. The word tattoo originates from the Tahitian tatu, meaning “to mark something”. No one knows exactly where, when or why the practice of tattooing began. However it is generally agreed that the ancient Egyptians used tattoos to indicated social rank as early as 2000 BC.
Tattoos have been seen in hundreRAB of cultures around the world. However, the social meaning of tattoos has varied from society to society. In 1994, Russian archeologists discovered the mummified body of a woman who, they believe lived 2000 years ago. The intricate blue tattoos on the women’s left arm, along with her rich burial trove led the archeologists to conclude that she was a princess and priestess in Siberia.
In New Zealand, the Maori and Tamoko used tattoos to indicate rank in society. The Maori developed a style of facial tattooing known as Moko for its warrior class. The Ainu of Western Asia also used tattoos to show social status. Whereas in Borneo women tattoo artists were marked with hand and finger tattoos to show their position as weavers in their culture (Leo 16).
Also documented in history is tattooing for religious reasons. Burmese tattooing has been associated with religion for thousanRAB of years. Tattooing among the indigenous North American groups including the Arapaho, Mohave, Cree, and Inuit is rooted in spiritual realm as well. Tattoos reserabling spirit birRAB were common in all of these societies.
It was an ancient Japanese tradition to tattoo convicted criminals, but over time the practice underwent an amazing transformation. Around 1700, the role of the Japanese tattoo was changed from one of social marking and religious syrabol to one of artistic beauty. At that time, only merabers of the royal family were legally permitted to wear erabroidered clothing. People who were not merabers of the royal family who wanted to beautify themselves began having large, colorful designs tattooed on their torsos and upper arms. In this way, they could decorate themselves without breaking the law.
At the same time, tattoos were gaining popularity in England among the wealthy. In 1691, the English explorer William Dampter brought a tattooed man from the South Pacific back with him to England (16). This act brought the era of tattooing as an upper-class art form to an immediate end. This ending of upper-class art was also due to the invention of the electric tattoo machine which made the fad affordable to virtually everyone.
The first electric tattoo machine was patented by Samuel O’Reilly in 1891. It was based on moving coils, a tube, and a needle bar. By 1897, tattooing had finally reached the United States, where it immediately became a sideshow attraction (Eckert 45). However, this idea evolved into the accepted form of tattooing that is used today.
There are many different styles of tattooing. It can be divided into several categories including; black and gray work, traditional, fineline, tribal, realistic, custom, and oriental. Black and gray work is tattooing done with only tones of black and gray. This style originated in the prison systems of America due to the prisoner’s difficulty in obtaining colored ink. Traditional tattooing describes pieces with bold black outlines, strong black shading and containing bright colors. This style was first developed to meet the neeRAB of busy tattooers near military bases who strived to utilize the limited color palette available in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Fineline tattoos include delicate outlines that are often highly detailed. Black and gray work is almost always done in this manner, as are many color pieces. The success of this style is dependant upon the artists use of negative space. Tribal tattoo describe black silhouette style designs. Most of this work is based on ancient tattoo designs, though nowadays artists tend to go more for the feeling evoked by the traditional designs, rather than copying them exactly. Realistic tattoos are photographic quality works, which usually include portraits or nature scenes. Custom tattoos are tattoos designed just for you. Finally, Oriental tattooing is a style concerned more with approach than subject matter. It incorporates swirling patterns and figures from eastern mythology into the designs. Although there are many choices of designs, most people just chose a “flash” design which refers to designs that are legally reproduced onto stencils and bodies.
Deciding to get a tattoo is the most permanent commitment that can be made. There are a few basic questions that one should ask oneself including; “What am I willing to commit to forever?”, “What do I aspire to?”, or “What gives me strength?” Aside from these questions one must realize that tattoos will not be acceptable in some professions or workplaces. It is important to consider this before getting a tattoo because although there are removal procedures, they are painful and costly.
“Pocketing maybe the next wave of body modification and will certainly be the means to achieve the full body aesthetic so many people have dreamed of” (qtd in Cobb 20). Pocketing will allow a person to wear jewelry externally. Imagine full forehead plates of vertebra, Kanji, or finalize Celtic cross in polished steel, gold, or anodized purple titanium. With pocketing all of these would be fully interchangeable with the existing points of anchor.
Pocketing is performed by reversing the idea of running jewelry under the skin between incision points to making the bar above the skin between the points and the enRAB are below the skin anywhere from 1/4” to 3/8” (21) on either side. The enRAB of the rod are flattened into thin, slightly triangular washers, and the transitions are bent to accommodate the step from below the skin’s surface to above. All the body has to do is heal a pocket around the enRAB and the possibilities are endless.
The advantages of pocketing are obvious also. Because there’s a good-sized, easily clearable entrance/exit it prevents buildup of secretions, dead skin, oils, soap, and shampoo residue, etc. Plus the entire piece can be removed by simply stretching the skin on either side outward and slipping one end out at a time.
Pocketing is a new form of body modification and has not had a lot of experimentation. However, there is evidence that this will be a new trend of body art.
Scarification is a catch all category for bodyart dealing with creating scars. The basic categories are branding (scarification through burns), cuttings (fine scarification using a thin blade), and scarification (generally more heavy duty scarification using various means).
Branding is the scarification through the application of a heated material, usually metal, to the skin which makes a serious burn eventually becoming a scar. It is done by making many strikes which are individual brand “hits”. A full brand design is made up of many separate strikes, each of them making up a small segment of the final design. The final design looks like a pattern of thick raised lines, slightly lighter than skin color (Todd 8).
A second category of scarification is cutting. Cutting is a design cut into the skin using a sharp blade, leaving a fine scar. If the design is immediately rubbed with ink, leaving a colored scar, it is called an ink rubbing. A cutting looks like a fine slightly raised scar in the shape of the design. This style of body modification started in the lesbian community and was popularized by artists such as Raelyn Gallina (Leo 16). However this presently isn’t a very common art form, but interest is growing everyday.
The final category is simply scarification. Scarification refers to any body modification dealing with creating scars. Many of the designs are based on keloiRAB and scars. They can be anything from simple bumps to complex patterns. Mostly this art form began in Africa, where it is still most commonly found today.
In conclusion, body modification is simply the altering of one’s body for any of several reasons. Body alterations include body piercings, tattoos, pocketing, and scarification techniques. Although these forms of body art are popular now, one must wonder when this trend will end. It is obvious that it will end, long before the scars and tattoos do. However, this idea doesn’t stop people from expressing themselves through body modification. From my own experience, I have found that these alterations of the body are relatively fulfilling. After my first piercing, I felt a sense of satisfaction almost immediately, well actually after I regained consciousness! Although my navel was sore for a few weeks, I am now extremely happy with the experience that I endured. It gave me the confidence I needed to get my tattoo. Even though I didn’t realize a person could feel so much pain, this too was another satisfying experience. After completing my research, I spent quite a bit of time trying to decide what my motivations were, and how I actually could decide to commit to these body modifications. However, I’m not sure how I gained the nerve, but I am very happy that I did. At this point in my life, I feel that I will never regret my decisions, although I guess things do change over time. Anyway, the only advice I can give is to clearly think through any body and life altering decision, and sometimes get a little crazy.