Throughout history, cultures across the globe have practiced the art of modifying the human body. Body modification is the application of any of a plethora of techniques to modify the appearance of ones body. In modern America, these procedures are commonly classified into two categories: mainstream (which includes cosmetic plastic surgery, body building, hair dying, nail painting and shaving) and non-mainstream (which includes body piercing, tattooing, subdermal and transdermal implants, and various methods of purposely scarring the body in patterns or designs called scarification). These classifications only apply to modern western culture. Many cultures have embraced such "non-mainstream" modifications as tattooing, body piercing, and scarification as a necessity to belong to their community, or as a right of passage. It is common knowledge that many Asian, African, and Pacific societies have historically viewed body modification in a very favorable light, but these attitudes were also prevalent in western cultures, such as Greece and Victorian England (Lattimore) (Kennedy). In fact, even in America, tattoos were a status symbol of the upper class up until the advent of the electric tattoo needle in 1891. This invention increased the ease of applying tattoos and hence decreased the price, making them accessible to the lower classes (From Sea Captains). This was the beginning of the formation of many negative stereotypes about body modification, and the people that wear these marks.
At A Glance Author Dave Contact Dave@bme.anon IAM Work In Progress When N/A Location United States In the early 1900's tattoos became quite popular in prisons. Tattoos then spread into the very underground gay and sadomasochistic communities and the emerging "motorcycle club" lifestyle. As body piercing was introduced to the west in late 1960s and early 1970s it was immediately adopted by these groups (Myers). These associations caused many of the negative stereotypes associated with the groups that practiced non-mainstream body modification. Common assumptions made of modified people ranged from them being criminals, to them being gay sadomasochists likely to have AIDS. These stereotypes grew so strong that it has effected medical services provided to modified people and are embodied in medical and psychological journals (Featherstone 7) (Ferguson 1672). Judeo-Christian leaders also began speaking out against these previously ignored modifications (Kennedy). In the 1970s another subculture, or industry, adopted body modification. Rock and roll star, Janis Joplin, appeared on "The Dick Cavett Show" sporting two tattoos, one public and one private. This one act linked rock and body modification, making it hard to find an artist who is not modified (From Sea Captains). With support from MTV, audiences from all over the country got exposed to tattooed music artists. In the mid 1990s pop culture and rock and roll crossed, causing non-mainstream modifications to hit the mainstream (Iscariot). This increase in the number of modified people lead to two things, the growth of the body modification industry, which lead to the development of scarification in the west, as well as new modifications such as transdermal implants, and the separation of body modification from the subcultures with which it was associated. With the newfound publicity, body modification became more and more independent until it developed into its own unique subculture (Iscariot). This led to an odd situation. Body modification was no longer a practice of fringe subcultures, but it still carried the same stigma as the cultures it "\Ãw€ë was formerly associated with. This creates an interesting dichotomy. People who get modified in order to move away from the mainstream, to adopt a stigmatized practice, to rebel or retreat from society and people who get modified to conform to the mainstream's growing acceptance of these practices in pop culture. These are two very distinct groups, that comprise one very intricate sub-culture.
Body modification has not only been accepted by the MTV generation, but has spread through mainstream society to be found in nearly all walks of life. The once "punk rock" nose or eyebrow ring was adopted by adolescents in general, then by adventurous "soccer moms" and "house husbands." Now it is possible to find everyone, from doctors, to CEOs, to teachers, adorned with tattoos and piercings (Holtman). Icons of beauty in our society, such as Britney Spears, sport piercings and tattoos, and in a society that teaches emulation as beauty, many females have gotten modified to fit this standard. They can be seen every day, with their navel piercings and butterflies on their lower backs. These girls get modified in order to avoid being the only member of their group of friends to not be modified. These soccer moms do it to "be one of those cool moms," or because everyone is getting them nowadays (Iscariot). These people generally get modifications in places where they chose whether or not people see it. They are very aware of how they are presenting themselves to the people around them (Goffman). They chose places on their body where the clothes they wear changes whether or not their modifications are visible. They might have a tattoo on their upper arm or back, or a navel piercing. They are aware of the stereotypes that are associated with body modification, and do not want to have to face the stereotypes on a regular basis. They do not participate in the community of the body modification subculture, and often hold their own stereotypes of more heavily modified people. In fact, it is not uncommon to have a pierced and tattooed person find specific modifications, or more heavily modified people "freakish." This situation does not look like its going to change any time soon, because the piercing fad is on the decline in many places in the USA (Holtham). This may be changing as recently their has been a resurgence of modified people in the media, mainly, once again, on MTV (From Sea Captains). These p "\Ãw€ë eople do provide a service to the body modification community; they financially support it. There is not a large enough number of non-conformist modified people to support the industry (Holtham).
There is also a large group of people who modify their bodies for the exact opposite reason. These people fall onto two groups: retreatists and rebels. Both of these groups generally chose to modify themselves on public skin. These people are very aware that people will look at them differently for their modifications, but they do not attempt to avoid stereotypes or being judged. These modified people sometimes feel so loathed by society, that they think society has the attitude "If you are pierced, we will destroy you," (What Can Pierced). While this is an extreme view, there is a very real danger to being visibly modified. It is not uncommon for modified people to have an employer or a potential employer to discriminate against them. It is also fairly routine for modified people to be the subjects of legal discrimination, both from the police and from law makers (Be Careful). The retreatists are the few that are modified in order to remove themselves from society. They use body modification as a way to make sure they do not have the means to achieve goals of western society. Often these retreatists are modified on public skin to ensure that they can not get the typical white collar job (Merton). This does not mean they want to be poor, necessarily. In fact, Travis Barker, of Blink-182, had his whole body tattooed in order to ensure that he pursued a career in the music industry (From Sea Captains). These people do not want the stereotypes of modified people to change, because if they do these people regain their means to achieve the mainstreams goal. On the other hand, there are the rebels, who rather than withdrawing from society attempt to change it (Merton). These people range from those who merely value self expression more than they value acceptance, to people who view religion all modern religions as wrong or incomplete, and are replacing it with a new or old form of spirituality . Those who are involved with body modification, and its sister subculture, body ritual (acts which include c "\Ãw€ë utting, suspending from hooks, and corsetry) will often make reference to the tribal, or to primitivism. These people are referring to practices in ancient cultures from around the world that consisted of putting their bodies through intense physical stimulation, in order to become more self aware or more spiritually in touch. These people wear markings on their skin as signs of their beliefs and as evidence of their priorities (Larratt). These people change their own lives, and by doing so, they attempt to change their society. These people have also spread through all walks of life, to become doctors, lawyers, and teachers too, but these people do so, while making no effort to hide the fact that they are modified. These people come from various age-groups and socio-economic backgrounds (Sweetman 51). But not all of these people are rebelling against religious goals. A large number of these people become modified for sexual reasons. They are either modified for the sensation of getting the piercing, or they are modified in a place where their piercing or implant can provide additional sensation to themselves or their partners once it is healed. They will not stop at the goal of "being satisfied" with sex, but instead they seek more and more extreme sensation. Despite the stereotype, this is not only a sadomasochistic practice. Healed genital piercings can lead to increased sexual pleasure for those who do not engage in sadomasochistic practices (Myers). These people consciously or unconsciously try to change society. They have made great progress in being "accepted for who they are," but many people still hold the original stereotypes about body modification.
These two groups of modified people, the conformists and the non-conformists, though very different, need each other. The non-conformists need the conformists to financially support the industry, and the conformists need the non-conformists to push the boundaries of what is acceptable, to make sure the conformists don't accidentally step over the line. These are two groups of people, involving themselves in the same subculture, but it is important to note the key difference. First of all, the conformists tend to modify themselves on non-public skin so they can hide their modifications if they want to, while non-conformists tend to modify themselves on public skin in order to send a message, or achieve a goal. This could be a sign of whether or not the person wants to be associated with the subculture, but more likely it is because it has become acceptable to be modified on non-public skin but it is still not acceptable to be modified on public skin. Perhaps these two types of modified people are not just two types at all. Maybe these are two entirely separate subcultures, with different goals, and over time will grow both more distinct and closer together at the same time.
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