Body Modification

Body modification has been around for thousands of years, yet people still frown upon the idea of it. This is due to the lack of knowledge, and the misconceptions that society puts on the people that practice this art form. What they don't know, is that even they modify their bodies without even knowing it. In this research paper about body modification, every aspect of body modification will be discussed.

The definition of body modification is quite simple. It means anything that you do to alter the natural state, or form of your body. Now, what comes to mind with the words body modification? In it, everything from a simple hair cut, changing hair color or trimming your nails counts as body modification. This are some of the most socially accepted forms of body modification that can be done by anyone. Plastic surgery is also socially accepted, even though is expensive and requires a professional surgeon to do them. This can be seen in almost every public figure such as T.V show hosts, actresses, actors, musicians and regular people all around the world. But still, many people go to the extremes to change their appearance.

There are many ways of body modification. The most common, tattoo and piercings have been making progress in the acceptance of our society. Every day kids see them from a very young age. As they grow older, the more they see it, and it changes from a taboo to something completely normal. Same thing happens with piercings. Every time a girl is born, after a few weeks of the date of birth, the parents take them to get their ears pierced. This is a very controversial topic today, because most people go get what they want because the acknowledge what they desire. But no one can tell if a new born really wants to get their ears pierced.

For our society, it is completely normal for a girl to have her ears pierced since their first weeks of being born. And it has been that way for many years. It is part of our culture. Same as tattoos are part of our culture. Tattoos can be traced back to the discovery of "Otzi the Iceman" in 1991. This discovery documented physical evidence that tattooing had existed as far back as 3255 BC. Until the discovery of Otzi’s body, the earliest human visuals of tattoos were found on corpses of members of ancient Chinese Dynasties; most notoriously the Zhou Dynasty which has evidence of tattooing being used an act of defiance against traditional code of conducts, as well as a darker history of being the marker of criminals and bandits. In ancient Egypt and India, tattooing was a popular form of adornment and there is even evidence of an ancient Filipino city that was known for their intricate full body tattoos; “The Island of the Painted Ones”. There have been several methods of tattooing that have been used throughout history; hand-tapping, administering with a single needle and today’s use of a tattoo “gun” are a few examples. But no matter what method a tattoo has been conducted, the reasons behind it have always been complex, intricate, and also a unique part of human evolution and culture.

Another thing that is part of our culture, is facial and body piercings. As it was mentioned earlier, new born girls are taken to have their ears pierced. But, most people don't know how far back this practice actually goes. Piercings, both facial and bodily, are actually mentioned in the bible. (In Genesis 24:22 and Isaiah 3:21) Piercing is defined as literally puncturing or penetrating the skin, or parts of the body. Ear piercing is perhaps the most well known and most common type of piercing and can be found worldwide. It is a universal concept and practiced by both men and women alike. The second most commonly found piercing is nose piercing. The nose has always been a focal point of the face as it is located in the very center. For this reason, many tribes and cultures throughout history have chosen to adorn their noses with piercings. The practice of nose piercing is said to have originated in the Middle East and can be traced as far back as five thousand years ago. In India for example, females traditionally pierce their left nostrils because of its association with the spiritual practice of Ayurveda (a traditional holistic medicine), and its symbolic representation of femininity, childbirth and reproduction. It is considered to bring good luck to women who are with child and to lessen problems that may be associated with menstruation pains and birthing complications. Tongue piercing, on the other hand, was practiced as a bloodletting ritual by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs; who would pierce the tongue to let blood as an honor to the gods and as a means to attain a heightened spiritual conscience allowing for communication between the spirits and man. Like nose piercings, septum piercings are also commonly found through various indigenous tribes and populations. The septum piercing is extremely prevalent in tribes of the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, the Australian Aborigines, tribes of Central America, South America, and across Asia. Interestingly enough, septum piercing was also highly prevalent among certain Native American tribes; particularly the Nez Perc tribe of Washington state, whose very name comes from its piercing origin (Nez Perc means “nose pierced” in French; who’s fur traders gave the tribe their name). Lip piercings have also been documented well throughout various tribes and have been used symbolically for various reasons. In several tribes across Africa, Central and South America, lip piercings are often stretched to large proportions and clay plates or wood is inserted. The lip piercing is commonly associated with a rite of passage and as a statement of beauty in many of these tribes. Surface piercings are piercings which transverse a surface layer of skin on the body, instead of a piercing that completely runs through an entire piece of skin tissue, such as lip, ear, nose, navel, or nipple piercings. Because surfaces piercings are harder to heal; they are a relatively modern practice. There are various types of surfaces piercings such as eyebrow, neck, wrist and hip. Many are known as temporary or “Play Piercings” such as Corset piercings, which due to greater chance of skin rejection can only be in place for a certain amount of time before it has to be removed. These piercings are often practiced as part of Body Modification conventions and gatherings, and also may play a part in the fetish or BDSM community. No matter what type of piercing or the reason behind the act, however, it is undeniable that piercing will remain an important part of our history.

Just like piercings will remain a part of our history, so will branding and scarification. These, though practiced extensively by many ancient cultures is still found to be more taboo in practice today. It is known that branding and scarification practices

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