Body Modification

I decided to talk about Body Mods today, because I often times find myself on the modification side of the fence on this, arguing with people who have nothing better to say than "What about when you're old?", or exclaim "You've ruined your pretty face!"

This is the deal people.

Now the Body Modification Culture is something that while not truly within a specific alternative scene, sits along side it like a parallel line. **Alternative simply meaning non mainstream, so in this sense the Modification culture is truly considered an Alternative Culture as well. However, for these purposes i'm referring to co-cultures such as but not limited to: Goth, punk, rivithead, deathrock etc. with the usage of the term Alternative Culture**. Often times people who identify themselves or find themselves at home among these groups are people who identify with body modification to a varying degree. Now, this is by no means conclusive in the sense that EVERYONE feels this way, but in my personal experience this seems to be the most prevalent.

Moving on, many people wonder why do that to yourself? Well, everyone has his or her own reasons which can range from simply wanting it for cosmetic reasons, to feeling a tribal connection with their modifications. There is no right or wrong reason to get a Body Modification, it is YOUR body, so it is YOUR right. I know people who get a modification to accentuate a part of themselves they were previously unsatisfied with, for example: I have a friend who has her nose pierced and now loves her nose, but before she hated her nose. It can truly be as simple as that. Some people get them to shape a certain part of their body, like stretching or "gauging"(not the correct term), their ears or other body parts to a specific size. This is all very personal.

Now why do I like body modification? Because body modification, like tattooing for instance, calls to a primal part of ourselves yearning to outwardly mark who we are, and what we stand for, to others. Which is something that in American society we do not have, unless you have strong roots, chances are when you turned 13 or 16 or even 18, nothing happened. People, as a whole, struggle with not feeling that same sense of a climax, that other cultures have. Something that says, and from this point on your life is forever changed, we expect this change from you. But, that need is still there, and that is why it is produced in a tribal way. So just the same, it is a yearning for acceptance. If you can accept them with those pre-concieved notions of beauty abolished, then you truly accept the fiber of that persons being. If you can watch them participate in suspension or tongue splitting, without feeling a need to judge these people, but to simply accept. That is all that anyone asks for.

Since the dawn of man we have marked our bodies and mutilated them to prove who we are like badges of honor in some cases and scars of war in others, to remind both ourselves and everyone else what we have been through, and what we are capable of.

Therefore, there is a sense of unity in these actions.

Now, does everyone feel this way?

Surely not!

There are plenty of people who only get body modifications to seem badass.

Just like there are plenty of people who listen to Slipknot or koRn, then claim these are Goth bands, and that therefore, makes them a Goth, with their drippy black swirly make up and acne.

But, are they hurting anyone?

No?

Then leave them be.

There will always be people who are misguided, we all are at some point and again and again throughout our lives.

Just the same, there will always be superficial people who participate in anything that will get them attention. Does this make what avenues they blaze down, automatically bad?

NO!

Just because someone contracted Syphilis, does this make sex bad?

So someone got their nose ring infected, are all piercings bad?

Of course not!

Just because you or someone you know had a bad experience with something doesn't automatically make whatever it is, terrible.

You truly must look at the heart of these situations, because sometimes people are simply stupid jackasses.

But, the real question is, does it hurt you?

Are you somehow physically harmed because this person has stretched their lobes? Because they split their tongue? What about the horn implants on his or her head?

Humans have a tendency to split hairs.

Oh! But it's okay when I do it! But not when other people do it.

Bulltshit.

I hate to break it to you, but you aren't as special as you think you are.

So saying that it is okay that you want permanent Veneers(fake fangs), but whoever just put horn implants on their cranium is obviously not thinking clearly.

Maybe you should take a good long look in the mirror.

Who are you, really?

Because truthfully, we are all people, individuals if you will. So why is it so hard to accept other people, regardless of whether you agree with their personal choices?

Who are you to judge them for who they are, and the choices they make with their own bodies?

Just because you don't feel it is something you find appealing doesn't mean you should make assumptions about their characters or personal lives.

Why don't you try to be happy for them? They have the courage to go so far outside of the box in a physical sense!

It is something to celebrate, not condemn as being gross or wrong.

P.s.

Some people don't like stretching or slicing because of the way it looks. Now, yes, it is more permanent in most cases than a piercing, simply because it requires more effort to close.

If you choose to stretch your ears, you can purchase Emu Oil and rub it on your stretched lobes once you're done with stretching and wish to downsize.

Emu Oil speeds up the healing process in our skin.

Most slicing can be repaired with sewing, and sometimes the skin automatically repairs itself within days of being sliced apart. This happens a lot with penial slicing starting at the tip (what is this called, anyway?), and sometimes with tongue slicing.