Body Modification

I found it strange that in the past, in many ancient traditions, body modification has taken place to increase attractiveness. Tattoos were tribal in some cultures and in others men would be tattooed all over their bodies to even out the pain felt in child birth by the female members of the tribe. Tattoo's in modern western society have lost their link to such traditions and have become a fashion accessory, for example, the "emo" star which has it origins with sailors.

Piercings also originated in tribal communities and were considered strange when they were brought over to western society. When asked in the lecture held on body modification, whether i had purposely modified my body I immediately thought no, not considering my ear piercings to be anything of the sort. This is because our society has become used to piercings, we do not consider them as something which modifies us drastically. It is the same when you cut your hair or when you colour it is just a less extreme form of modification.

Above and below are examples of more extreme forms of modification which cause shock and disgust, and of which we may soon become immune to.

To see more pictures and information, visit http://www.bodymod.org/home.asp or http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/