Bodily Modification: Tattoos, Body Piercings, Scarification, and Three Dimensional Body Art
Tattooing, piercing, scarification, and three dimensional body art have long been a cultural tradition, a rite of passage, symbolizing one's place in the world, who one is. Today there is no difference. Like our ancestors, bodily modification is again becoming a cultural occurrence. Rather than signifying one's tribe, religion, or status within a tribe, tattooing, piercing, and other forms of bodily modification are becoming symbols of the subculture one belongs to. For more than a century, American military personnel have tattooed themselves with symbols signifying their allegiance to their comrades and/or their group. (McDowell) The people of the Gothic movement pierce in order to show their individuality, or a portion of their personality. (Alsentzer) Both are similar practices for the same purpose, that of fitting in with their very different groups. In ancient Celtic culture people were tattooed with the symbol that signified a person?s place within the society. (Celtic Nation) Likewise, modern society also uses bodily modification to achieve or display status. Members of certain subcultures, some known as ?Goth? or ?Punk,? have
The majority of people open to performing some form of bodily modification, most particularly tattoos and body piercings, have unfortunately been subjected to some major form of abuse in their lifetime. (Winterson) Common belief holds that this opens the person to some sort of masochistic or other violent tendencies. However, persons enduring such strife tend to have a deeper understanding of themselves through the impending self-exploration. Artwork, in some form, is a common effect of self-exploration. Therefore, it is not impossible to believe that those with major bodily modifications are trying to express themselves artistically. (Levins) Such abuse, be it verbal or physical, rather opens the person?s mind to the concept of alternative methods of self-expression. Bodily modification can be used to express the inner workings of a person?s mind, thereby allowing like-minded individuals easier interaction. This, in opposition to earlier reasons, is to achieve a community feeling rather than that of detachment. Tattoos, body piercings, scarification, and three dimensional body art, while forms of art, serve multiple purposes.
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Approximate Word count = 772
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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