raeblair

I was on the bus the other day and received some pretty strong criticism from an elderly woman about my piercings.

She mentioned how unnatural it was of me to be sticking needles and metal into my skin for the purpose of vanity, and how both piercings AND vanity itself were sins. The thing I found amazing about her critique was that she delivered it both respectfully and calmly. She wasn't outraged about it, she didn't cause a scene, but very simply laid out her opinion. She was just mislead; as most people are when it comes to body modifications. She was wearing lipstick and had her ears pierced, herself. Had it have been a different tone of conversation, I would have replied to her "I suppose you were naturally born wearing earrings, then?".

(My piercings: angelbites, and a septum)

It made me start to really wonder why it is that tattoos, piercings and all things related have become so taboo in today's society? We either have to search back into primitive times or seek hope in the far future to see body modifications as an accepted part of our cultures. Unfortunately, we've created a stereotype for people who fall under the category of "modified" in society. Most people see piercings and tattoos as "dirty", "trashy" or "unprofessional". It's a shame that this is what we have turned something that derived from a cultured tradition into this sort of image (maybe a concept I'll go into in another blog). It's hard to break the mould of a stereotype once it's been hardened in to the minds of the public. 

I long for the day where all body art can be considered accepted, and appearance comes second to persona.