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.

Modify Personal Review

While cruising Netflix, my boyfriend and I came across this documentary. Both being huge fans of body modifications, we decided to see if it was worth a watch. Two hours later, we realized we had just sat through a whole documentary barely saying a word. Whaaaaat? 

When you think "documentary", you probably think of David Attenborough and giggling over the mating scenes when you caught the animal planet specials on television as a kid. I can't say I've never sat through a documentary in my life - visited the IMax a many times to watch "the Nile River", "Dinosaurs", or "Creatures of the Deep Sea". But typically, when they don't include a British narrator or exotic animals, they are NOTHING to sit through and enjoy watching. Modify kept my attention the whole time.

It really is an eye-opening film to the world of body modification and art. One that I myself have a huge interest in (if you're actually reading me, you can expect lots of entries on this sort of topic). With an open mind, and two hours to blow, you can see in to this fascinating world too, and I guarantee that many stereotypes, prejudgements and fears about people who modify themselves or modification itself will disappear in your mind. It really helps many people thicken their dividing line between "modification" and "mutilation".

Whether it be as dramatic as tattooing, branding, cosmetic surgery, and piercing to as simple as wearing cosmetics, contacts, cross-dressing and hair-dying, it is all modification, and all in attempt to make the body more beautiful and personal to ourselves.

The human body is unfinished, and while we are here, we take our canvas, and we make ART out of it.