When was the last time you saw a body modification that didn't have a meaning? Body modification has been around for centuries and has helped lift spirits, has helped lift self esteem, and has helped lift physical appearance. Discriminating people for their own personal modifications to their bodies is not acceptable for 3 main reasons: it’s part of people’s culture, religion, and everyday life. Culture is Key Culture is a way of life, without culture people are lifeless. That is why discrimination against body modifications is wrong. Many centuries ago, body modifications were a huge part in the way humans communicated! Instead of crowns and jewels, people used body mods to show who had a higher status in society. Ancient Egyptians were found with tattoos of animals and mystical creatures. Could this be used to bring their people closer to the soul of the Earth? Could it maybe be that the tattoos were sacrifices to the gods for the animals they were given to hunt? The author to the forum on FragranceX stated, “Tattoos depicting animals and mythical creatures were also found on the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptian people” (“The History”). Gauges were used to show hierarchy back before gold could be melted down into crowns. Now that sounds a lot more convenient than putting on an expensive hat? The bigger the gauge, the higher up you were in society. In the first paragraph of the website it explains, “Stretched ears can be dated as far back as 3300 BC on Otzi the Iceman who had 11-17 mm gauges” (“The History”). For some odd reason, regular ear piercings are accepted nowadays in our modern society, but the craze for gauges has been lost in history. Relying on Religion When people think of religion, they usually tie in the ... ... middle of paper ... ...ody and not the other way around. It’s time for a change, so do everyone a favor and stop discriminating culture, beliefs, and everyday uses for body modification. Their might just be a time when somebody has had enough of the resentment and has a meltdown on the next person to say something against his/ or her beliefs. Works Cited "Body Modifications and Mutilations." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013. Haywood, Sharon. "HOW BODY Modification ENDED THE War against MY BODY." Herizons 2012: 24-26. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. "The History of Body Modification Around the World." The History of Body Modification Around the World. FragranceX, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2013. Leone, Lorie St. "The Art and History of Body Modification by Lori St. Leone | Lightspeed Magazine." Lightspeed Magazine. N.p., Nov. 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.
Someone with body modifications does not care if others do not have body modifications; however it seems that people without body modifications care a lot more about the people that do. According to the article “The Modern Primitives” by John Leo, Leo confirms my statement by saying that body modifications are a sign of a crisis. In reality, these are people's chosen lifestyles that have absolutely no effect on his everyday life. Within his commentary, Leo discusses the many different forms of body modification such as piercing, tattoos, corsetry, branding, scarring, and S&M. A nose piercing might be on the more “innocent” side of body modification, but scarring by a knife would be on the “more extreme” side, showing the various stages of adversity.
The reading assigned titled “The Socially Constructed Body” by Judith Lorber and Yancey Martin dives into the sociology of gender with a specific focus on how the male and female body is compromised by social ideals in the Western culture. She introduces the phenomenon of body ideals pressed on men and women by introducing the shift in cosmetic surgery toward body modifications.
We all are unique in a different way; our body is different just like our face color. Thin, fat, thick, or over weight each one of us is different from everyone else, this is what make us individual. By changing your body it’s like taking away your identity and personality. The author suggest that plastic surgery is being done from one women pulled from exactly the same face structure and mostly they all look the same. Most people think when they get cosmetic surgery done they’re becoming in with their own ideas on what they wanted to look like, but if you really think about most people undergo surgery hoping to look better and to look way different that they use to. It is unfortunate because one shouldn’t feel the need or necessary to alter their face or body to look more beautiful or perfect. People should have a surgery to change their inside instead of outside. Most of the things we do are to feel included and to feel like someone is paying some attention to us. Society don’t really pay attention or care about that one fat girl who sits in the cafeteria by her self with a big nose and an ugly face, but that girl with a long hair, a perfect smile, and face structure is one that everyone remember. It is just so unfair and sad that society have to tell us what beautiful and what
Individuality is becoming a rising tide and it is changing everything about life as we know it. People are starting to care less about conformity and the rules of society. They are starting to focus more on what it means to be free and also what it means to be an individual. Standing out and being different is a major part of individualism. Some people chose to stand out by being creative and doing creative things such as getting facial piercings, which are also known as body modifications.
“Body Art as Visual Language” by Enid Schildkrout talks about the different forms of body modifications, and their meanings within different cultures. For example, Schildkrout says “Head shaping may be a sign of high status in one culture and low status in another, but to a total outsider, these practices may appear to be simply mutilation.” In this quote, the author talks about how one body
The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it. Something that particularly struck me about ancient Egyptian art was their proneness to use animals in their art. Not only do they use the animal’s full figure, but they also put individual parts on human bodies. This intrigued me because not many cultures have art that embrace animals to this extent. I will be exploring why the ancient Egyptians depict animals in their art repeatedly, and considering what they meant to them.
Body modification is defined as any deliberate alteration to ones’ physical appearance. Most people think that only tattoos and piercings fall into this classification, but this is barely grazing the surface of the extents that body modification can lead to. Anything from a simple ear lobe piercing to breast implants, or tattoos and scarifications are all considered as some form of modification. In western cultures, modifications are made for aesthetics and self-expression, but every culture is different. Native American tribes find spiritual clarity or vision in body suspension, where the body is literally hung on hooks, and in Imperial China's practice of binding the feet of women to represent wealth and beauty. In this paper we will not only look into different piercings, but the history behind them and tattoos as well, also the different modifications that various cultures practice, and why. I will explore tribes such as the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia and the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. By the end you will have learned about various cultures and traditions, and have a whole new perspective of the art of body modification.
Some such technologies include reproductive technologies designed to see and care for mothers and fetuses prior to birth, physical prosthetics to aid with average daily motion, and machines designed to aid quality of life. While, from the outside, all of these may seem like helpful and important advancements, by examining how individuals use and interact with these technologies, we can evaluate the value of their use and potential consequences. Specifically considering the topic of body modification, this can mean several things, from Cochlear Implants to reconstructive surgery. Body modification is important to consider because one’s sense of embodiment “shifts over time or by context (Kafer 4).” While this quote specifically applies to disability, it’s used here to further emphasize how something as large as surgically changing one’s body can impact how they see themselves, and change that sense of self more permanently than temporary use of the aforementioned technologies. While having similar takes on the idea of body modification, and its effects on embodiment, both theories ultimately approach the subject slightly
...oils our image in the society. If the non-medical cosmetic surgery is banned, more finance would remain in our own pockets which would lead to our better social conditions, our future generations would be more sensible as the superficial concept of beauty would not be bestowed upon them, and the deaths resulting from infections after cosmetic surgery would be considerably reduced. This ban can only be achieved with the collaborative effort of Government and society. Government must implement and enforce legislature stating the ban of non-medical cosmetic surgery, and society must accept this referendum without any protests or opposition. I am certain that if non-cosmetic plastic surgery is banned, the modern concept of ‘outer beauty’ will be replaced by more sophisticated concept of ‘inner beauty’ and our future generations wold be more sensible and more moralistic.
Body modification by definition is deliberating altering the human body. Most people at one point has altered his or her body at one point whether is to dye his or her hair or to get piercings or getting a tattoo. Since there are many different types of body modifications, most people do not think about extreme body modifications such as piercing in the genitals, splitting the genitals, horn implants, body suspensions, and many more. Body modifications can be deviant and they do lead people to perceive those individuals as criminals, and body modifications can effect on a person’s life.
If individuals neglect to adjust to the circumstances, then the society is going to eventually fall apart. Aside from tattoos and piercings, how would our society act upon other abnormalities, such as disabilities or age? If someone with a disability were able to complete the tasks required for a specific job, would employers not hire this person because he or she does not want a disabled person seen in their business, because it looks “bad” for the company? If a younger adult who was qualified for the job came in for the same job as an elder, would the elder be chosen first, just because he has lived longer, and supposedly has had more “experience”? If the answer to these two questions is yes, then the society is looking at life in the wrong way. These examples are similar to the tattoos and modifications situation. Society as a whole has to realize, if the person is able to do what he or she is told, then there should be no conflict, no matter what complications the employers have with the individual’s appearance.
...getting cosmetic surgery will eventually become abnormal. Meaning ‘true’ beauty isn’t what the media is representing and the norm will become to have ‘false beauty’. Communicating this form of science and technology in this way results in giving individuals a negative message about body image as well as leaving out certain scientific data or risk behind it, meaning people cant make informed choices.
Almost always people are encouraged to change themselves to meet the standards of the media and advertising. There are the few that see nothing wrong with a person for how they look naturally; however, those few usually do not have as much impact as the ones who cause said insecurities. There is so much about the human condition in “The Birthmark” which are still relevant for modern society, even though this story was written 150-200 years ago. One could say that it is sad that things like this are still a problem; maybe even more of a problem than they were before, with people being obsessed with perfection. There is a solace though; the number of those who see nothing wrong with physical diversity is growing. Maybe someday the story "The Birthmark" will no longer be
...hink even though there is nothing in the church laws that forbids body modifications (Larratt), these modifications are frowned upon by many religious people. I think that I will cover my tattoos, for now, so that I do not upset any of the other parishioners, but I will not ever question the morality of my choices in body modifications!
Formal regulations on appearance have been put in place by many companies for various reasons. One being, some jobs call employees to have direct interaction with customers and you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Certain physical attributes have been heavily associated with different stereotypes which can be hard for some people or customers to look past and not judge off appearance alone. For example, if you walk into a doctor 's office and the receptionist or nurse has five face piercings and tattoo sleeves that might scare the patient off because those things are not physical attributes we typically associate with medical professionals. If done properly regulations can help a company.