Body modification

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Body modification (or body alteration) is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the human body for non-medical reasons, such as; sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, aesthetic reasons, denoting affiliation, trust and loyalty, religious reasons, mystical affiliations, shock value, and self-expression.^[1]. It can range from the socially acceptable decoration (e.g., pierced ears in many societies) to the religiously mandated (e.g., circumcision in a number of cultures), and everywhere in between. Body art is a modification of any part of the human body for artistic or aesthetic reasons.

Types of body modification

• Anal stretching ^[2]
• Body piercing - permanent placement of jewelry through an artificial fistula; sometimes further modified by stretching
• Branding - controlled burning or cauterizing of tissue to encourage intentional scarring
• Breast implants - Insertion of silicone bags filled with silicone gel or saline solution into the breasts to increase their size
• Breast ironing - Pressing (sometimes with a heated object) the breasts of a pubescent female to prevent their growth.
• Dermal anchoring similar to transdermal implants ^[3]
• Eyeball tattooing - Injection of a pigment into the cornea.
• Ear piercing - the most common type of body modification
• Ear shaping ^[4] (which includes Ear cropping ^[5], Ear pointing or "elfing" ^[6])
• Extraocular implant (eyeball jewelry) - The implantation of jewelry in the outer layer of the eye.
• Female genital cutting - removal of the labia minora or the clitoral hood
• Frenectomy ^[7]
• Genital beading - also known as pearling
• Genital bisection - splitting of both the underside and the top of the penis, including Genital inversion ^[8]
• Male circumcision - removal of the foreskin, sometimes also the frenulum--conversely some men choose to take up foreskin restoration.
• Meatotomy - splitting of the underside of the glans penis
• Headsplitting - splitting of both the underside and the top of the glans penis
• Microdermal implants ^[9]
• Nipple removal ^[10]
• Nipple splitting ^[11]
• Nullification involves the voluntary removal of body parts. Body parts that are removed by those practicing body nullification are for example Fingers, Penis (penectomy), Testicles (castration), Clitoris, Labia or Nipples. Sometimes people who desire a nullification may be diagnosed with body integrity identity disorder or apotemnophilia. ^[12]
• Scarification - cutting or removal of dermis with the intent to encourage intentional scarring or keloiding
• Scrotal implants ^[13]
• Silicone injection ^[14]
• Subdermal implant - implantation of an object that resides entirely below the dermis, including Horn implants ^[15]
• Subincision - splitting of the underside of the penis, also called urethrotomy
• Surface Piercing - A surface piercing is a piercing where the entrance and exit holes are pierced through the same flat area of skin.
• Tattooing - the mechanical placement of ink in the dermis
• Lingual frenectomy ^[16]
• Tongue splitting - bisection of the tongue similar to a snake's
• Tooth filing ^[17]
• Transdermal implant - implantation of an object below the dermis, but which exits the skin at one or more points
• Trepanation ^[18][19][20]

Body modifications occurring as the end result of long term activities or practices

• Corsetry or tightlacing - binding of the waist and shaping of the torso
• Cranial binding - modification of the shape of infants' heads, now extremely rare
• Foot binding - compression of the feet to modify them for aesthetic reasons
• Non-surgical elongation of organs by prolonged stretching using weights or spacing devices. Some cultural traditions prescribe for or encourage members of one sex (or both) to have one organ stretched till permanent re-dimensioning has occurred, such as:
  • The 'giraffe-like' stretched necks (sometimes also other organs) of women among the Burmese Kayan tribe, the result of wearing brass coils around them. This compresses the collarbone and upper ribs but is not medically dangerous. It is a myth that removing the rings will cause the neck to 'flop'; Padaung women remove them regularly for cleaning etc.
  • Stretched lip piercings - achieved by inserting ever larger plates, such as those made of clay used by some Amazonian tribes.

Controversy

The head of a man with conspicuous tattoos and other body modifications

Some sources of controversy stem from the notion of attempting to artificially beautify the natural form of the body, often leading to charges of disfigurement and mutilation. Extreme forms of Body Modification are occasionally viewed as symptomatic of body dysmorphic disorder, other mental illnesses, or as an expression of unchecked vanity^[21]. Unlicensed surgery {i.e. the plastic surgery field} performed outside of a medical environment can often be life-threatening, and is illegal in most countries and states^[22].

"Disfigurement" (a subjective term) and "mutilation" (regardless of any appreciation this always applies objectively whenever a bodily function is gravely diminished or lost, as with castration) are terms used by opponents of body modification to describe certain types of modifications, especially non-consensual ones. Those terms are used fairly uncontroversially to describe the victims of torture, who have endured damage to ears, eyes, feet, genitalia, hands, noses, teeth, and/or tongues, including amputation, burning, flagellation, piercing, skinning, and wheeling^{[citation needed]}. "Genital mutilation" is also used somewhat more controversially to describe certain kinds of socially prescribed modifications to the genitals, such as circumcision, female circumcision, castration, and surgeries performed to conform the genitals of individuals with intersex conditions to those of typical males or females^{[citation needed]}.

Breast implants are also a part of this controversy, mainly for their known health risks and documented complications. Some women experience breast pain, breast hardness, and numbness in the nipple; sometimes, these conditions persist the rest of the patient's life. Due to these complications and documented ruptures post-surgery, the FDA has approved breast implants only for women over 22 years old. [1]

Individuals known for extensive body modification

• Pete Burns
• Elaine Davidson
• The Enigma
• Lolo Ferrari
• Julia Gnuse ("The Illustrated Lady")
• Cindy Jackson
• Katzen ("Cat woman")
• Tom Leppard
• Eric Sprague
• The Scary Guy
• Lucky Diamond Rich
• Hao Lulu
• Horace Ridler ("The Great Omi")
• Stalking Cat ("Cat man")
• Stelarc
• Jocelyn Wildenstein
• Pauly Unstoppable

See also

• Apotemnophilia
• Attraction to disability
• Blood ritual
• BME, a large website devoted to body modification
• Fakir Musafar, the grandfather of body modification
• Full body tattoo
• Suspension (body modification)
• Transhumanism

Notes

External links

• The Official Body Modification Organization
• Pictures of scarification in Africa - Features by Jean-Michel Clajot, Belgian photographer
• Body Modification E-Zine Encyclopedia entry showing various inappropriate uses of ear piercing instruments
• Body Modification E-Zine article on the Studex System 75
• Church of Body Modification
• The Scary Guy's Website
• Breast Implant Info.org a website containing unbiased information on breast implant benefits and risks created by the non-profit organization, the National Research Center for Women and Families