The Body Image

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Rob

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With a positive or healthy body image, a woman has a real perception of her size and shape. She also feels comfortable with her body. With a negative body image, a woman has a distorted perception of her shape and size, compares her body to others, and feels shame and anxiety about her body. Being unhappy with your body can affect how you think and feel about yourself as a person. A poor body image can lead to emotional distress, low self-esteem, unhealthy dieting habits, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Developing a positive body image and a healthy mental attitude is crucial to a woman’s happiness and wellness.

–Womenshealth.gov

I had a conversation with an ex-gf last night. We were out with a group of old friends, and someone handed us a picture of the two of us from when we were dating. She looked pretty much the same, which is impressive as the picture was over 10 years old, while I looked substantially different. Sure my head is shaved now, I have a beard, and I wasn’t even modded back then, but the thing I noticed most was my body. I’m not an overweight guy, I’m a little on the big side of average, but nowhere close to being an unhealthy weight. In my mind, I’ve always been roughly the same size. It turns out, I’ve been wrong. You see, in the picture I was a stick figure. I started asking around, “was I really that skinny?”. I was holding a photograph of myself, and I still couldn’t believe it.

It really got me thinking about how we perceive ourselves by our body image, as well as how much we rely on others to judge us. While I don’t want to get too deep into a discussion about eating disorders and the like, I did want to talk about how we, as people who go to great lengths to modify our bodies, feel about the judgments and stigmas that arise when discussing body types.

We as a community are a very unique bunch. We all do things to achieve what we perceive as the way we want our bodies to be. We push the limits every day of what the human body can take in terms of modification. We stretch, pull, poke, cut, and more, all in the goal of getting self satisfaction.

So given all that, what makes us different from those with eating disorders? I’m not trying to make any accusations here, I’m just throwing some ideas out there to discuss. Think about it. To a person who has a negative body image, like the quote above describes, they are not happy with the way their body appears. These people will then go to extremes to try to force their bodies into how they believe it should appear. Crash diets, excessive exercise, eating disorders, all of these are what people (and yes this goes for men as well as women) go through to change themselves. The sad part of these behaviours is that often when the person reaches their initial “goal”, they will find something else wrong and continue the behaviour.

So where does the fault lie? Where do these people get the notion that they need to change themselves to fit a specific ideal? This is where the line gets very blurry. We as a community are continually changing ourselves. Some more than others, and some even feel the need to continually change as they can never quite attain their goals. Plus there are a number of modified people who also suffer from a negative body image, and do have the same problems that an unmodified person may have. I think the answer may lie in the motivations. With modifications we deviate from the “norm”. What may be considered unacceptable in some places, is celebrated here. We have bonds with each other where we can get together and discuss our progress. We talk about new techniques, new ideas, ways to make our changes even better than we could imagine. We have support.

Yet when it comes to issues of weight and body image, things become slightly different. To discuss one’s modifications with other modified people is the norm in our community, to someone suffering from an eating disorder, talking to someone about it can be the hardest thing in the world to do. To talk to someone means that you first must accept that you have a problem, but then you have to do the unthinkable, which is go to someone and say out loud that you have a problem with your self-image and you need help. There is no stigma in our community towards getting modified, yet for some reason when a person chooses to alter their body shape, or suffers from an eating disorder, there is still a negative stigma attached.

When you look at someone who is overweight or obese, your first thought probably is “they should lose some weight”. Yet to many people they feel that they themselves must lose weight, even if by society’s standards they aren’t overweight or obese. There have been many studies and books written talking about how over time the media and society have crafted what would be considered the ideal standard, which to many people is an unrealistic standard. We’re now in a world where more and more people are doing drastically unhealthy things just to meet this falsified standard.

Which brings me back to us. Do we as a community hold a double standard when it comes to body types? We’re a global community that willingly welcomes people with open arms, regardless of what they look like in terms of their mods. Yet when we discuss body type and body image, do some of us forget how we’re all here because we are taking control of our bodies, which means accepting the way we look? The reason I’m asking these questions stems from an older ModBlog post that was brought to my attention. Last December IAM: Botexty submitted an image of her newest tattoo. She just sent in a healed image which I want to share with you now.

flattery

Going back and looking over the comments, you’ll find a mixed bag of reactions. Some discuss the tattoo, others compliment her on her ass, and some do the exact opposite. And while most of those people were chastised, I found it a little upsetting that readers of ModBlog, who are some of the most open-minded people I have had to privilege to know, can possess the capacity to judge a person simply on their body shape. Isn’t that part of the reason we’re all here. This community is built as a safe haven for those sick of being judged out in the world. A place where they can be who they want to be without fear of negative comments about their bodies.

I pose this question to you now ModBlog readers? Are we truly an accepting community, one that ignores the “faults” in others, or are we just a microcosm of the larger world where we have members that find it acceptable to pass negative judgement on a person’s body, while expecting approval for their own body?

Son of a bitch, I’m sick of these dolphins.

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Rob

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go on an overnight drunk, and in 10 days I’m going to set out to find the shark that ate my friend and destroy it. Anyone who wants to tag along is more than welcome.

– Steve Zissou – The Life Aquatic

zissou

Oh Bill Murray. Is there anything you do that isn’t brilliant? (For the record I choose to believe the Garfield movie doesn’t exist).

Seriously. I grew up with Bill on the big screen on a regular basis. I was a bit too young to catch his SNL stint, but by the time Ghostbusters came out, I was 6 and ready to see it. I can remember being terrified by the scene in the NY public library, laughing at slimer and Rick Moranis, and thinking Dick getting melted marshmallow dumped on him was the greatest thing ever. Of course it wasn’t until I was older that I was able to go back and watch Ghostbusters and truly appreciate the brilliance that went into making the film. Seriously, go back and just watch Bill. Every line is delivered perfectly. I highly doubt any actor could have pulled that role off as perfectly as he did.

Of course, as time went on, Bill’s star began to fade. By the 90s most of his films are forgettable, with maybe the exception of Groundhog Day and Rushmore. Speaking of Rushmore, I’d say that was when he rose like a phoenix out of the ashes of his career. Somehow Wes Anderson was able to reach back in time and yank the Bill Murray from 1984 and place him in the body of Bill Murray 1998. Since then, he’s had a string of brilliant films where he’s been able to showcase his ability to act, as well as his comedic skills. If you have any doubt about it, go watch Zombieland.

Now as strong as my appreciation for Bill is, IAM: fist_intheair definitely has me beat. Nikko Hurtado from Hesperia, CA. did this piece on him recently, and I was floored when I saw it.

Regardless of your current feelings towards Bill, you must have some fond memory of at least one of his performances. Was it his turn as Ernie McCracken in Kingpin? Or maybe you’re a bit older and prefer him in Meatballs (fun fact: I went to the camp across the lake from Camp White Pine outside Haliburton, ON, where Meatballs was filmed). Obviously fist_intheair prefers Steve Zissou, so what was/is your favorite Bill role?

Thursday, I don’t care about you

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Rob

Have you ever had a moment where life just is overwhelming. No matter where you turn things just keep getting worse.

It happens to all of us at some point in our lives. You can chalk it up to a string of bad luck, the universe is out to get you, or the consequences of whatever belief system you subscribe to. No matter the reason, there comes a time where to some shutting down seems like the only option. Think about it, you’ve lost your job, your partner has left you, bills are piling up, you don’t get along with your family, friends are nowhere to be found. Any one of those things are hard to deal with, but imagine going through all of them at once. At some point most people will hit a breaking point and just give up, welcoming whatever bad thing my be lurking around the next corner.

It’s in situations like this that whatever coping strategies we may have developed over the years can really help. Especially in a situation where you have nobody to turn to but yourself. Thankfully in today’s world there are people out there. Strangers that will help you overcome your difficulties. Except that these people cannot be proactive. It would be a nigh impossible task to sit down and call everyone on the planet daily to check in on their well-being. So the onus comes back on the person. That first step that needs to be taken. With the weight of the world on your shoulders, even making one step can seem impossible. This is where looking inside can help. You need to gather up whatever ounce of strength you have left, and force yourself to take that step, and realize that everything will be ok.

This image was uploaded anonymously, but if anyone knows who the arm belongs to, please send a name my way so I can give proper credit.

Pulling through the pain

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Rob

“Death is a stopping of impressions through the senses, and of the pulling of the cords of motion, and of the ways of thought, and of service to the flesh.”

– Marcus Aurelius

The following image is one of a series of photos sent in by IAM: Bruisepresser

pull

As near as I can tell, this pull, and the rest of the images come from some performance or photoshoot that was done.

What strikes me most about this image is the raw emotions that were captured. You have this moment where the pressure of the pull is being felt, and the hands are back holding on for support, either physical or emotional. The moment where all the sensations are becoming overwhelming and her face is showing the emotional, physical, and spiritual feelings that are passing through her body. While she is in costume, and has a mask of paint on, you can see beyond all that. Beyond the physical action of the pulling. Beyond the costuming and makeup. You are able to see right into her being.

This is why we do the things we do. To reach a point in ourselves when we can truly see and feel what it is to be our ideal. Whatever mods you have, or activities you participate in, they’re all building to moments such as this one. When we can strip away all the trappings of the outside world, and bare our souls to ourselves. See what we really are, and what we want to become.

So thank you Bruisepresser, for sharing this moment with us.

Your face reminds me of a flower

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Rob

Bees can learn to recognize human faces, or at least face-like patterns, a new study suggests.

Rather than specifically recognizing people, these nectar-feeding creatures view us as “strange flowers,” the researchers say. And while they might not be able to identify individual humans, they can learn to distinguish features that are arranged to look like faces.

–LiveScience.com

I started today’s posts with a discussion on subtlety, and how over time a person’s mods become so much a part of them that they can forget they’re even present.

Now let’s look at the opposite side of the coin. T-Man Tattoo recently uploaded this photo of a facial tattoo.

face

A number of things stood out to me about this image. First and foremost, the colors are beautiful, they really pop, and the design fits her face really well. The other thing that stood out to me, when put into context from my post earlier today, was that of a question. Would this be the type of mod that someone could forget they have? The reason I bring this up is that as a decision, facial tattoos are definitely up there on the list of major life choices. While not to downplay any other modification and it’s significance, the facial tattoo has a long tradition as being culturally significant. Cultures for centuries have been using facial tattoos for various reason, some for beauty, some for intimidation, and others for religion. No matter the reason behind it, the facial tattoo is one of the mods that will alter others perceptions of you the most. Of course what matters most is one’s own sense of self, and I’m not forgetting that at all.

To put it simply, it takes a brave person to really seize control of their body and alter it in any way. It takes an even braver person to do it in a manner that bucks the current cultural trends, and taps back into those cultures that came before ours and paved the path for modifications as we know it. Hopefully we will all be around to see a day when modifications of all kinds become as culturally acceptable as the ones that are accepted today. I’ve said this countless times now, that modifications are less about showing off to others, but more for becoming who a person wants to be. I’ll be the first to do the dance of joy the day people with visible modifications can walk down the street and nobody will even think twice about their appearance.

Gotta catch’em all!

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Rob

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Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Pokemon. Good. Now if you’ve never seen the TV show, lower your hand. Finally, if you’ve never played any of the games (card or video) lower your hand. Those of you with your hands still up. You should probably put them down, people will start staring at you wondering why there’s a crazy person starting at their computer with their hand in the air.

Now if you raised your hand at any point, congratulations, you’ve been exposed at some point in your life to the cultural phenomenon that’s been going on almost as long as that documentary about Allen has been in existence. I think what is interesting to note at first, is that the first generation of kids that got into Pokemon are well into their 20s. So it should come as no surprise that Pokemon related modifications are becoming more prevalent.

When it comes to a pop-culture related mod, a lot depends on context. I know that if I had gotten say a River City Ransom or Clash at Demonhead tattoo 10 years ago, only people my age would have a clue as to what they were a reference to. Now with films like Scott Pilgrim coming out (seriously, best movie I’ve seen in 10 years, go watch it) you have this resurgence of classic pop-culture being exposed to a generation that wasn’t even born before the N64 was released. Now when it comes to Pokemon, you’re seeing a completely different type of generational culture attachment. Pokemon is still going strong today. We’re at a point with it where the kids who were part of the first wave of fans, are now sitting down with their own children to play the games. For someone my age it’s hard to imagine that occurring for me. While Pokemon is still popular with the young folk, the shows and games I grew up on are only getting a resurgence in popularity due to nostalgia. Some may argue that the exposure is still present, and while it may be, the children of my generation will only be able to watch the shows and play the games we grew up on if we were able to hold on to our childhood possessions. Granted, I personally thought ahead. If I ever have a child, when they’re old enough to play video games, the first game they will play will be Super Mario Bros on my original NES. When they want to watch a cartoon, I’ve got the full collections of GI JOE and Transformers sitting on a shelf waiting for them. So yes, the exposure to these classic pop-culture icons will essentially be forced, it’s nice to know that with the digital age those younger than me can enjoy the games they played as a child with their children, at it will still be culturally relevant.

Now, seeing as how I may have exposed myself as a geek, let me distract you with a picture of one of those Pokemon fans that has grown up and gotten a scarification piece done of their favorite Pokemon, #38 Ninetails (I had to look that up).

ninetails

So, those of you who raised your hands, what was your favorite Pokemon?

Skin deep

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Rob

I was going to hold off on this article until later in the week, but then I realized that I’d be depriving people of a really special treat.

So I was going through the newsfeed submissions when I found this article on an exhibit currently going on at the Wellcome Collection in London. The exhibit is titled “Skin” and it showcases the significance different cultures have placed on skin over the centuries. It includes images of early anatomical lessons, as well as skin samples preserved to showcase the tattoos on the donor.

A black and white photograph of a patient in a Parisian hospital is the first piece in the exhibition. Running the length of the patient’s back is a giant scar.

“This photograph sums up a lot of the underlying themes in the exhibition, first and foremost the exploration of skin as a physical and metaphorical frontier between the inside and outside of the body,” co-curator of the exhibition Lucy Shanahan told Reuters.

Pieces of tattooed human skin from the 19th century are on display beside a case devoted to the Maori tradition of tattooing.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “That’s it Rob? An art gallery? What kind of treat is that?”. Well, I have a simple answer to that. Keep reading.

Now after reading about the exhibit, I thought to myself, “Self, what can I post that would go well with a story about the historical study of skin?”. Well, I started to look around when I heard the familiar chime of an e-mail hitting my inbox. I switch windows to find an e-mail from Jen. In it contained something that some of you may have seen before, but I’m guessing a lot of people haven’t.

The following is a video from a 1995 documentary on a very young Allen Falkner. In it Alan talks about the importance of skin and flesh, and the significance he puts on working with it. I could go on, but I’ll let Allen take it from here.

It’s interesting to look back 15 years, or 1500 years, and see just how much the modification of skin has played an important role in our cultural development. While techniques and procedures have changed over the years, the importance we as humans put on identifying ourselves through our skin is still present. In the video Allen has captured the essence of realizing that the skin is much more than just a simple organ covering our bodies. The skin can serve as a doorway to both spiritual enlightenment and personal satisfaction. Through modifications such as suspensions, one can not only learn about themselves, but also how they wish to become through whatever transformative act they choose.

If you don’t have time right at this moment to watch the video, I encourage you to come back to ModBlog when you can and watch it in its entirety. This is our version of a historical document, one that will one day be added to a historical exhibit such as the one going on at the Wellcome Gallery now.

…and Wednesday too

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Rob

There’s something to be said for subtlety. A lot of times we focus on the big picture, bright bold images of drastic modification. Don’t get me wrong, I love those images as much as the next person, but sometimes I like to see an image that is subdued.

grey

Looking at this image from Altered Designs you may not even notice any modifications. I know I didn’t. I took me almost a full minute to see the anchors on her back for corseting. Once I saw them of course, I couldn’t miss them again. The photo, and the piercing job, combined to make this image both about the modification, and not at all about it. Just because this woman doesn’t have the most noticeable mods we’ve ever seen on ModBlog, it doesn’t detract at all from quality of the image.

You see, as much as I love seeing modifications that can best be described as being on a large scale, a nuanced image like this can really remind me that modifications aren’t just about getting the biggest and best. They’re about altering your body to the way you want. I’m not going to go on about that point, as I covered it yesterday, but you can see in this image a person whose mods are visible, yet they blend in with her. They have become an extension of who she is, and we can look past the superficial trappings of modern expectations towards modifications, and see her for who she is: A woman who just happens to have mods as part of who she is.

Personally I had a moment a few years ago when someone asked me a question about one of my tattoos. For a moment I was puzzled at the question. Not about the question itself, but the fact that I had completely forgot that the tattoo wasn’t always there. I have had it so long, it is just my skin to me. My mod has become just a natural extension of of my self, to the point that I can’t remember what it was like before then. So when faced with a question about it, I blanked simply because it seemed odd to me that someone would ask me a question about something that to me had felt like it was always there.

Have you had a moment like that? The first time you realized that your mods have become a permanent extension of yourself and you forgot that they were even there?

Who knew saving the rainforest could be fun

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Rob

So picture this: You’re sitting at home, thinking to yourself, “Self, I think I want to save some animals today”. Now you’re stuck because it’s not like you can just run outside and physically protect an endangered animal, especially if the animal is one of those cute fuzzy ones that can rip your throat out in a heartbeat. So what can you possibly do?

Well, donating money is definitely a great way to help out, and heck, for most donations you get a tax write-off. So you should probably do that. But what if that doesn’t satisfy you? There must be something you can do that wouldn’t take you to a far away country living in the wilderness.

Well what about getting a tattoo? I’m sure one or two ModBlog readers have some of those. Actually I’d hope so, or else all the tattoo pictures I’ve posted are going to waste.

Back to the helping animals thing. It turns out two separate organizations on opposite sides of the globe have found a way to turn getting a tattoo into something that can help the planet.

First, there’s TATZOO, an eco-contest that promises free tattoos in exchange for help protecting endangered species! Fifteen finalists were selected on Aug. 5 based on their ideas for raising awareness about the leatherback turtle, California condor, or other endangered species local to the Bay area. Those tattoo-loving finalists now need to engage at least 100 people with their idea — for which they’ll be rewarded with a free tattoo of their endangered species, inked by locally famous tattoo artists.

And farther away in Melbourne, a three-day tattoo convention called Rites of Passage Festival calls all tattoo-loving environmentalists to enjoy art and music along with environmental education (via The Green Life). According to the website, the festival will showcase eco-friendly tattoo supplies — and raise funds for rain forests

In the case of the Rites of Passage Festival (not to be confused with the lovely boys and girls in the suspension crew), 100% of their proceeds go towards the charity. So if you happen to be in or around Melbourne at the end of January, head on over. You never know, you could save a spider monkey from being run over by clear cutting operation.

Personally, I’ve donated money to a couple of charities over the years. I know the WWF has a program where you can buy a stuffed animal with the money going to save the real version of the animal. I hope George “The Animal” Steele got the money ok. That green tongue of his won’t change color on its own. Do any of you have a favorite charity you help out when you can? Is there a reason why you chose that one in particular?

On the front lines

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Rob

I’ve been where you are now and I know just how you feel. It’s entirely natural that there should beat in the breast of every one of you a hope and desire that some day you can use the skill you have acquired here.

Suppress it! You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is Hell!

–William Tecumseh Sherman

Before I begin this post, I want to take a moment to address some criticisms that may occur in the comment section. The following post is not meant as a political statement in any way. Nor is it an endorsement of any armed conflict. This is about those people who choose to do what they believe in, regardless of the thoughts of others.

I don’t think in any period of documented history that there has been a time where the entire globe was at peace. Wars have been waged since the dawn of mankind, and will probably continue on long after everyone reading this is gone. While the reason wars occur vary widely, there is one constant in every conflict: the soldiers. The men and women who are either forced into service, born and raised in it, or volunteer for it, all have one thing in common. These men and women all put their lives on the line for a greater cause. Granted we have the luxury of looking back on the past and are able to place our own judgement on the validity of the causes, but in the moment, these people took a stand when ordered.

I realize that ModBlog has a global audience, but for the time being I’m going to be focusing on the US soldiers currently stationed in Afghanistan. These brave soldiers have chosen to put their lives on the line for their country. Whether you believe that the war is justified, or should be stopped entirely, for the time being, these people are out there facing death each day. I know there are a lot of members (former and active) of the armed forces that read ModBlog, and hopefully some will be willing to share their stories with us. The reason I say this is because TIME Magazine recently did a photo essay on a number of troops stationed in Afghanistan. The one thing these men have in common is their love of tattoos. I hesitate to claim they love other mods, simply because I’m positive military regulations prevent them from possessing certain modifications such as piercings, and there’s no way to ascertain their personal feelings regarding modifications. That said, these men are on the front lines every day, and the shadow of death is constantly overhead. Here’s how some of them cope with their feelings about the situation they’re in.

Sergeant Paul Williams, 20

During a recent embed with Marines in Marjah, Afghanistan, photographer Mauricio Lima asked the men to share the stories behind their tattoos. Williams’ back features two bulldogs, animals frequently used to represent “Devil Dogs,” a nickname commonly applied to the Marines. The words on his shoulders are from the Dire Straits song “Brothers in Arms.”

Like I said earlier, no matter your personal feelings towards the current conflict in Afghanistan, there are men and women out there choosing to put their lives at risk for what they believe in, and for their friends and family back home. So take a moment to think about these soldiers, the people, who are standing up and living their lives how they want to. The way I see it, these soldiers are not only modifying their bodies to be who they want to be, but they’ve taken things a step further than a lot of other people who modify themselves; they have completely transformed their bodies and minds to become their own ideal. The way I see it, even if you don’t agree with the war, these soldiers are brave in not only standing up for what they believe in, but also for taking extreme steps to modify their minds and bodies.