I hope the length of this piece does not discourage anyone from reading it. Before the dark, frigid weather of another New England winter arrives, my plan is to have my final mods of 2004 done. I will take the subway to both procedures, traveling in one direction on the Red Line to Cambridge for my piercings and then going in the opposite direction on the same subway line for my tattoo man in Quincy. With all the faith and confidence a person can posses I visit two talented artists I have chosen and trust and explain my needs, my thoughts, the wishes I want transformed into reality, skin inked and pierced making me more beautiful, unique and complete in my eyes and those of the ones who love me.
At A Glance Author Liz Contact [email protected] When N/A The two tattoos I have now are not visible when I'm dressed but that is how I want it. I have an "old school" heart with a cross on top bearing my husband's name and Latin prose above it. It lies beneath my underwear close to my Christina piercing. The 2nd design sits between my breasts, slightly to the right, a Celtic Mother's Knot design drawn by the great Pat Fish, demonstrating my love and devotion to my children. This can be sometimes seen when I wear a low cut shirt, just a hint of ink, visible as the tip of an iceberg, the rest lying hidden beneath my clothes.
While I ride the train I see other modified people, passengers who share this art form or expression of speech or whatever it happens to mean to them, if it has any meaning at all. I also know that there are other "un-modified" individuals among us who are quite possibly sporting more extreme piercings or ink than our more illustrated brothers and sisters. They just choose a less obvious display.
For every hundred people with mods, there are a hundred reasons behind them. For some it is a sign of rebellion, an anti-establishment 'fuck you' to society and authority. It feels good to be different. These people love the stares and the raised eyebrows. Many say they don't but it appears that the whole point of mods for this particular group is the attention they receive, they are making a statement, and being ignored would be disappointing. Other heavily modified people accept the stares and comments as just coming with the territory, they are comfortable in their skin and no anger exists.
There are also the people who will try anything once or those who desire it because 'everyone else' is doing it. They crave to fit in. These modified people are the direct opposites of the mods who despise conformity. Having the same piercings, etc., would be unacceptable to the former who are the driving force behind the more extreme mods being developed. What the latter wants depends largely on what is "in"- they are the 'Brittany Spears' of the modified world.
I do not understand how someone can walk into a tattoo studio and just get a design, something with no real meaning, no emotional tie. They don't know what they want and they don't really care what they get, all they know is that they want a tattoo. I remember one BME story vividly; it was written by a girl who had her latest boyfriend's name tattooed on her leg, only to break up weeks later. After that she revisited her tat artist and had a new guy's name inked on her other leg. She wrote that they were casual relationships but she is now sporting the name of these two temporary guys forever. What does it mean to her? What does it do for her? Ink for the sake of ink, I can't relate on any level. Does that make me better than her? Absolutely not. Nope, it doesn't make me smarter and it doesn't make me wiser, it is just an observation of the different people and their motivations and how different we are even considering our similarities.
I have also felt the sudden urge for ink or steel, it was powerful but I'm the type to apply the breaks and take the time to "think" about what I will have done. Every piercing and/or tattoo I have or want to get has great significance to me. Piercings can usually be closed up with time and jewelry removal. But ink is something that you will wear for the rest of your life, how can it be taken so lightly? But then again, mine is another segment of our community. I guess you can refer to me as the emotional category or the cautious type. Those who disagree with me might call me a pussy, especially on the next subject.
Since my arrival into the BME community, I have noticed like any community, there are many varied opinions on almost any topic. The subject which fascinates me the most is not the "why" or the "what" but the debate on anesthetic or more accurately, pain and its place in the piercing process/ "ritual."
Anesthetic use is a topic with a noticeable bias; the same people who abhor the bias that they encounter in society are some of the very same people who harbor a prejudice against people who choose to use anesthetic, topical or other. To them, if you don't accept the pain, embrace the pain- you are somehow "un-deserving' of your piercing. What bullshit! This argument is a bogus belief occasionally found in some circles of new mothers, experienced mothers know better. Some women believe strongly in natural childbirth, God bless, 'em but others take it a step further. They believe that every woman should experience "natural childbirth" and those who don't, won't or can't, are somehow less worthy than those "super moms" who do. Women who require or request pain relief are viewed as failures by these morons. That is insulting and offensive at its face!
The outcome of a successful labor is having mother and baby come out of this intense experience as healthy as possible. I find this analogy an accurate one. If I choose to pierce my labia, hood, nipples, clit or conch and I want to use Topiciane, EMLA etc., to take the edge off- what is the problem? If it makes me feel better, enhances my experience and makes it the best it can be- isn't that the point? Not all of us are in it for the pain, as are some in the modified community. I recognize that many consider pain an integral part of the piercing, tattoo process. They believe anesthetic is a cop out, just like the snotty, holier-than-thou women who look down their noses at those of us who had anesthetic when we delivered our children.
I've detected this bias from piercers and piercees alike while reading BME and it troubles me. I have tried it both ways- I have had piercings and tattoos done with no anesthetic and I've used topical anesthetic cream on others; contrary to what I've read, there is a difference. In my opinion and during my experience, I had significant pain relief when using a particular cream, what I don't understand is why some piercers discourage customers from using them. Yes, the pain of a piercing is brief, but why experience any at all if pain is not part of what draws me to body modification in the first place? Maybe it is just a difference of opinion but the appearance of bias is not a figment of my imagination.
All in all, people who modify their bodies, no matter the level, are like a family, there will be disagreements and quarrels. What we do share is a love of changing our bodies, adorning our physical selves into the vision of what we want instead of what we were born with. Some of us are walking memorials, the names of loved ones forever written on our skin. Some see transdermal implants as enhancing what we already possess. Whether you are pierced, punched, scalpeled or branded, the similarities and differences remain. They always will. What is vital is that we are always there for each other, supportive and respectful, knowing that we are a family, even when the rest of the world treats us differently.