What is body modification? I think in the modified world body modification is anything given to the natural body which is not natural. For example: anything done to the naked body to cover, change, or alter, basically anything outside a primitive state. This would cover anything down to the basics of clothing, cutting hair, or even getting glasses. The most extreme body modifications are received as medical procedures, having an organ removed, replaced, or fixed not to mention surgery on extremities. A more in depth look to body modification could be covered in what we know as commonly as tattooing, piercing, and branding. There are other things outside of this which include but are not limited to: amputation, sub-dermal/transdermal implants or even implant grade surgical steel placed under the skin for a "textured" effect.
At A Glance Author bridgersmith Contact [email protected] When N/A Body modification has been around since the beginning of mankind. Most of these body modifications are known as rights of passage. A slightly broader look into this would be the modern world. People in the modified community in a lot of cases are looked down on for practicing their freedom of choice. I know when I am personally walking through the supermarket I get a lot of looks, most of the time these looks come from elderly people. Now to not baffle anyone, I love elderly people, they are the ones that got us where we are today and a majority of them protected our freedoms. There are elderly people out there with modifications but they are not the ones I am referring to. I'm referring to the ones that are scared of it or are interested, but too afraid to admit it or even ask questions. This leads to the fact that in some cases it bothers me to be stared at, these particular cases are when the look is disgust. This makes me think a few things such as, take a picture it will last longer, or what are you looking at, look at yourself before you judge me, so your ears are pierced, or you are wearing clothes, or had your hair cut. Just so you understand me I wear clothing other than the times I don't need it. I am not a nudist. My point being here is that everyone is modified weather they like it or not.
What makes one person better than another? I am a member of the modified community that has never been in any kind of real trouble outside of minor traffic violations. I have never been to jail/prison nor have I come close to facing a conviction for something serious. I feel though when being in a situation where people look down on me, I am thought of as some kind of convict. And once again I am not. I am simply a person who looks on the outside how I feel on the inside.
Body modification makes me feel good about myself. Instead of going and buying expensive designer clothing or having a really nice car, I choose to express myself through ritual and primitive activities to make me feel better about me. So what if I have metal in my body or ink on my skin, it makes me feel happier, which in turn makes me a more productive person. It bothers me to know that there are no laws currently protecting the modified community from discrimination. The only "people" who are protected federally are those discriminated against for; race, creed, color, sexual preference or disabilities. While these are not bad laws to have, many say that the modified community should not be protected under them because we created the discrimination. We didn't create this and it didn't just start happening out of the blue. We as modern modified peoples just continued the tradition. We carried on from our own cultures and borrowed from others rights of passage rituals and beautification.
I do not expect everyone who reads this to understand or agree, but at least try and respect the literature provided. I am not a great linguist or contextual writer so please forgive me in that fact. I do what I can. As you can see body modification means a lot to me as well as others. If you are reading this and you are not modified I implore you to try and understand the modified world, and if you are incapable of understanding it then I would ask you to respect it on a certain level. So once again ask yourself, what is body modification?
(this experience was written from my own personal opinion, some facts may be wrong or otherwise disputable, but it's what was in my heart at the time of writing, all i can hope for is you enjoying a piece of my heart, and being thankful that there are people out there fighting for the rights of the mod. community. thank you.)