At A Glance
Author	anonymous
When	N/A

First of all, I am grateful to BME and Shannon for this awesome site, which has made me feel more normal in regards to my mods. I am not a heavily modified person--I had two eyebrow rings, but thanks to rejection, I now only have one, and I have three tattoos. However, I come from somewhere where tattoos and piercings are not common, so that is a lot, especially to look at me with my mods hidden--I look very "innocent".

Now the actual point of my writing. I was born with a condition called Pseudo-parahypothyroidism, which is a form of dwarfism, and getting stared at and having people ask to touch me is an almost everyday event for me. Walking down the street some people pass me, stop, and stare without any regard for decency and decorum. Children point and ask questions in loud voices and their parents, instead of admonishing them, stare and point as well. Like Erik Sprague discussed in his article "Can I Touch You" (c) 2005, I also have people act in disbelief and indignation when I refuse to let them touch my hands (they are the most affected part of my body and the greatest curiosity). Why am I putting this on BME? Simple--my mods are one of the things that help me ignore this daily rudeness.

It wasn't always this way. When I was 16, I got my first tattoo�I was just happy because I had always wanted a tattoo, and hey, I had one! But when I got older, I began to think about how mods also helped me to control my body. I had no choice but to be born a dwarf. I have no choice but to adapt to the world around me. However, modifying MY body�that was MY choice. I could do it the way I wanted to. I began to realize that body modification could take something that had always been a source of shame to me and make it absolutely lovely. I began to plan for my next tattoo, a maple leaf on my shoulder. That, to me, signifies ME. Me the Canadian citizen, not me the little person. And it made me feel better�I was professing something I loved�my country�and taking something I didn't like�my slightly disfigured body�and making it completely mine. My next tattoo helped a lot as well. It was a Celtic cross, and it once again signified ME�I'm Irish Catholic. I loved my tattoos and whenever I walked down the street, I could endure the stares, because I had two secrets�my tattoos (at that time I kept them both hidden...now I show them off at appropriate times). I could smile and know that I had taken something back from them, because my body no longer belonged to them and their eyes�I had made it mine.

Soon, however, it became difficult again. I need to do something to show to THEM, the regular public. At first I simply began wearing spaghetti straps to show off the tattoo on my shoulder, but as winter began to set in, that became cold. I needed something new. I began to think about getting a piercing. I thought long and hard and finally decided to get my eyebrow pierced. Instead of getting just one, I decided I would eventually end up with three in a row. I had seen that and I liked it. I got my first one done in January of this year. I loved it. Now I could walk down the street and when people stared I could smile and nod and flash my eyebrow ring at them. I doubt that they understood the significance of that, but I did. They wanted to stare�I'd shown them that they may stare, but it is still my body, and I will still do what I wished with it�dwarfism hadn't taken that away from me. In April I went and got my second one, right beside the first one. Sadly, just last week, due to rejection, I had to take out the first one. But the significance of that first one didn't leave with the removal of the actual piercing (I still have a scar, ha ha�kidding).

I have read many things about why people get piercings. I have read many accounts of prejudiced towards modified people. I am not intending with this article to put down their experiences�I only intended to show how piercings and tattoos help me as a disabled person be more accepting of myself. Sometimes when I'm walking down the street and I get the stares I feel shame again, but then I go home and look and my mods and I do feel better�it reminds me of why I got them done. To any people reading this who are dwarves�or disabled in anyway�don't let that stop you from getting modifications. I am not saying it is a magical cure for what ails ya�but it can help give your body back to you and make it truly beautiful.

Thanks to everyone who read this article and pondered upon it.

P.S. I get people clucking the tongues at the "child" (I look very young, being tiny with a youthful face) with modifications�it is rather humourous.