To start with, I might only be a 16 year old female living in a small town in north east England but I've seen and experienced, first hand, the prejudice that goes with Body Modification.
At A Glance Author Millie Contact [email protected] When N/A I often get asked "why the hell did you do that to yourself" by complete strangers, this is strange because to date I have no facial piercings. They are normally talking about hair dye, tongue or ear piercing. I find this really hard to understand, aren't we supposed to live in a democracy, equal rights, self expression etc. Have these people really never seen piercings before or are they just being ignorant. This brings me on to the link with schools, how can a parent honestly expect a child/teenager not to bully when their parents are bullies, if you say in front of a 12 year old "the person looks so stupid with facial piercings" the chances are they will see this as an acceptable form of behavior and take it into the class room. I'm sure a lot of people on here have experienced abuse or bullying over the appearance, and I could bet my last coin that some of you are over familiar with the terms "grunger" and "Mosher" just over piercings/tattoos or scarification.
So let's take things to the next level, what are we supposed to do when people get beaten up and assaulted over Body Modification? This isn't said to shock or deter you in anyway but it does happen! How can we stop these judgmental people ruining such a positive industry? We take it back to the parents, specifically those of "rebellious teenagers" if young people were allowed there say there views on such subjects without being judged, surely this would cut down on prejudice dramatically.
A very valid point my piercer made was that parents should not be allowed to force their views onto the offspring's, they have there own mind, and they can make their own decisions. I can see you, yes you there with your eyebrows raised. I can hear you laughing after all I'm only 16 years old, well this is to you: Take a step back and respect the decision I made. One of my old teachers asked me what I'd say to any children I have that wanted body modification, my answer would be, if you still want it in 6 months time and there is a reputable studio I will take you myself.
No I'm not trying to rebel against society, or my parents. I've done it to please me, for example can you see my nipple piercing? No you can't, so therefore did I do it to rebel, no one can see it, so there is nothing to rebel against. Am I responsible for everybody else's opinions?
Does having 13 piercings make me a terrible person? No most defiantly not. Society its self violates my rights to freedom and self-expression. Nobody has the right to tell you "you can't do that because I don't like it" when it comes to body modification, in fact saying that to anybody especially a teenager just makes them want to obtain the modification even more. Parents who slate teenagers or people in general over body modification are really not clever, if they are worried over safety, go check a decent studio, it's safe but just like walking down the street it carries risks, if there just being closed minded, shrug it off, it's your body, its your life.
Will people ever change there perceptions or is the body modification culture to be silenced forever? In reality we are a minority under the majority but this most certainly does not make the modified any less important or significant. Just because most modified people wont conform into the whole "smash-yer-face-in" crowd (damn good thing to) does not mean that they aren't "normal" people, I say these things in a sarcastic way because what is "normal" really? This is to the people who have ever ridiculed the modified, stop! And think for a minute, how would you feel is you were pushed into a corner over something so small? Would you be happy towards others? No most likely not. Although most modified people aren't assaulted, they are more often than not ridiculed, this disgusts me. How many people can honestly 100% say that they have never judged someone on there physical appearance, be it the pink haired girl in the street or the tattooed person from the shop? I bet it's more like 2% than 92%. BME is an amazing community for those people who are interested in body modification, and a great source of information for concerned parents. Can we make the world a better place? I think we owe it to ourselves to try, after all do we really want the next generation of modifies to feel like they can't express their individuality in the way that we have? I believe that the future for body modification is a bright one, keep up the good work BME, and think before you judge.