Body modification
Body modification is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the
human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social ,
BDSM "edgeplay" or
aesthetic. It can range from the socially acceptable decoration , to the overtly religiously mandated to corporal punishment, to provocative statement by the rebellious . Some even become physically addicted to the adrenaline/endorphin release associated with a painful procedure in a way analogous to that experienced by those who self harm. Some people experience an abstract but distinct compulsion to modify their body that appears to have no underlying or external reason.
Encyclopedia
Body modification is the permanent or semi-permanent deliberate altering of the
human body for non-medical reasons, such as spiritual, various social ,
BDSM "edgeplay" or
aesthetic. It can range from the socially acceptable decoration , to the overtly religiously mandated to corporal punishment, to provocative statement by the rebellious . Some even become physically addicted to the adrenaline/endorphin release associated with a painful procedure in a way analogous to that experienced by those who self harm. Some people experience an abstract but distinct compulsion to modify their body that appears to have no underlying or external reason.
Some futurists believe that eventually humans will pursue body modification with more advanced
technological means, such as permanently implanted devices to enhance mental and physical capabilities, thereby becoming
cyborgs. For the substantial number of people with
heart pacemakers and
brain implants such as
cochlear implants and electrical brain stimulators for
Parkinson's disease, this is already a reality.
Controversy
One controversial objective of body modification is the attempt to resemble another
race, such as Asians having their
epicanthal folds modified supposedly to resemble non-Asian eyes or skin lightened with dyes , or
suntanning.
Other sources of controversy stem from the notion of attempting to artificially beautify the natural form of the body, often leading to charges of disfigurement and mutilation. Extreme forms of Body Modification are occasionally viewed as symptomatic of body dysmorphic disorder, other mental illnesses, or as an expression of unchecked vanity. Often the general public are unprepared for some forms of modification and reports of the ostracism of modified individuals are widespread within the modification community. Unlicensed surgery performed outside of a medical environment can often be life-threatening, and is illegal in most countries and states.
"Disfigurement" and "mutilation" are terms used by opponents of body modification to describe certain types of modifications, especially non-consensual ones. Those terms are used fairly uncontroversially to describe the victims of
torture, who have endured damage to
ears, eyes,
feet, genitalia,
hands,
noses,
teeth, and/or
tongues, including
amputation, burning,
flagellation,
piercing, skinning, and
wheeling.
"Genital mutilation" is also used somewhat more controversially to describe certain kinds of socially prescribed modifications to the genitals, such as
circumcision,
female circumcision,
castration, and surgeries performed to conform the genitals of individuals with
intersex conditions to those of typical males or females. Those opposed to the practice of sexual reassignment surgery may consider it genital mutilation, done for
psychological reasons; this is universally rejected by those in favor of it, who more often consider the reasons medical.
Typology of body modification
Body art is any body modification for artistic or aesthetic reasons.
However the term is often extended to all socially significant markings, often displaying the bearer belongs to some hereditary , age, religious or other group, and therefore on body parts that remain or can be 'decently' exposed in public, except if the group is private or even secret.
"Mainstream" body modification
...
"Extreme" body modification
- Tongue splitting - bisection of the tongue similar to a snake's
- Subdermal implant - implantation of an object that resides entirely below the dermis
- Transdermal implant - implantation of an object below the dermis, but which exits at one or more points
- Extraocular implant - The implantation of jewelery in the outer layer of the eye.
- Breast ironing - Pressing the breasts of a pubescent female to prevent their growth.
Genital body modification of females
(plural
labia) is a Latin [i]-derived term meaning "Lip [i]". ...
or the
clitoral hoodGenital body modification of males
- Male circumcision - removal of the foreskin, sometimes also the frenulum--conversely some men choose to take up foreskin restoration.
- Castration - removal of or chemical disabling of the testes
- Penectomy - removal of the penis itself
- Penis enlargement - via mechanical, chemical or surgical means
- Meatotomy - splitting of the underside of the glans penis
- Headsplitting - splitting of both the underside and the top of the glans penis
- Subincision - splitting of the underside of the penis, also called urethrotomy
- Superincision - splitting of the top of the penis
- Genital bisection - splitting of both the underside and the top of the penis
- Scrotal bisection - splitting of the scrotum
- Genital beading - also known as pearling
Other surgical body modification
- Plastic surgery - a medical field devoted to body modification, some of which is reconstructive in nature
- Amputation - intentional removal of digits or limbs
- Breast augmentation - enlargement of the breast via implants
- Gender reassignment surgery - a surgical process that changes an individual's primary sexual characteristics accompanied by breast implantation or mastectomy
Body modifications occurring as the end result of long term activities or practices
- Dieting - alterations in eating habits that can deliberately result weight loss or gain, the ultimate extreme in the former being anorexia and in the later "force feeding" as practiced by some middle eastern and African cultures
- Bodybuilding - resistance training to increase muscle mass
- Orthodontics - braces or other devices used to straighten the teeth
- Hormone therapy - - a surgical process that changes an individual's hormonal balances through intake of synthetic hormones
- Corsetry or tightlacing - binding of the waist and shaping of the torso
- Cranial binding - modification of the shape of infants' heads, now extremely rare
- Foot binding - compression of the feet to modify them for aesthetic reasons
- Non-surgical of organs by prolonged stretching using weights or spacing devices. Some cultural traditions prescribe for or encourage members of one sex to have one organ stretched till permanent re-dimensioning has occurred, such as
- The 'giraffe-like' stretched necks of women among the Burmese Kayan tribe, the result of wearing brass coils around them. This compresses the collarbone and upper ribs but is not medically dangerous. It is a myth that removing the rings will cause the neck to 'flop'; Padaung women remove them regularly for cleaning etc.
- Stretched lip piercings - achieved by inserting ever larger plates, such as those made of clay used by some Amazonian tribes.
Individuals known for extensive body modification
There is disagreement regarding Lepore's age, as she refuses to comment on it, with guesse...
See also
- Full body tattoo
- Apotemnophilia
- Blood ritual
- Cosmetic surgery
- Suspension
- BME, a large website devoted to body modification run by Shannon Larratt
Sources and references
