Ok..so i found this vid on youtube:

I have tattoos. 4 of them in fact. I like tattoos. I also have (dormant) piercings (havent worn piercings in years...occasionally earings). Nose, many in my ears, and belly button. Pretty tame imo.

I never considered my piercings or tattoos as anything but body decoration (not body modification..which a lot of this youtube video contains). I dont wish for this thread to get into whether or not we consider tattoos or piercings ok or not (there was a thread on that a while back). What i would like to focus on is why do you think people go to the extremes (and imo the people in this video have gone quite extreme) in their body modifications.

NOT that there is anything wrong with people going in for body modifications, i just wonder why they would wish to be THAT different..to that degree. IE: Tattoos on the face and stretching of ear holes etc.

Ive often wondered why a person would want to modify their skin to that extent.

What you recon?

Or other extremes you can think of?

I have tats and piercings too, like you Eek, just a little bit of adornment.

There seems to be a common factor amongst all those extreme body mod people; None of them would be considered good looking in their natural state. They are covering up their natural ugliness with extreme stuff.

I think they congregate at clubs etc too....mutual support.

The guy with the pickle through his earlobe was interesting. The others, dunno. A bit over the top for me.

I have only ever had my ears pierced, but have nothing against tatts or piercings at all. I find tatts interesting, if they are well done. Not those schoolboy rasor blade ink filled after a joint things.

Also the guy with the moobs hanging down...

Sorry, just read your OP again.

I do not know why these people would go through body modification. There may be some deep inside hate for themselves or sumfing. Or to keep up with their mates, as they jingle jangle down the road!!

I'm sure eek and most know that body modifications have been around for hundreds of years. Primarily for ritual (eg. right of passage) or beautification methods in some cultures. As for the modern world version, the above probably still applies but add to it pain seekers, cliques, personal statements, being individual, etc. to the mix. A couple of interesting sites. Note that the 2nd one has more members then Thaivisa at 171,458.

Body Modifications - Today and Yesterday

Bodymod.org

Have to admit that this one is a bit OTT but certainly unique and I haven't a clue as to why.

^ Wouldnt that get a bit messy whilst eating and drinking?

Photoshopped?

Don't like any sort of 'adornment' myself - not tattoos, not even pierced ears, although many people have them.

Can't help broken noses or missing teeth from a rugby scrum, even had the nose put right, and a few other scars from other incidents. But basically I'm as the Good Lord made me.

Definitely do not like this current craze among Footie players, rugby players and soccer players to ape the Maoris and have these whirly-curly arms full of tattoos. Many will regret it in later life, when they try to enter normal business life. (If they do).

I recall seeing a guy with dreads down to his knees and one half of his entire face fully tattooed in the green ink style--sort of Maori-ish except, of course he was a white guy.

I recall looking at that guy and thinking, why would you do this to yourself? You look like a scary freak.

Cultural I can understand, its why we do many things. But can we say these people are doing it because of their culture too? I don't know but I don't think so. Its not a dominant culture (like the Maori tattoos of old) so I don't think it can ascribed to that. self hate? possibly. desire to be individual certainly we all do but this is so extreme can that really be the reason too? I don't know, is it akin to body image issues many young women suffer that result in eating disorders?

I am sure someone has done a study on it, but it is so far beyond my ken, I would have to say, it stumps me.

Ive often wondered why a person would want to modify their skin to that extent.

Makes them unemployable ...... A life on social security.

Ive often wondered why a person would want to modify their skin to that extent.

Makes them unemployable ...... A life on social security.

Except, as I say above, a lot of highly-paid ball-players do it as well.

There, I think it's a follow-my-leader thing. Some brain-dead Slovak full-back with the shaven head an' all (definitely a BNP recruit) does it so many more brain-dead defenders follow his example.

I met an English guy the other night. He had full sleeves and trousers of tattoos, the funny thing was that he was wearing flip flops on his untattooed lily white feet. Looked sort of weird... I guess in winter he covers up.

The ring I have through my nipple is more than just adornment...it is actually an accentuator of pleasure during love-making.

Pierced tongues give pleasure too for the recipient of oral sex.

What about the guys who get those little pearly things embedded under their foreskin?!

What about the guys who get those little pearly things embedded under their foreskin?!

Chelsea Pensioners?

in answer to your question eek.

i think it has a lot to do with personal indentity and the social scene in which people mix.

back in the u.k. some of my friends share the same kind of fashion sense, as well as going out to bars, pubs and gigs together. most are heavily tattooed and have several kinds of body piercings, but it doesnt mean to say that they arent normal people underneath all the exterior decoration. they like everybody else enjoy now and again a doner kebab, fish and chips or even a Mcdonalds. watch english soap operas like eastenders or coronation street (god knows why), go shopping to sainsburys, tesco and asda. some even have what you may call a normal 9 to 5 job, wear a shirt and tie and their work colleges dont even have a clue about the fact that they are heavily tattooed and live a different life outside the work place.

this is where some of the problems start, when people have pre conceived ideas about what may be normal and how they judge, label other people who dont fall into the category and stereo type.

IMHO its no wonder why some people turn to doing such things when they encounter such narrow mindedness. its all about being individual and not being lumped in the same boat as everybody else.

but its funny how things change!. i remember 20 odd years back going to clubs and gigs and listening to what was then regarded as an independant style of music. look what happened,all of a sudden every one started to wear dr. martens, unwashed jeans or combats, grew their hair, got tatts, piercings and started listening to nirvana. now you have this trend wear its seen to be trendy to do such things, by football players, pop stars and celebs. yet while i was growing up and in my teens it was frowned upon.

why did i start to do such things. mostly because i felt comfortable with it, but also to rebel against my father. i could see him turning from what i once knew to be a loving and caring man to a someone i didnt know anymore. he became a very successful business man, making lots of money, but at a price or as i saw it in my eyes.i only got to see him at the weekends when he returned from his business trips. he lost all my respect and all i could see was this plastic, fake person something i didnt want to be. so from around the age of 15 i started to turn, i got my ears pierced (now have 4 on the left side and 1 on the right) i have had my nose, eyebrow and lip done and now have a total of 6 tatts(all chosen at different points in my life and for reasons)

its caused problems both in my relationship with my father and from people with prejudice views of such things(especially on the work side of things). thankfully now though my father and i have a good relationship and have put our differences behind us.

i suppose the same can be said about the wife. she has piercings and being religious and of chinese extraction has several tattoos. doesnt stop some though talking under their breath when out and about. the usual look s as if im with a bargirl. do we care, no! up to most if they want to live in their own little narrow minded cocoon. we are to busy living our lives and enjoying it.

heres a few pic of the types of people i used to hang out with back in they u.k. some of the most beautiful women ive ever met were goth, industrial, cyber girls. bet you wouldnt even know it if you saw me walking down the street. funny how peoples pre conceptions change once you really get to know them.

I'm not sure if I care tor this guy's hairdo...

in answer to your question eek.

i think it has a lot to do with personal indentity and the social scene in which people mix.

back in the u.k. some of my friends share the same kind of fashion sense, as well as going out to bars, pubs and gigs together. most are heavily tattooed and have several kinds of body piercings, but it doesnt mean to say that they arent normal people underneath all the exterior decoration. they like everybody else enjoy now and again a doner kebab, fish and chips or even a Mcdonalds. watch english soap operas like eastenders or coronation street (god knows why), go shopping to sainsburys, tesco and asda. some even have what you may call a normal 9 to 5 job, wear a shirt and tie and their work colleges dont even have a clue about the fact that they are heavily tattooed and live a different life outside the work place.

this is where some of the problems start, when people have pre conceived ideas about what may be normal and how they judge, label other people who dont fall into the category and stereo type.

IMHO its no wonder why some people turn to doing such things when they encounter such narrow mindedness. its all about being individual and not being lumped in the same boat as everybody else.

but its funny how things change!. i remember 20 odd years back going to clubs and gigs and listening to what was then regarded as an independant style of music. look what happened,all of a sudden every one started to wear dr. martens, unwashed jeans or combats, grew their hair, got tatts, piercings and started listening to nirvana. now you have this trend wear its seen to be trendy to do such things, by football players, pop stars and celebs. yet while i was growing up and in my teens it was frowned upon.

why did i start to do such things. mostly because i felt comfortable with it, but also to rebel against my father. i could see him turning from what i once knew to be a loving and caring man to a someone i didnt know anymore. he became a very successful business man, making lots of money, but at a price or as i saw it in my eyes.i only got to see him at the weekends when he returned from his business trips. he lost all my respect and all i could see was this plastic, fake person something i didnt want to be. so from around the age of 15 i started to turn, i got my ears pierced (now have 4 on the left side and 1 on the right) i have had my nose, eyebrow and lip done and now have a total of 6 tatts(all chosen at different points in my life and for reasons)

its caused problems both in my relationship with my father and from people with prejudice views of such things(especially on the work side of things). thankfully now though my father and i have a good relationship and have put our differences behind us.

i suppose the same can be said about the wife. she has piercings and being religious and of chinese extraction has several tattoos. doesnt stop some though talking under their breath when out and about. the usual look s as if im with a bargirl. do we care, no! up to most if they want to live in their own little narrow minded cocoon. we are to busy living our lives and enjoying it.

heres a few pic of the types of people i used to hang out with back in they u.k. some of the most beautiful women ive ever met were goth, industrial, cyber girls. bet you wouldnt even know it if you saw me walking down the street. funny how peoples pre conceptions change once you really get to know them.

What a wonderful down to earth response. (about those wierd funny people with tusks)!! Joke. Kudos.

I'm not sure if I care tor this guy's hairdo...

Now we know where Suegha has been hiding...

Nice post tigerfish, but I don't think those are really the kinds of people that eek is really talking about. She is talking about the people who do extreme mutilation. My sister has an amazing tattoo of a tiger down the entire side of her torso and one on her shoulder. Yet as the owner of an extremely successful magazine that she started herself nobody really pays much attention to tats they can't really see. Its the people who go to the extremes, so much so that no, they really can't hide it with a long sleeved shirt, that make my wonder.

People like in patsy's photo. Why would anyone want to make themselves look like a circus sideshow freak?

examples:

I guess there are a lot of proud moms and dads out there.

I've seen the Lizard Man interviewed on TV once and appears he has a pretty acceptable reason, but suspect the percentages are pretty low doing it as an art form.

What do you do for a living?

I am an artist and an entertainer. I make my living performing around the world. My show consists of a mix of stand-up, spoken word, and sideshow stunts.

Why have you transformed yourself via various body modification processes?

My physical appearance is part of a transformation project I began as an undergraduate working in body based performance art.

What is the transformation project?

While in college I hit upon the idea of using body modification procedures (initially tattooing) for a body based art piece that would explore the idea of what it means to be human from a linguistic standpoint. I was working with philosophy of language and it occurred to me that some of the principles put forth by Wittgenstein in his later works offered an interesting potential for exploration in relation to the transformation ideas I had been working with in art.

Lizardman FAQ

The video imo shows people who can change their looks. Its not a permanent fixture. Which is what im curious about.

When i was in my teens and early 20s I was into rock. I dressed a kind of hybrid glam/grunge. My friends were punk rockers. I have some great old photos of the time. My hair always got a lot of comments, because i went through a lot of colours. The guy I was with at the time (who i married, and finally we divorced many years later after about 15 years of being separated, and are still good friends), had the biggest backcombed hair on the planet. I went a more conservative path, he is now a punk married to a wonderful dita von teese looking lady. They had a cyber punk wedding. Lots of body modifications and fantastic hair. Wonderful looking wedding. The bride wore red.

Although I had fun with being relatively extreme with my hair and clothes it could always easily be tamed down. The video of the cyber goths shows people whos style can be changed and altered easily. But, when a person decides to have their face completely tattooed and certain body modifications, they know its a permanent decision. This is my point. I wonder what would make someone decide that they wish to have something permanent..to that degree. Its a life changing, life altering decision.

but I don't think those are really the kinds of people that eek is really talking about.

Snipped your quote..please dont report me.

Exactly. Ive grown up with people who dressed in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways. Its just how you wish to express yourself. An adornment. Its like painting on a style..it can all be removed..washed off..etc.

Extreme body modifications are permanent. Thats the side that i would really like to discuss.

If i had my time round again..id love to be a Japanese Harajuku kid! Still want to go there. Will be a dream come true when i see with my own eyes.

But im

These discussions are interesting, and reveal little bits of people that we might not have understood. I can't understand why people would do a complete, off the wall, reconstruction of their body, but who knows what goes on in people's heads when they do it. It somehow ties into sbk's post of "Look at me. Look at me".

I was standing in a theatre line-up with mostly middle aged people who were all talking while waiting for the doors to open. A couple of punk-rock kids were hanging around nearby smoking, and one had bright orange and purple hair cut in a Mohawk style. I could over-hear the comments of the middle age group and most were tsk tsking about the kid's hair. I just laughed and said fairly loud, while pointing to my head, "At least he's got the choice of hair style!". Everyone laughed and changed the subject.

If i had my time round again..id love to be a Japanese Harajuku kid! Still want to go there. Will be a dream come true when i see with my own eyes.

But im

The Harajuku experience is fun, but somewhat worrying seeing guys dressed up as Little Bo Peep who could be teaching kids in the Morning !!!

The Superheros in their underpants made me laugh.

I found the Cyber Goth girls rather alluring.... Regardless of how they look on a Sunday, the attractive ones will still be attractive however they are dressed on a Monday.

Individuality is an attractive trait but as this thread shows; everyones limits and boundaries are different. IMO some people go too far, in their opinion I am probably rather conformist and boring.

I've seen the Lizard Man interviewed on TV once and appears he has a pretty acceptable reason, but suspect the percentages are pretty low doing it as an art form.

What do you do for a living?

I am an artist and an entertainer. I make my living performing around the world. My show consists of a mix of stand-up, spoken word, and sideshow stunts.

Why have you transformed yourself via various body modification processes?

My physical appearance is part of a transformation project I began as an undergraduate working in body based performance art.

What is the transformation project?

While in college I hit upon the idea of using body modification procedures (initially tattooing) for a body based art piece that would explore the idea of what it means to be human from a linguistic standpoint. I was working with philosophy of language and it occurred to me that some of the principles put forth by Wittgenstein in his later works offered an interesting potential for exploration in relation to the transformation ideas I had been working with in art.

Lizardman FAQ

But surely some make-up would suffice

At last, a pic of Patsy, meow..... ...hissssss