Piercings -- ha, ha, get a clue

Lots of interesting points made about rebelion, self image, and all the rest. At the risk of repeating some of them, here’s my take on it.

It is partly (quite obviously) about defining yourself. Maybe as different, individual, hence the rebelion thing.

In a related way, it’s also about control. Over your own body and your own identity. It is one way of adapting your body to your self. We all do this in terms of the image we fashion for ourselves.

The idea of physically adapting the body always seemed interesting to me. We don’t have to look exactly like this. We can make changes to the body nature gave us. Adapting our environment is something human beings do all the time - you could say it’s part of our species-being. We don’t accept what we’re given, we try to make it better, to bend it to our will. Sometimes this has negative effects on the environment or our bodies and sometimes we learn from our mistakes.

If you really wanted to, you could do really extreme things like defining yourself as a 9 1/2 fingered person. On balance, I think most people would agree we’re better off with ten.

On control, I know lots of people get piercings after negative experiences, perhaps as a way of taking back control, redefining themselves etc. I got my only piercing not too long after one of the most negative periods of my life. I’d known people with piercings in various places for years and the idea had been in the back of my mind at times, but I’d always definined it as something other perhaps more “radical” people did, but not me. That, combined with the fact that the idea had been in the back of my mind for a long time seemed like a good enough reason. So I said, fuck this, this is daft, if I want it I can get it.

In a way I was redefining myself or taking control - but it didn’t change anything fundamental about who I am. It just said it’s my body and I can be who I want to be and do what I want to do with it. But the idea of the piercing came first - not the control, redefinition, rebelion stuff.

On health, I washed it in salt water morning and evening for the first two weeks after, and haven’t had a problem in 8 years.

Flesh tubes in the ear always looked interesting to me because they could be public, discreet and radically different all at the same time. In case anyone doesn’t know - it’s where a hole in the earlobe has been enlarged a little and a tube inserted with a flat metal lip on either side. When I first saw one I did a double take because I didn’t know what I was looking at. I was apparantly looking at nothing - there was nothing there (a hole) and it took a moment to work out what was going on.

If you’re interested in why people are into body modification, there’s a great site from a shop in Brighton called Meta-flesh (used to be called Perforations but they more than just making holes in people now). There’s lots of information about all kinds of body modifications that are available. They are extremely proffessional with lots of information about pros and cons, history, culture, the lot.

One more thing. The “boogers” comment. Did you ever give oral sex Mother Theresa?

[quote=“twonavels”]I love piercings. I had two, but I had to take out one when I came here. I had it for seven years back home, and never had any problems with it. Then I came to Taiwan, and the humidity hit it like a Bedford truck on speed. It was grim. Now I’ve only got one.
I guess it’s also a community thing, just like carrying an LV bag, or a skateboard. When I was back home I often would be attracted to speak to strangers just because they had piercings. That would most often mean that they were goth/metal/industrial too, i.e. had similar interests.
It’s amusing to see how seriously society takes its little rules…what is horrifying in our society is often a sign of beauty in another. Or something that people are willing to die for (the vote for women, gay rights, etc.) becomes completely no-big-deal-every-day stuff just as soon as that boundary has been shifted. It’s interesting to watch, but also quite sad that people have to suffer for something that we or our children will take for granted in the future.[/quote]

Eh? I’ve got four, and the humidity doesn’t bother 'em. BUT, I do clean them carefully with antibacterial soap once a day (or more if I shower more). Actually, now that I think about it, the lobe piercings could probably aquire a 2cm coating of road grime and typhoon dust before they’d even start to complain…

…now as to the “why” part, for me (nearing 40) it sure as hell isn’t a “I want to be in with a group” thing. The reasons for a nipple piercing are obvious to those who have/had them…the others? Probably to keep the idjits away (kind of like having a can of Idjit-Be-Gone that works automatically). I’m not necessarily an insanely social person, and tend to be quite reclusive and like to KEEP it that way (most of the time, there are a couple of people who post here who get me out of my cave once in a while).

Besides, as one who works pretty much non stop from 7am to 7pm (and quite often later), a fella has to have SOME sort of hobby, and healing these buggers keeps me out of trouble (and clean, you HAVE to bathe if you have piercings…and when I’m frickin’ exhausted at midnight after an 18 hour day, I just want to crash on the bed…taking a shower seems like a huge effort, but if I DON’T and I have a piercing younger than 6 months, the risk of bacteria is enough to get me to haul my tired you-know-what in and get the dirty deed done, lol)…

As to how it affects employment prospects? Hmmm. Well, I worked at Boeing for a number of years, one of our contractors had 8 visible piercings and claimed 20 total. Yep, he looked a bit out of place in a room full of directors, but he had their full attention because he was simply brilliant in his field, and no one really cared about the piercings.

I own a business, and to be honest, have lost one or two customers because of mine, but as a school that TRIES to demand independent thinking (as much as is possible in Taiwan) from its students, those kids are better at the Mr. He Enkish Skool anyway.

One of our other teachers has a couple of cartelege (how IS that spelled?) piercings…oh, and my wife has a navel piercing that shows sometimes at school…

Bingo! :laughing: :bravo:

Man, some pretty deep stuff here. I did all mine when I was wasted. I’m still thankful I didn’t have a tattoo gun back then – who knows what I would look like now!

Q: Are you a mod or a rocker?
A: Neither. I’m a mocker.

Wakka wakka wakka.

Not that you asked, but this is an internet forum…back here in North America it’s astounding how many people have tattoos and piercings. And if beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, I would say that I have yet to see even one tattoo or piercing on anyone that wasn’t unattractive, if not downright ugly. I daresay that the majority of these people, if pressed to the wall, would admit that they wish they’d never gotten that little blotch just above the ankle or above their rump. It smacks of wilfull mutilation, which I find rather creepy in any form, including traditional “lady’s” earrings and high-heeled shoes and push-up bras and the like.

I can handle a small amount of tastefully applied makeup and lipstick, though, so I’m not a complete Rousseauian primitivist.

That’s not a blotch. The official description is a “tramp stamp.”

[quote=“sandman”]"That’s not a blotch. The official description is a “tramp stamp.”[/quote]Right…a code put on at the factory…sort of an expiration date thing.

“Best Used by…”

Indicates when the ripeness expires.

In Germany they’re called “Ass Antlers” (“Arschgeweih”)

:sunglasses:

Wilful self mutilation or self modification?

It depends on how you want to see it.

Mutilate is a word that carries implicit judgement. Use it by all means, but be clear, it belongs in the realm of opinion not fact.

In this sense, modify means change and is more neutral - though you might say that in not being proscriptive, it actually implies positive change.

Sorry to bring semantics into this - but hell, why not. I love words and meanings and they make a fairly critical part of a forum.

I met a guy up on the island of Skye in Scotland who had his entire body tattooed with leopard spots and had his teeth filed into fangs. He lived in a hut made of sticks and mud and was a little … strange. Nice bloke, though. Said 28 years in the army had fucked him up.

I’d say.

I just saw his “brother” on TV; tattooed up like a reptile, fangs and bumpy eyebrow implants. The guy has serious problems. He actually feels people will be thrown off by seeing a “6 foot reptile walking upright.”

Dude, you’re a dude who now looks like a dude with green tattooed skin.

Reminds me of the “Spiderman” years ago…and then again when he realised what a bloody fool he’d been and was going through the very painful process of getting his face spider webs removed. :astonished: