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?