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How do you feel about body modification?

#190
Akami said:
I'm with Munji, Mark & Mark. (Sounds like a company name...)

Anyone that does anything to affect their appearance is trying to fit into a demographic they like the idea of belonging to, and people who do the piercings and tattoos to be different aren't different at all - they're just choosing a different demographic and not unique as much as they like to think they are, which is why they keep shooting for the one-upmanship of going ever further and further, much like any other addiction.

A couple tats, a couple piercings? Maybe it's just something they like, but the ones that go fullbore are out for a reaction so that they can react in return.

Unpopular opinion I'm sure, but true nonetheless.
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I have to say, I think your opening statement is false for the most part. I'm sure there are some out there that do, but I don't think I'd use the word anyone. I can say that I got every one of my tats and piercings not because I was 'trying to fit in', but because I liked them and wanted to incorporate them into my appearance.
 
#191
Bongolation said:
No, the reason they hated them were they were deteriorated and ugly, and what might have seemed like a good idea at the time was now pretty much revealed as a not-so-hot idea.
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I feel that I should address this -- I was at a tattoo convention in town a couple months ago and talked to a few artists there. The newer ink formulations and methods of aftercare are lightyears ahead of what they were using even 10yrs ago. I'm pretty sure the level of deterioration won't be nearly as bad (if there is any at all) as what's been seen so far. I'm willing to bet that most of these people with badly-deteriorated tattoos used petroleum jelly for the aftercare and spent hundreds of hours in the sun, exposing the ink to massive amounts of UV radiation....not to mention the skin damage itself from said UV exposure.
 
#193
oniman7 said:
For those of you with piercings, how addicting are they? She has size 6 gauges and swears they need to be bigger. It worries me that she almost seems compelled to do it, even if it is for aesthetic reasons.
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I'm not sure about the level of addictivity for piercings, I think it depends (at least partially) on whether the person has an addictive personality or not. There are people who only get a single earlobe pierced, but there are also people that get half a dozen piercings, then stop.
 
#194
she should be comfortable with the idea that you dont want any. you shouldent concern yourself with explaining why you dont want to do it to yourself. you have your mind set and thats all thats important. i have tattoos, but i notice alot of people regret getting them later in life. there are some jobs you wont get if you have them. what seems right now may not seem right in 10 years. you two can travel the same path and yet not step on the same stones. its ok if your different as long as you are together and each respects the others decisions.
 
#197
oniman7 said:
Fun question for anybody still interested in the topic: at what size do you consider gauges too big? And what's your definition of too big? Not aesthetically pleasing/creepy? Gets caught on things? How loose it is.


For me, I know people with holes gauged (I'm guessing) about an inch and a half in diameter... way too much. They can be kind of cool, but to me, they start getting weird when you can clearly see through them. Size 0 or 00 is where I start getting uncomfortable with them. At that point, they're still not gross or anything, but I start seeing them as very separate from other piercings.
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I'd say 3/4" would be my limit max before I found gauges repulsive....probably more toward 1/2" to 5/8" in reality.
 
#199
Raven2k360 said:
I have to say, I think your opening statement is false for the most part. I'm sure there are some out there that do, but I don't think I'd use the word anyone. I can say that I got every one of my tats and piercings not because I was 'trying to fit in', but because I liked them and wanted to incorporate them into my appearance.
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You don't have to use that word - I chose to and stand by my statement, but let me clarify.

When we look in the mirror and make decisions affecting the appearance we present to the world, our actions are formed by the intent of building the image of our own choosing. Knowing full well that the clothing we wear, hair style we choose, jewelry we buy and any changes we choose to make to our body, whether for the viewing of all who see our face, or only for the viewing of intimate partners, we are fitting ourselves into an image we have of ourselves, which will always fit into some demographic.
This is true not only for conservative dress and accoutrements, but also for what passes for unique and outlandish, and of course it goes without saying all possibilities in between.
What makes one unique is not the individual choices we make, but the combination of all of them.
 

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