When Body Modifications Go Extreme

My girlfriends and I were hanging out the other day and got into a huge discussion about body modifications. Some of us in the group have them, but others did not. All of us have our ears pierced. Most people don’t seem to remember that traditional ear piercings are body modifications as well. Most people seem to think that body modifications only refer to the more extreme things that people do to their bodies. In the discussion with my friends, we all had differing opinions on what is considered a real modification, and what is not. One thing is for sure we all had our opinions when it came to people altering their bodies through piercings, and tattoos.

We did all agree on one thing, even though we won’t go as extreme as other people do with their body mods, there are some people out there that get absolutely amazing tattoos on their bodies. A couple of our friends have tribal tattoos around their arms or ankles; some have small designs like roses or butterflies, where others have the “tramp stamps” on their lower backs. Most of my girlfriends said the reasons they get them are that they like the uniqueness of them, and they like how cool they look. Not to mention they are the first ones to admit that having tattoos gets attention.

The friends that have a variety of body piercings say they get those for the same reasons as well. They like to do something unique that enhances their looks. A couple of my friends said that the reason they get some of the more extreme piercings is for the sexual benefits. One of our girlfriends said that her nipple piercings and tongue piercings definitely added something to her sex life. Other friends of ours have more extreme piercings than they wouldn’t really get into the details. We didn’t press either.

The only conclusion that my girlfriends and I came to was that no matter what form of body mods any of us get, people shouldn’t judge. Piercings and tattoos are a form of personal expression, not something done to hurt anyone.