BME: Body Modification Ezine

A black-and-white photo of a person mid-air in a Superman-style body suspension pose, supported by multiple hooks in their back and legs, smiling joyfully toward the camera. They are suspended horizontally in a large indoor space with high ceilings and visible rigging. A group of onlookers—some seated, some standing—watch with expressions of admiration, amusement, and support. The atmosphere is lively and communal, capturing a moment of shared experience and transformation.

Tattoo, Piercing, and Body Modification News, Events, and Culture

  • Held by Hooks, and Each Other

    Written by

    Jonathon

    Facilitators and practitioners — the very people who bring so many suspensions to life — often pour their energy into others, quietly setting aside their own opportunities. Brenton and Brittany are one such example. Traveling all the way from Houston, TX, they came to the Ontario Suspension Convention not just to support, but to reconnect and release. In a rare and intimate moment, the two shared a couples suspension that allowed them to step out of their roles as caregivers and into a vulnerable space made just for them. Held aloft — inseparable — floating in the moment.

    This was my favorite suspension I’ve done to date. I’ve done well over 100 suspensions at this point in time. I wish I had kept count over the past 16 years. This one was very special. My partner and I both went through some traumatic experiences before finding each other in this capacity. We’ve known each other for over 10 years though. And now together we feel like we can finally breathe and just live our lives. As facilitators we don’t often get the opportunity to let go and have others care for us. I feel like we grew together in that moment and bonded even deeper than we already were. It was like time stopped and everyone and everything around us disappeared and only we existed on those hooks together. I wish we could have stayed in that moment forever.

    -Brenton @freak.show333

    Brenton and Brittany have a combined suspension experience of over 25 years and specialize in facilitating private events and suspension practices (LTBQ+ friendly and inclusive, of course). If you are in the Houston, TX area and are looking for a suspension experience definitely check them out!

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  • When Tongue Piercings Meet Medicine

    Written by

    Coin-coin le Canapin

    In 2010, a German study was published involving subjects with tongue piercings. The tongue piercing was used as part of a device designed to relieve obstructive sleep apnea.

    Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder affecting many individuals. Severely affected individuals may suffer from various long-term health issues: cardiovascular, neurological, etc.

    Treatments or symptom relief range from the most invasive, surgery, to less invasive lifestyle habit improvements. Other treatments include using continuous positive airway pressure machines or tongue-retaining devices like this one, which uses a suction effect:

    Suction-based tongue-retainer device used in obstructive sleep apnea treatment
    Source: The efficacy of a titrated tongue-stabilizing device on obstructive sleep apnea: a quasi-experimental study (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8656899/)
    doi: 10.5664/jcsm.9260

    So, how was the piercing used to achieve this purpose?

    The proposed device is quite simple. Using an elastic band, they fastened the tongue to a mandibular splint (the kind used for bruxism) via the tongue jewelry.

    This way, the tongue would theoretically be pulled forward, preventing the back of the tongue from blocking the airway during sleep.

    tongue piercing attached to a dental splinter
    Source: Tongue fixation system for therapy of sleeping disorders. A feasibility study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20734019/)
    doi: 10.1007/s00106-010-2165-z.

    Since the subjects didn’t suffer from any related sleep disorder, not even snoring, the researchers interestingly made them drink alcohol before sleep, as it induces snoring by relaxing various muscles in the area — including the throat and tongue.

    They also emphasized that they purposely chose people with existing tongue piercings to avoid “invasive procedures, such as fitting objects with a tongue implant”.

    While the idea was interesting and clever, the results unfortunately showed no significant effect, as the back of the tongue was not sufficiently pulled forward by the device. Additionally, the sample size was small and only included 10 people.

    With effective suction-based tongue-retaining devices for obstructive sleep apnea available, there’s no clear reason why someone would prefer a custom, tongue-piercing-based device to treat their condition.

    However, having an existing tongue piercing — depending on its position — could prevent the use of regular retainers. It also seems plausible that a deep tongue split could potentially interfere with suction-based devices due to a continuous airway formed by the split.

    No studies has focused on these specific subjects yet!

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  • Suspended, Not Silenced

    Written by

    Jonathon

    There’s something undeniably powerful about watching someone working through the stages of suspension. We all build up ideas about ourselves—what we’re allowed to feel, how much we’re allowed to express, when it’s okay to break. For some, suspension is not about pushing physical limits its about giving you a reason to let yourself overflow uninhibited. Once there you can rage, cry, scream and its not too much. It’s exactly enough.

    My feelings have always been big. So big they can be scary. Suspension gives me an outlet for my big feelings in a safe way. It’s a place where I can let those feelings out without feeling like I’m being too much. I can scream and cry and curse people out and it’s okay because I’m literally getting strung up by hooks in my skin. Suspension helps me confront the parts of myself I try to avoid. It helps me make peace with myself.

    @flighty.wren

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  • A Nightbird’s Passage

    Written by

    Jonathon

    Some stories take their time, unfolding over decades, through life’s long detours and diversions. But dreams never rest until they’re fully realized. Even after 15 years, Robb knew there was still a suspension experience waiting for him. Something left unfinished, something essential. At the Ontario Suspension Convention this March, he may have finally found what he’s been seeking.

    I never intentionally left the suspension scene but also, I was never really in it. All of my suspensions were private. I had never seen another person suspend in real life. Plenty of pictures of people I didn’t know. But I was the only person I knew personally who was into it. Over the years, I thought about suspension often and kept meaning to schedule another but it simply never happened.

    My first suspension in 15 years was not exactly how I remembered. It was better. Far less painful than I remembered. Way more euphoric and mind altering. It was such pure bliss to return to something that’s always meant so much to me.

    Nothing specific brought me back more than just having the opportunity. How long before my next one? I doubt it’ll be more than a year. I’d love to go up tomorrow! I’ve got a lot on my plate right now but suspension will be staying high on the priority list from here on.

    –Robb Raven

    Though Robb’s presence in the suspension community has been quiet until now, it feels safe to say we’ll be seeing much more of him in the future. His full reflection on the experience is up on Instagram (@RavenThePiercer), and it’s worth a watch.

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  • What Lifts the Body, Shifts the Soul

    Written by

    Jonathon

    First suspensions are rarely just about the body—they’re a meeting point between the physical and the deeply personal. Stepping into this experience isn’t simply about trying something new, but about stepping outside yourself to a version you had always sensed was waiting.

    I’ve had a complicated, on-and-off relationship with intentional, physical pain, and I was very interested in finding a way to enter into that space with it intentionally in a healing way. I also admit I really wanted the community associated with it. In those regards—the release, the enjoyment, and the community, I definitely got everything I’d wanted and more. The release was exactly what I’d hoped for. There was a wall between parts of my inner self that I felt was breached while I was up there. And beyond just enjoying it, I had fun while up there! I loved being swung around by my mentor, Josh, and by Mike. I never wanted to come down! The community was also incredible, and I feel lucky I got to be first exposed to it in a space like Ontario Suscon. I barely knew anybody there, but I felt a close connection of love and camaraderie I felt with everybody in the space was almost instant. It’s an amazing experience to be in a space where everyone has come together and decided to be vulnerable in a shared space, and inherently trust over a hundred people to take care and respect their bodies and experiences. Especially as someone that was just learning to facilitate suspension as well, the number of people that were excited to let me throw a hook for the first time, or run their bio for them when I’d never done it before, was nothing short of amazing.

    —Tobias

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  • Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetry

    Written by

    Jonathon

    One of the most powerful things about being at a convention like OSC is the sheer concentration of experience, creativity, and capability in one place. When you’re surrounded by people who not only understand the technical complexities of suspension but are excited by the challenge of something new, ideas can move quickly from imagination to reality. This puppet suspension was one of those ideas—strange, evocative, and technically demanding. But with the right inspiration, the right rigging minds, and a performer willing to give themselves to the vision, it can become something unforgettable.

    A person suspends off the ground, from several hooks on a large metal rig, with a group of people around them, watching.

    I was drawn to puppet suspension after hearing about it from Kevin Donaghy when the OSC was having a meet for our Halloween performance, which had my mind wondering how the rigging could work and how could we make it happen, once I saw who all was going to be at suscon I knew I had to do and see what other creative minds could come up with and loved the idea of other OSC members and friends being puppeteers. 

    The suspension was everything I wanted and more. Already have the gear turning to take this idea to another level hopefully in the near future.

    -Kyle (@big_ears.bauer_north)

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  • Twelve Points to the Sky

    Written by

    Jonathon

    There’s a particular kind of magic that happens at your first big suspension gathering when you arrive with nerves, an open heart, and the quiet hope of flight. Guided by the encouragement of mentor Lynn Loheide and driven by the quiet confidence of belonging, Alex stepped into a space rich with support and energy. The Superman suspension wasn’t just about the pose—it was about trusting the space, the practitioners, and their own strength. What unfolded was more than just flight. What was raised was more than just a Superman.

    Let it be known—Alex proudly claims the title of our very first BME Boy to grace the banner of BME News. A well-earned moment in the spotlight.

    This was also my first superman! I chose a superman for a couple reasons. The first reason is honestly that I wanted to feel like superman (lol). I wanted to soar through the air and really feel like I was flying. The other reason is in this space, surrounded by people doing some of the most beautiful suspensions I have ever seen, I wanted to push myself. I had only ever done two point upper backs before this, so the jump from 2 points to 12 points was huge. I knew that if I wanted to do something big, this was absolutely the space to do it, because at home we really didn’t have all the tools we needed yet. Being in the space made me all the more sure I was making the right call. The room was so full of love and support, people giving and receiving others’ energy as if they were doing something as simple and automatic as breathing. This was absolutely the space to push myself. 

    The suspension absolutely gave me what I needed in that moment. I had a lot of nervous energy build up over whether or not I was doing the right thing, or in the right place, all of the new facilitator anxieties were very real. With that suspension, I got to let all of that go and just be in my own body, and out of that anxiety. My brain got to stop running at a thousand miles a minute, and I got to just be Alex, and exist in that moment, surrounded by people sending their love.

    –Alex

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  • Ontario SusCon 2025

    Written by

    Jonathon

    In March 2025, BME attended the Ontario Suspension Convention in Hamilton, hosted by the Kevin Donaghy and the Ontario Suspension Collective. We had the pleasure to take part and help document the event, but also run a booth to sell a bunch of old (but not quite vintage) stickers and shirts. This is the first, of hopefully many to come, such attendances for BME. If you’re planning an event in the future please let us know!

    BME's booth at the Ontario Suspension Convension

    The venue was impressively organized with dedicated prep areas and massaged tables, meticulously stocked medical supplies, sharp containers, and probably every kind of bandage and antiseptic imaginable. Above us, eight suspension stations hung securely from the ceiling, including one robust enough for a swinging beam supporting two adults behaving like giddy children.

    The mornings started quiet, filled with briefings, presentations, and workshops outlining the day’s events. It felt worlds away from the casual backyard barbecue suspensions we experienced in the early 2000s This was refined, structured, and professional, yet no less powerful.

    Once briefings ended, facilitators and practitioners sprang into action—rigging ropes, prepping suspendees—and soon the day became a whirlwind of simultaneous suspensions across multiple rooms. I had to move around constantly, trying to be fully present, capturing people moving through cycles of pain, contentment, ecstasy, and release. It was intense, humbling, and deeply moving. I only hope the photographs do justice to the extraordinary experiences I witnessed.

    Faces around the venue were mostly new, but I did encounter a few familiar smiles—older now, of course, just like mine. It was comforting to see those familiar faces, especially remembering those we’ve lost along the way.

    Stay tuned for more OSC content, this was only a tease. We have plenty more photos to share and stories to tell! We are planning to attend more local events and would love to come see you so please let us know what upcoming events you are planning.

    Finally, if you attended OSC 2025 and haven’t been in contact with us or received your photos from the event please reach out to me directly (jonathon at bme dot com).

    Thank you. See you again soon.

    —Jonathon

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  • Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine

    Written by

    Nef

    Dear BME Community,

    We’ve been gone far too long, but BME is back to give people a voice, a space, a community. With time everything evolves, and BME may be different than you remember. Our goal is to stay true to Shannon and Rachel’s values while changing with the times. We will be starting small with news, events, and a social page. Since we are currently based in NYC, there will be plenty of events happening in the city, but in time we will expand across the country. The site has always been built by the community’s collective contribution so we urge you to submit your creations, recommend people for us to interview, or volunteer as a writer yourself! We also have merch available on BMEShop.com with all of the proceeds going towards BME Projects.

    BME exists for you and thanks to you.

    I am excited to see how BME evolves and honored to further my parents legacy. They are icons to live up to, which is inspiring yet humbling. I am certain that if can make a fraction of the impact they did, they will be proud, as will I. They’ve taught me that community and knowledge are the most important things to hold close, and I think that is especially important with the world right now. We will foster this with BME, and as a community we will restore BME back to the force it was.

    This wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of Jon and Erik, who have dedicated the past year to this relaunch. Their combined strength on both the business and technical fronts have been essential. I’m deeply grateful they chose to join me in taking on the responsibility and future of BME.

    -Nefarious Larratt

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  • BME Social Media

    Written by

    Nef

    Word of mouth has been our method of reuniting the community, and it has brought a substantial amount of us together. I am inspired by your loyalty and I want to remind more people of BME’s existence. In 2020 we gained control over @bmezine on Instagram. It has been sitting dormant since then, which we are changing now. I believe that we can reunite thousands of past BME members by getting exposure there. Initially, I would like to feature you on our page. If you have any works you are particularly proud of, please send submissions to [email protected] and include if possible your artist, any interesting details about the work, and you @ if you would like to be tagged.

    I have ideas of interviews, videos about different body mods, and news, but you know exactly what you want to see. If you have suggestions or ideas please email me at [email protected] .

    BME continues to exist because of all of you. Thank you,

    Nefarious Larratt