BME is the same kind of influence as SLAYER!
Latest Tattoo, Piercing, and Body Modification News
- Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetryby JonathonOne 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… Read more: Skin and Strings: The Art of Human Puppetry
- Twelve Points to the Skyby JonathonThere’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… Read more: Twelve Points to the Sky
- Ontario SusCon 2025by JonathonIn 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… Read more: Ontario SusCon 2025
- Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezineby NefDear 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… Read more: Welcome Back to Body Modification Ezine
- BME Social Mediaby NefWord 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… Read more: BME Social Media
- BMEShopby NefDespite the hurricanes in 2015 which destroyed almost all of what Rachel owned, she managed to save the original inventory from BME. We have relisted some of the stock on BMEShop.com with the hopes you may be interested. Our first drop includes a selection of… Read more: BMEShop
Comments
64 responses to “BMEZINE forearm slash”
OK so personally the cutting thing is not for me, and i can see why others do not like it, but at the end of th day a body mod is a body mod and the person who has this obviously had reasoning behind wanting it, as probably all of us do for our body mods, im sure a few of us have things that others would say “why?” to or that it was done wrong, but the main thing is….we wanted it!
How is this any different than the Slipknot skin removal a few items down the page? I’ll tell you how… this doesn’t “look professional”. Are the mystic doors into the sacred hallway of “tolerance” only opened for those with *handsome* body mods? And here I thought there was only *one* double standard with tolerance, how intolerant of me! 😉
Anyways, I like it. It reminds me of the kind of scratchings I used to do to myself.
“How is this any different than the Slipknot skin removal a few items down the page? I’ll tell you how… this doesn’t “look professional”. Are the mystic doors into the sacred hallway of “tolerance” only opened for those with *handsome* body mods?”
I don’t like that one either, mainly because I think Slipknot are awful, but at least it’s a professional piece. And it has nothing to do with how it “looks,” it has to do with sterility, health risks, safety factors, etc.
You asking what the difference between the two is is like asking “Hey, what’s the difference between getting a tattoo at a clean studio from a well-reputed artist, and letting my buddy do one on me with a rusty safety pin and the ink from a Bic?”
Hopefully the difference doesn’t need to be explained to you.
If it does, all I can say is that I hope you’ve had your tetanus shots.
It’s their arm. It’s their body. It’s their skin and their blood. They wanted to put that into it, who are you to say anything about it? If you don’t like it, think it looks bad, think it’s bad to show, then yanno, don’t look at it and don’t do it to yourself. Problem solved.
It amazes and saddens me that people on a site devoted to modding and personal self-expression will turn on one of their own when it’s “not good enough” for their standards.
I think several good points are being made here. On the one hand, this site espouses the belief that people should be able to decorate their bodies however they wish. On the other hand, this looks like no “body modification” I can think of. While I realise that some people like uneven, rough-looking scars, this doesn’t appear well planned or well (or very safely) executed. The fact that some people have commented that it doesn’t look like all of this will even scar reinforces that, and makes this appear less like a “body modification” than a “self-mutilation.” Still, if things like this were presented healed rather than fresh (or at least with before and after pictures) people might be less apt to dismiss them entirely. Who knows? Maybe this person had a sincere desire for a BME scar. Looking at this image, it’s hard to tell.
An underlying issue in these debates is class. Many of those arguing that professional modifications are “better,” though they may vehemently say otherwise, are referring to the socioeconomic status associated with the modifications. The suggestion that the relative merits of the modifications have to do with professional practices (which are inconsistent and ad hoc) is often a red herring.
what proof does anyone have that this wasn’t done in a sterile environment? That’s an assumption everyone is making based on the overall appearance of the photo.
Posting of “the normal world” even sarcastically sets a very false binary relationship between those who would SELF-identify as “the body modification community” and those who do not. Levels of tolerance others personal practices are relative to personal tastes, culture, religion, upbringing, knowledge, past experience (both positive and negative), not to mention in instances like this a simple sense of aesthetic.
Pretending that the “normals” as posters have referred them represent an entire generalization of individuals thinking is a ridiculous as suggesting that everyone who actively reads and/or participates with BME could be summarily understood as the same.
I guess my point is that attitudes are spectral, rather than binary and I know that Shannon has discussed his concerns, comments and motivations regarding the posting of imagery of cutting, and ultimately I personally understand where he is coming from but based on my personal experience, don’t necessarily agree, in either case, I would not be so foolish as to suggest that my opinion was a matter of my normality or non-conformity to a supposed ultimate “normal”.
/rant
To me, having the utility knife in the photo just smacks of teen aged, emo, ‘iM kool i KuTZ mYsELf’ bull shit.
Just my opinion.
on the flip side, yay for BME fan art!
#37 – Definitely. Very triggering, actually.
#59, I’m not even sure I’d say “Yay for BME fan art.” I thought the point of modifications was to celebrate individuality. What’s individual about proclaiming yourself to be part of a group? Isn’t that the opposite of what BME is supposed to represent?
Can we see some similarly crappy and unimaginative tattoos for people to defend as someone’s right to self-expression? I honestly think that would be an interesting debate.
Oh, and to all of the people saying ‘BME represents x’ no it doesn’t. BME presents body modifications in all their many and varied forms, with a very very broad editorial agenda (and quite right too). As for BME being some kind of community project, see the line at the bottom of the page.
LOL, Edie/#61 you make a great point. The people who are truly reveling in their individualism have nothing to do with this site or any other that promotes an agenda of community over individuality. “Join us and follow our rules so that you can show how independent you are….”
Sounds sorta like brainwashing to me. But what do I know, I’m here posting too so I guess I’m no more of an “individual” than anyone else right? Posting one’s “personal journeys” on an internet site is base hypocrisy: The instant you communalize (is that even a word?) your experience it is no longer personal.
Am I the only one that thinks the B is just a marker? And that subject was aiming for MEzinE? As in- “it’s all about ME”