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

  • Dreams Come True

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    And with that, ModBloggers, we bid adieu to Tuesday, with professional waver Bluetat doing said bidding on our behalf. What’s the secret to looking as happy as our friend up there, you ask? According to him: “Spend 13 years or so getting tattooed blue, then post stupid poses of yourself with a mannequin named ‘Baby-May-Sue’ on the Internet.” Hey, whatever works! If you’re going to try that, though, make sure you go to an artist as capable as Matt at Westside Tattoo in Westend, Queensland, Australia, who’s handled about 80 percent of what you see above—and also, what you see below. As in, you know, after the jump.

  • He Can’t Even Blink

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    The last time we saw Bree, she was much too covered up for us to have any idea of what was going on on her gams. But hey, lucky for us, she’s not nearly as bundled up this time around! Frankly, we feel better about it this way. It would have been rude to ask her to ditch the pants at any time, let alone in the dead of winter. And! We’ve got a close-up after the jump of this excellent, colorful work by Ben There and Josh Schwegal from Seattle’s Slave to the Needle.

    See more in “Oriental-style Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

  • 50% Off All Kaos Jewelry at BME Shop!

    Written by

    BME


    It’s that time again, folks! BME Shop is having another sale. This time around? All Kaos jewelry is 50% off! Just enter the code BMEkaos when you check out to pick up the discount. The sale runs until Sunday at midnight.

  • Fire’s Focus

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    David writes in about his tattoo:

    Several months ago, my beautiful friend Aly sent me this image via E-mail and followed up with several text messages demanding I check my E-mail right away. I did and was totally blown away by the image that was there—a photograph of this woman (that several people claim to believe was involved with Tawapa) sitting in front of me. I knew seconds later that she was going to be be tattooed on me. I went back to Daniel Jones (of Asylum Studios in Salem, Virginia) who had done another beautiful color portrait of another indigenous person and asked him to do it. He studied the image for about a month and we scheduled the tattoo for opening day of the 15th annual Greensboro (Little John), North Carolina, tattoo convention. Daniel felt challenged and nervous but confident. His focus and dedication to this tattoo were unmatched by anything I’d seen him do and it ended up winning him first-place color tattoo of the day! This whole experience has been awesome fore me and Daniel alike. Thanks got out to Aly, Daniel, the photographer who took the original picture and everyone at the Little John tattoo convention.

    It’s excellent work, but this is certainly reminiscent of this post—another instance where the quality of the work was widely praised, but some readers felt uncomfortable with the idea of getting tattooed with a “random face,” for lack of a better term. On the other hand, though, is this all that different from getting a tattoo of a piece of (non-face) art with which you feel a deep connection?

  • The Reindeer Effect

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    Oh Jesus Christ. The last time we saw Josh, he was about to murder us with an ax, as he is wont to do. Well, this monstrous beast has returned, and he is just terrorizing the Crystal Lake campers, or something, as captured by intrepid photographer Dave Barnhouser of 13th Hour Photography. Barnhouser, by the way, has a gallery opening at Gallery 788 (788 Washington Blvd., Baltimore, MD) on October 1 from 6-9 p.m. This will surely be, if nothing else, a testament to his immeasurable bravery. More shots of your friendly neighborhood ax-murderer, after the jump.

  • You Know Her Name

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    The last time we featured Brianna here on your old pal ModBlog, we got a pretty good look at her Nerd Life and BME tattoos, but weren’t really offered a similar vantage point of her Amaryllis flower shoulder tattoos by Tim Senecal at Pisst Fish in West Springfield, Massachusetts (who is also working on the aforementioned BME piece). Which, you know, is a shame, considering we love the placement, and they’re awfully pretty to boot. But hey, while the Internet may never forget, at least it lets us right our wrongs on occasion, so enjoy. A few more shots in different locations, after the jump.

    (First and third photos by © Photo-a-Gogo, second by © Michael William.)

    See more in “Floral Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

    See more in ““Standard” Female Nipple Piercings“ (Nipple Piercing)

  • The Fish is a Fish

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    And just like that, David Pozo of Forevermore Tattoo Parlour in Glasgow, Scotland, wins the afternoon! “After the Buttergina’s appearance on ModBlog,” he says, “people seemed to dig the rib piece (seen above), so put it up as well!” We don’t make a habit of humoring threats like this, but we’ll make an exception in this case on account of the unfettered joy a weaponized Sailor Jerry shark gives us. Also, it’s good to know we have someone on whom to rely in the event that Party Shark gets out of hand.

    See more in “Old School (and Old) Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

  • Take Him By the Tail

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    Oh hey, it’s Nik Santos! Here he is, amusing the local schoolchildren in Grass Valley, California (possibly?) with his comically over-sized 5/8″-inch thick “bull ring from hell,” as he puts it. What’s the best way to win over young Nik? “If you’re straight edge, have mods or get naked,” he says, “we could be friends.” We think he’ll get along juuust fine.

    After the jump, Nik becomes ensnared in an organic finger-trap. Let this be a cautionary tale to ye all.

    See more in “Big Septums“ (Nose Piercing)

  • Return the Salute

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    Good morning, ModBloggers! Hope this sunny first Monday of autumn finds you well. Let’s begin our week with a murderous zombie, identified by its wearer as “Bub” from George A. Romero’s 1985 romantic comedy Day of the Dead. “It may be corny,” she says, “but Bub is destined to win your heart over, and that is why I got him on me. Along with the fact that [Day of the Dead] is one of my favorite movies.” Hey, that’s good enough for us, folks. Really exquisite work here. And now…time for lunch.

    (Tattoo by Brandon Bracamonte at Fallen Angel Tattoo in Sacramento, California.)

    See more in “Sci-Fi Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

  • This Week in BME

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    And finally, friends, we conclude our broadcast week with Sweden’s own Jhnah, who is upside down, maybe? No? Well then! We figure she’s got some “hair-raising” adventures planned for the weekend ahead! Right? Hair-raising? Because…guh. Never mind. Have a bonus photo as penance for my awfulness, after the jump.

    (Tattoo on Agnostic by Daryl at Mata Mata Studios in Hamilton, Ontario.)

    And that’s it! What went on this week?

    – Lilli was attacked by some terrible chocolate monster. She will be missed.

    – Mindi impressed all with her handsome implants. Hand implants, that is.

    – It’s 3 O’Clock, how much fun are you having with your lobes?

    – Jackalope Number One.

    – We posted a really excellent interview with Bob Roberts that we’d love you to read if you haven’t already.

    – Right, and here’s a real dickhead.

    We’ll poke around over the next couple days, but Monday is when things get going again for reals. Until then, folks, have fun, stay safe, vote for Candace and, as always, thank you for your continued support of BME. Shana Tova.