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

  • KayLeigh and her Mum

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    At a time of year when far too many people are being reminded of their broken families, with generation gaps accentuated by devastating absences of empathy and understanding, coupled with a divorce rate that makes bitterness the norm, I really liked this story of family togetherness that my friend KayLeigh sent me, and I’d like to share it as my “Christmas Eve Message”, to the extent that I have one.

    KayLeigh has wanted to get a facial tattoo for a bit over a year now, but wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted. When she recently saw Kat Von D’s stars, she fell in love with the idea and knew something in that vein was right for her. She didn’t jump right in and do it, but after debating it for a long while to make sure she really wanted it, she had her tattoo artist Jane Hazard draw up the design.

    The part of the story though that I really like is that her mother, a purchase manager at a control panel company, recently got a promotion and wanted to celebrate — she’s got lots of tattoos already, and had been eyeing a swirly facial tattoo for herself… So the timing was perfect, and as she put it, “most mother-daughters go shopping, we get tattooed!”

    Both KayLeigh and her mother live in a small town “where everyone knows everyone and news travels fast”, so it must be nice to have each other’s support — they’re definitely already encountering some resistance to their decision. Too often parents and kids are at odds over what could easily be a bonding experience, and it’s very nice to hear a story that reflects a positive experience.

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  • BME Year End Awards – Reader’s Choice Awards!

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

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    If you didn’t already see, the 2007 Top Contributor’s shirt design is the bastard son of the calm logo and the BME militia logo… on a whole lot of psychedelics! James liked it so much that he got it tattooed on him by his friend Mick (so it’s fresh and swollen above), adding to his collection of BME tattoos that you can see below… Funny thing is that this is now the first logo to actually be tattooed on someone prior to BME officially using it, since the shirts won’t actually be printed for a week or two!

    Barring unexpected issues, these awards will be posted January 1st, 2008.

    james-bme-tattoos-2.jpg

  • BMEshop Holiday Discount!

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    As I mentioned, I was just visiting Santa (mostly hoping he could help me out with my peanut collection — it’s been a little boring around there), and he asked me to pass on some news about BMEshop that was written up in one of the fictional gift-givers trade journals. If you place an order over the holidays, and enter the coupon code “BME-HoHoHo” (at the checkout page, then hit “recalculate”), it will give you 5% off of your order. I believe this code is good from now until the 26th.

    Remember, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings you order from BMEshop, a eunuch loses his nuts.

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  • Stay Bloody, London!

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    When my old friend Ryan from Precision Body Arts was in London at the start of the month he did this heart branding on a client’s chest — this is a the first time he’s tried the “crosshatch” method of accenting a cutting, first popularized by Dave Gillstrap.

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  • Fisting Just Got A Lot More Fun

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    rachel-implants-1.jpg

    It was my friend Rachel’s birthday a few days ago, so she sent me a few photos to celebrate. Her microdermal horns are well healed, as are her arm implants, but the implants that accent the top of her hands are new work.

    She’s asked that I keep the name of the practitioner private due to the negative atmosphere toward heavy mod artists these days… on one hand, implants, tongue splitting, and other mods are at an all time popularity-high, but at the same time, a new wave of uncertainty in regards to “medicine without a license” and other charges hangs over this community. Especially with prominent individuals on some modification forums promoting the idea that going after practitioners is a good idea — which I find deeply offensive — it’s probably a good time to go back to the oldschool method of having clients “screen” for artists and operating through word-of-mouth recommendation chains.

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  • My hand is ready

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Dear Katie,

    I accept your invitation.

    katie-feel-the-love.jpg

  • Gillian’s DIY Knuckle Brands

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    My friend Gillian did a DIY brand on herself about a week ago. She says it was for no particular reason (which I’d say is unusual for a DIY brand — they tend to be ritualistic and full of meaning), but is quite happy with how it turned out (I like it as well). The brands are quite light — she’s been picking off the blisters/scabs, so it’ll probably heal akin to a shallow skin removal, leaving faint circular scars on each finger.

    gillian-hand-scars.jpg

  • What do you get when you cross Lucky Rich and Santa?

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    What do you get when you cross Lucky Rich and Santa?

    I’m sure you’ve seen the “Blue Man” in the news — CNN has a video, and BB linked to this story and video. I was quite struck by how similar he looks to Lucky Diamond Rich, who’s tattooed himself completely black (which has faded to a dark grey)… Definitely drinking a few colloidal silver cocktails is a whole lot less painful than hundreds of hours under the needle! I’m quite surprised that people don’t do this on purpose.

    …although perhaps the eerie “zombie-skin-without-the-rotting” look is not something most people seek out?

    blue-man.jpg

  • Remember Joy, Not Anger

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    My friend Dan just told me about his new tattoo. When he was younger, like many of us, he was mad at the world, and has various bitter tattoos marking that path… In the picture you can see some of his shoulder tattoo which is a heart with daggers and a banner that reads, “once you get burned, you’re never the same” (don’t I know it, Dna, don’t I know it!). Anyway, he says that while he still loves all those old tattoos, he wanted to get something new with a more positive spin.

    He told me,

    “As a child, one of the few times my whole family would sit down and spend time together was when we’d play board games. My very favorite was called Escape from Atlantis, which featured an octopus destroying a boat on the box. Over the years my recollection faded a little and turned the octopus to a giant squid, but it’s still a very fond memory, and I wanted to dedicate a tattoo to it. Also, having a water theme helps to balance out all the flames I’d gotten previously. Now I’m a little older and more content, so I wanted to wear that on the outside.”

    The tattoo was done for him by Jamer who works out of a private studio in my hometown of Victoria, BC.

    havoq-atlantis-tattoo.jpg

  • When Car Crashes Turn Lucky

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

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    A little while ago my friend Sandy (Moritura) was in a car crash — that’s a picture of her above with her various implants and now-healed ear pointings… She’s just fine thankfully, and the good news from the crash is that she got a few x-rays that include her modifications!

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