BME: Body Modification Ezine

A tattooed person suspends from hooks, laying flat, one leg higher than the other. Their head is back, and they seem to be smiling, dark hair dangling like an anime character.

Celebrating body modification culture since 1994.

Author: Jordan Ginsberg

  • Don’t Run With Wooden Stakes

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    You know what one of the best things about working at BME is? Occasionally, you’ll look at your e-mail inbox and see an e-mail with a subject line like “Lesbian Vampires.” Under normal circumstances, this would be nothing — probably spam advertising a Transylvanian boner pill or perhaps some sort of zaftig pyramid scheme (“The bloodthirsty queen of the island of Lesbos would like to lend you some money!”). But here? You see that title and you think to yourself, “You know what? I bet I’m gonna open this up and there are gonna be some lesbian vampires in there,” and sure enough, bam. Lesbian vampires. What a country.

    Artist Update! This fine piece of work was done by Cere Kyle Cotterman at Ink Revolution Studios in Kingsport, Tennessee.

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

  • You Should See the Other Guy

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    BARRIE — A local Barrie, Ont., man was accosted today by American country-western singer Toby Keith, who was allegedly following through on his pledge to “put a boot in the ass” of anyone who “messed with the U.S. of A.”

    “It was weird,” said the victim, who wished to remain anonymous. “I was with some friends at the bar, and we were giving the bartender a hard time because they ran out of Molson and he suggested MGD, right? And then this guy in a cowboy hat burst through the door and just started cold kickin’ folks in their rears. I definitely got it the worst, though.” After being provided with a photo array, the victim confirmed that the assailant was, in fact, Keith.

    Eyewitnesses say that Keith was actually putting his boots on rather than in peoples’ asses, as evidenced above. It is not known whether Keith will return to continue his reign of terror.

    (Tattoo by Andrew Batten at Lucky Devil Tattoos and Piercing in Barrie, Ontario, Canada.)

    See more in “Miscellaneous Tattoos“ (Tattoos)

  • Good Morning, ModBlog!

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    Hey, don’t look so scared! I know IAM: lunar looks like he’s gonna cut you, but really, he just wants to make you some breakfast! So, you know, relax. (Just kidding, oh my God will he cut you. He will cut you so bad.)

    See more in “Larger gauge nipple piercings“ (Nipple Piercing)

  • Full Coverage: Links From All Over (Nov. 14, 2008)

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    [Alana G.] The very talented Alana (nee Miss Gossip) just caught up with Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons who, in addition to requiring technical fouls for sustenance, has dedicated his entire back to tattoo tributes to his daughter. Sheed’s one of the league’s most intense, confrontational, and generally downright crazy players (in a good way), so this sort of measured and gentle discussion is an interesting counterpoint to that. Not bad tattoo work, either. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the cuteness there, because …

    [Telegraph.co.uk] … uhhhh. I just … But … Ahem.

    /splashes cold water on face

    /straightens tie

    /sniffs glue

    OK, much better. So, this is the story of a woman with a psychological disorder that led to an obsession with plastic surgery that escalated to the point that she got so much work done over a 20-year period that she was unrecognizable even to her own family. She was briefly treated for this disorder, but fairly quickly fell back into her “old ways,” finding a doctor that not only agreed to give her silicone shots into her face, but provided her with syringes and silicone so that she could continue to do the same by herself. The silicone ran out, however, and the woman began injecting herself with cooking oil. The result can be seen in a slideshow here.

    There is definitely an element of the grotesque here: A traditionally attractive woman, likely addled by some sort of psychosis, becomes what many would describe as a monstrosity. Yet, with each additional round of surgery, as untamed scar tissue and various disfigurements piled up, she was continually pleased with what she perceived as an ongoing beautification process. Now, after having been made a spectacle of, she seems to agree with the people who have been trying to dissuade her, and claims she would just like her old face back.

    Not to try to analyze the thought process of a person with such obvious and complex problems, nor to suggest that we should engage in any kind of insipid armchair-psychiatry, but this is a truly fascinating and sad story that, while not directly related to this community, certainly holds some cross-over appeal. How often do those outside of the body modification culture criticize those within it for lying to themselves about the inherent beauty in so many of these procedures? I’m not saying that this is by any means a valid comparison or that body modification as much of this community practices it is in any way analogous to the sort of psychological disorder that would lead a person to the lengths of the subject of the linked article, but it’s interesting to consider the parallels that an outsider may perceive, wrongheaded as they may be. That is all.

    [Fade Fast] And as a nice pick-me-up, here’s a cute Flash ad from noted sell-out Allen Falkner (kidding!) for his tattoo removal company, Fade Fast. I don’t mean to give free advertising, this is just quite well done:

  • The Secret is the Bungee Cord

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    BME’s received photos like this in the past, and, if I’m not mistaken, this had been accomplished by running a tube through a urethral reroute and pumping whichever gas through, but I don’t think that’s the case here. It almost looks like some sort of device is just being placed in the urethra … but I can’t really tell. It could be going through a reverse-PA hole as well. Any piercers or amateur arsonists out there? There’s another photo after the jump, but above, as always, click through to de-Roo.

    UPDATE! Roo claims this was done using a Prince’s Wand. I will take his word for it.

  • A 486 is a Terrible Thing to Waste

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    This BSD vs. Linux war has gone on long enough! Who in their right mind could look up at that image of utmost depravity and violation and not realize that this feud has reached unacceptable levels of mascot rape? (It was suggested to me, however, that perhaps this was a moment of reconciliation, rather than forced entry. The look on the penguin’s face is hard to read, I’ll admit.)

    And because this isn’t a a geeky enough tattoo, the wearer says that “the artist did this to me for a hacked copy of Photoshop.” He added, “What a legend. BSD lives!”

  • We Respond Before We Know How to Speak the Language

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    I admit it, alright? If I go more than a few days without posting a gorgeous cutting by Iestyn of Diamond Jacks Tattoo and Piercing in London (MORE), I can’t sleep. I get the cold sweats. It’s a bad scene. So believe me when I say, this is as much for me as it is for you.

    And with that, we bid another day adieu. Sleep well, ModBlog.

    See more in “Skin Removal Scarification“ (Scarification)

  • Full Coverage: Links From All Over (Nov. 13, 2008)

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg

    Gilbert Arenas’s new Obama tattoo (Photo credit: Dan Hellie / NBC Washington)

    [DC Sports Bog] Update! We mentioned the other day that the NBA’s Gilbert Arenas (who once actually gave himself the nickname, “the Black President”) had cast off his indecision and jumped in head-first into his support for Obama with a hand tattoo, the photographic evidence of which can now be seen above. Arenas told the photographer he got the tattoo so that, among other reasons, he can look at his hand during games and see the words “We Believe.” This is the same reason I got “Delicious Nachos” tattooed on my hands — everyone needs a pick-me-up sometimes, right? Oh, delicious nachos. I’m feeling better already.

    Photo credit: Retna

    [TMZ] I can’t describe how dirty I feel linking to TMZ and Fox News. Nonetheless, it’s worth it to get the details on a story this goddamn insane. Basically, Stephen Baldwin just got the initials “HM” tattooed on him for “Hannah Montana.” Strange enough? Well hot holy damn, try this next graf on for size:

    The idea reportedly stems back to a dare that Cyrus made last year. The two became friends after meeting at the White House, when Cyrus told Baldwin that he could appear on her Disney show “Hannah Montana” – of which his daughters are huge fans – if he would get a tattoo, TMZ said.

    Stephen Baldwin and Miley Cyrus, who are friends (!), met at the White House, and while there, took the time to hash out a tattoo-related dare. This actually happened. In real life. Head asplode.

    [Somatechnics] Calling all academics who didn’t leave the site in disgust after the previous two vacuous celebrity stories! The good folks at the Somatechnics Research Centre at Macquarie University in New South Wales, Australia, have put out a call for papers to be presented at next year’s fifth Somatechnics conference. Rather than absolutely mangling the description with my layman’s terms, here’s the deal for those unfamiliar:

    “Somatechnics” is a recently coined term used to highlight the inextricability of soma and techné, of the body (as a culturally intelligible construct) and the techniques (dispositifs and ‘hard technologies’) in and through which bodies are formed and transformed. This term, then, supplants the logic of the ‘and’, indicating that technés are not something we add to or apply to the body, but rather, are the means in and through which bodies are constituted, positioned, and lived. As such, the term reflects contemporary understandings of the body as the incarnation or materialization of historically and culturally specific discourses and practices.

    Possible topics:
    • Somatechnologies of the self (‘non-mainstream’ body modification, body sculpting, performance, fashion, drug use, ‘self-mutilation’, religious practice, etc)
    • medical somatechnologies (cosmetic, reproductive, imaging, corrective, sex (re)assignment, implantation, enhancement, bio-techs, public health initiatives, etc)
    • somatechnics of law
    • somatechnologies of gender, sexuality, race, class, etc
    • somatechnologies of normalcy and pathology
    • somatechnics of war
    • somatechnologies of the post-human (cyborgs, nanotechnology, virtuality, etc)
    • soma-ethics

    A number of IAM members have spoken at this conference in the past and, by all accounts, it’s a fascinating and exciting project to be a part of. For those interested, abstracts are due in by November 30, 2008.

  • The World Goes Backwards

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    Sure, IAM: blockedintersection may be bored during a slow day at the piercing shop at which he works — “Thank you, George Bush and the economy” — but look on the bright side: While others cry tears of boredom, you are crying tears of m.-f.-in’ diamonds. (Or Zirconia, I guess.) So … cheer up? I guess?

    And with that, let’s call it a day, ModBlog. Oh, and if you haven’t read it yet, I implore you to spend some time reading Ferg’s incredible article from earlier this afternoon. If you read only one intensely personal account of a Westerner being granted unimaginable access to an Indigenous community this year, make it this one.

  • Because it Has a Song

    Written by

    Jordan Ginsberg


    When I first saw this picture, I thought, Hey, nice tattoo. A little nondescript, but interesting nonetheless, the texture in particular. Then I read the description and realized holy god that is not a tattoo, it’s an electrocautery brand, and probably covers more surface area than other one I’ve seen. (Then again, I don’t get out much.) Very impressive, at any rate.

    (Brand by Robert Curiel in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico.)

    See more in “Misc. Modern Branding“ (Scarification)

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