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: Rob

  • Thursday, I don’t care about you

    Written by

    Rob

    Have you ever had a moment where life just is overwhelming.  No matter where you turn things just keep getting worse.

    It happens to all of us at some point in our lives.  You can chalk it up to a string of bad luck, the universe is out to get you, or the consequences of whatever belief system you subscribe to.  No matter the reason, there comes a time where to some shutting down seems like the only option.  Think about it, you’ve lost your job, your partner has left you, bills are piling up, you don’t get along with your family, friends are nowhere to be found.  Any one of those things are hard to deal with, but imagine going through all of them at once.  At some point most people will hit a breaking point and just give up, welcoming whatever bad thing my be lurking around the next corner.

    It’s in situations like this that whatever coping strategies we may have developed over the years can really help.  Especially in a situation where you have nobody to turn to but yourself.  Thankfully in today’s world there are people out there.  Strangers that will help you overcome your difficulties.  Except that these people cannot be proactive.  It would be a nigh impossible task to sit down and call everyone on the planet daily to check in on their well-being.  So the onus comes back on the person.  That first step that needs to be taken.  With the weight of the world on your shoulders, even making one step can seem impossible.  This is where looking inside can help.  You need to gather up whatever ounce of strength you have left, and force yourself to take that step, and realize that everything will be ok.

    ok

    This image was uploaded anonymously, but if anyone knows who the arm belongs to, please send a name my way so I can give proper credit.

  • Pulling through the pain

    Written by

    Rob

    “Death is a stopping of impressions through the senses, and of the pulling of the cords of motion, and of the ways of thought, and of service to the flesh.”

    – Marcus Aurelius

    The following image is one of a series of photos sent in by IAM: Bruisepresser

    pull

    As near as I can tell, this pull, and the rest of the images come from some performance or photoshoot that was done.

    What strikes me most about this image is the raw emotions that were captured.  You have this moment where the pressure of the pull is being felt, and the hands are back holding on for support, either physical or emotional.  The moment where all the sensations are becoming overwhelming and her face is showing the emotional, physical, and spiritual feelings that are passing through her body.  While she is in costume, and has a mask of paint on, you can see beyond all that.  Beyond the physical action of the pulling.  Beyond the costuming and makeup.  You are able to see right into her being.

    This is why we do the things we do.  To reach a point in ourselves when we can truly see and feel what it is to be our ideal.  Whatever mods you have, or activities you participate in, they’re all building to moments such as this one.  When we can strip away all the trappings of the outside world, and bare our souls to ourselves.  See what we really are, and what we want to become.

    So thank you Bruisepresser, for sharing this moment with us.

  • Your face reminds me of a flower

    Written by

    Rob

    Bees can learn to recognize human faces, or at least face-like patterns, a new study suggests.

    Rather than specifically recognizing people, these nectar-feeding creatures view us as “strange flowers,” the researchers say. And while they might not be able to identify individual humans, they can learn to distinguish features that are arranged to look like faces.

    –LiveScience.com

    I started today’s posts with a discussion on subtlety, and how over time a person’s mods become so much a part of them that they can forget they’re even present.

    Now let’s look at the opposite side of the coin.  T-Man Tattoo recently uploaded this photo of a facial tattoo.

    face

    A number of things stood out to me about this image.  First and foremost, the colors are beautiful, they really pop, and the design fits her face really well.  The other thing that stood out to me, when put into context from my post earlier today, was that of a question.  Would this be the type of mod that someone could forget they have?  The reason I bring this up is that as a decision, facial tattoos are definitely up there on the list of major life choices.  While not to downplay any other modification and it’s significance, the facial tattoo has a long tradition as being culturally significant.  Cultures for centuries have been using facial tattoos for various reason, some for beauty, some for intimidation, and others for religion.  No matter the reason behind it, the facial tattoo is one of the mods that will alter others perceptions of you the most.  Of course what matters most is one’s own sense of self, and I’m not forgetting that at all.

    To put it simply, it takes a brave person to really seize control of their body and alter it in any way.  It takes an even braver person to do it in a manner that bucks the current cultural trends, and taps back into those cultures that came before ours and paved the path for modifications as we know it.  Hopefully we will all be around to see a day when modifications of all kinds become as culturally acceptable as the ones that are accepted today.  I’ve said this countless times now, that modifications are less about showing off to others, but more for becoming who a person wants to be.  I’ll be the first to do the dance of joy the day people with visible modifications can walk down the street and nobody will even think twice about their appearance.

  • Gotta catch’em all!

    Written by

    Rob

    Raise your hand if you’ve heard of Pokemon.  Good.  Now if you’ve never seen the TV show, lower your hand.  Finally, if you’ve never played any of the games (card or video) lower your hand.  Those of you with your hands still up.  You should probably put them down, people will start staring at you wondering why there’s a crazy person starting at their computer with their hand in the air.

    Now if you raised your hand at any point, congratulations, you’ve been exposed at some point in your life to the cultural phenomenon that’s been going on almost as long as that documentary about Allen has been in existence.  I think what is interesting to note at first, is that the first generation of kids that got into Pokemon are well into their 20s.  So it should come as no surprise that Pokemon related modifications are becoming more prevalent.

    When it comes to a pop-culture related mod, a lot depends on context.  I know that if I had gotten say a River City Ransom or Clash at Demonhead tattoo 10 years ago, only people my age would have a clue as to what they were a reference to.  Now with films like Scott Pilgrim coming out (seriously, best movie I’ve seen in 10 years, go watch it) you have this resurgence of classic pop-culture being exposed to a generation that wasn’t even born before the N64 was released.  Now when it comes to Pokemon, you’re seeing a completely different type of generational culture attachment.  Pokemon is still going strong today.  We’re at a point with it where the kids who were part of the first wave of fans, are now sitting down with their own children to play the games.  For someone my age it’s hard to imagine that occurring for me.  While Pokemon is still popular with the young folk, the shows and games I grew up on are only getting a resurgence in popularity due to nostalgia.  Some may argue that the exposure is still present, and while it may be, the children of my generation will only be able to watch the shows and play the games we grew up on if we were able to hold on to our childhood possessions.  Granted, I personally thought ahead.  If I ever have a child, when they’re old enough to play video games, the first game they will play will be Super Mario Bros on my original NES.  When they want to watch a cartoon, I’ve got the full collections of GI JOE and Transformers sitting on a shelf waiting for them.  So yes, the exposure to these classic pop-culture icons will essentially be forced, it’s nice to know that with the digital age those younger than me can enjoy the games they played as a child with their children, at it will still be culturally relevant.

    Now, seeing as how I may have exposed myself as a geek, let me distract you with a picture of one of those Pokemon fans that has grown up and gotten a scarification piece done of their favorite Pokemon, #38 Ninetails (I had to look that up).

    ninetails

    So, those of you who raised your hands, what was your favorite Pokemon?

  • Skin deep

    Written by

    Rob

    I was going to hold off on this article until later in the week, but then I realized that I’d be depriving people of a really special treat.

    So I was going through the newsfeed submissions when I found this article on an exhibit currently going on at the Wellcome Collection in London.  The exhibit is titled “Skin” and it showcases the significance different cultures have placed on skin over the centuries.  It includes images of early anatomical lessons, as well as skin samples preserved to showcase the tattoos on the donor.

    A black and white photograph of a patient in a Parisian hospital is the first piece in the exhibition. Running the length of the patient’s back is a giant scar.

    “This photograph sums up a lot of the underlying themes in the exhibition, first and foremost the exploration of skin as a physical and metaphorical frontier between the inside and outside of the body,” co-curator of the exhibition Lucy Shanahan told Reuters.

    Pieces of tattooed human skin from the 19th century are on display beside a case devoted to the Maori tradition of tattooing.

    Now I know what you’re thinking, “That’s it Rob?  An art gallery?  What kind of treat is that?”.  Well, I have a simple answer to that.  Keep reading.

    Now after reading about the exhibit, I thought to myself, “Self, what can I post that would go well with a story about the historical study of skin?”.  Well, I started to look around when I heard the familiar chime of an e-mail hitting my inbox.  I switch windows to find an e-mail from Jen.  In it contained something that some of you may have seen before, but I’m guessing a lot of people haven’t.

    The following is a video from a 1995 documentary on a very young Allen Falkner.  In it Alan talks about the importance of skin and flesh, and the significance he puts on working with it.  I could go on, but I’ll let Allen take it from here.

    It’s interesting to look back 15 years, or 1500 years, and see just how much the modification of skin has played an important role in our cultural development.  While techniques and procedures have changed over the years, the importance we as humans put on identifying ourselves through our skin is still present.  In the video Allen has captured the essence of realizing that the skin is much more than just a simple organ covering our bodies.  The skin can serve as a doorway to both spiritual enlightenment and personal satisfaction.  Through modifications such as suspensions, one can not only learn about themselves, but also how they wish to become through whatever transformative act they choose.

    If you don’t have time right at this moment to watch the video, I encourage you to come back to ModBlog when you can and watch it in its entirety.  This is our version of a historical document, one that will one day be added to a historical exhibit such as the one going on at the Wellcome Gallery now.

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