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.

Tag: Body Modification

  • All Grrl Suscon 2005

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    What happens when you fill a room with women aged 18 to 35, who don’t know each other? They’re from various countries and even more varied backgrounds. You might expect cliques. You might expect gossip. Maybe even a catfight? You’d be mistaken if you had these expectations at the All Grrl Suscon.

    This all-female event was planned by Rachel (iam:tigertante) and Jill (iam:feisty) and was held in Toronto, Ontario, in Canada. I am occasionally asked to lend a hand at suspension conventions (I can fetch juice or water when needed, and the Jewish Mother in me really likes to help out). I drove 350 miles to get to my carpool, driven by Sarah (iam:Hehaditcomin). Joy (iam:the milkmaid) and Bumble (iam:BgirlyPrincapessa) drove thirteen hours one way. Angela (iam:AuntiePandora) traveled farther still, but she took the easy way, and flew in.

    Several dozen women attended. Over a dozen women suspended. The room was so emotion- and endorphin-charged that we joked that, when the tenant returned to his office on Monday, he’d probably get his period. I only cried a few times, I think. I think. My friend Christine (iam:bonita80) went up for her second time, doing a “superwoman” for, from the moment the hooks started until she came down, about an hour and twenty minutes. I’d told her I’d hold her hand, but I don’t think she needed it. Just as well; I was crying and therefore pretty useless.

    The setup for Christine's suspension
    		 Christine flew

    If you ever get the opportunity to attend an event like this, note the attention to sanitation and detail. The crews work at almost a surgical level. Because people who hang their friends from hooks must be stupid, dirty freaks, we tend to hold ourselves to a higher standard. Seriously, the crews’ stations look cleaner than a lot of doctors’ offices I’ve been in. I am genuinely proud, knowing that my friends know how people look at them, and they exceed standards.

    We stayed until 7:00 p.m., but the suspensions continued until well past 1:00 a.m.

    Our hostess, Caryn (iam:Dyzcordia), Sarah, Angela, Brittney, and I went for well-deserved sushi after we left the space. We were all still high from the events of the day, bouncing around, looking in shop windows, and enjoying life and the company of each other. Then Caryn stopped and pointed at a figurine of an angel in one of the shops.

    “That was me.”

    Photos from the women who attended are being added to BME’s Suspension Teams photo section.

    An old friend introduced me to suspension. He recently passed away. He was in my mind all day. I have no desire to suspend, but I go for the energy of the people who attend. I feel obliged to help out since I’m not an otherwise active participant. My friend’s showing me this world was a gift that I’ll never be able to repay.

    I put myself into financial debt to attend. I have blisters and a twisted ankle. (Note to self: don’t get pedicures before working; you need those callouses if you’re going to be on your feet!) My arms ache from driving. My car is making a clicky noise.

    I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

  • Nose King?

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I really think that Pierced is probably the undisputed king of extreme nose work. Not only does he have a massive inch-plus septum piercing, but also 000ga nostrils (which he can wear a huge nasallang barbell through), and now he’s added an incredibly high 4ga nasallang as well.

    Check out his page for more.

    Oh, and if you’re wondering, he’s a software engineer and his piercings are self-done.

  • Suspension Photos

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Sorry about the lack of posts. Let me quickly share with you two queued suspension pictures that I thought were particularly nice photos. On the left is a photo from Dave Kelso (Modified Soul in Columbus, Ohio), and on the right is one from Josh in Hamburg PA.

  • Leviticus 19? Pssshaw!!!

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Mike‘s cousin is a pastor up near Kingston, Ontario, and he writes a religion column for The Intelligencer newspaper. This one is titled Tattoos, Beards and what the Bible says. Click it.

    And on the other side of the coin, I was chatting with the devil about this matter, and he tells me he’s totally cool with tattoos as well and encourages you to get as many as possible.

  • Don’t blink if you want to be beautiful

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I think by now most people have seen pictures of Jocyelyne Wildenstein, who used extreme cosmetic surgery to transform herself into a cat (sort of) in a failed attempt to win back the love of her billionaire husband. Well, last night Entertainment Tonight featured a new male champion of bizarre plastic surgery, Steve Erhardt, who has spent $250,000 to look more like a Ken Doll. He’s even the first recipient of bicep implants (well, not including Jesse Jarrell that is; he’s had custom muscle-wrapping implants for some time). Click the pictures below to skip to his story and see some video.

    However, unlike Jocelyn who transformed herself to seek someone else’s approval, Steve claims that this is a personal decision and it’s making him happy — if that’s really the case (rather than an excuse), more power to him, and screw anyone who denounces him for these decisions.

    And yes, he did go to the same doctor as Michael Jackson. Why do you ask?

  • Like the shirt says: Chicks dig scars!

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I think outsiders to body modification probably assume that scarification is a very masculine and “tough” or “brutal” artform, which is ironic given that in a historic context it often serves as a feminine form of expression. In any case, it’s come of age to the point here in the West that we’re able to see it fill that role. I wanted to show two pieces from Shawn Porter‘s ScarWars. The piece on the left is by IAM:vampy on IAM:square, and the piece on the right is a “scar fusion” piece by Brian and Jesse Villemaire on IAM:amnesiac. Both are between two and three months old in these pictures.

    ScarWars II is tentatively scheduled for February 2006 in Los Angeles (but don’t quote me on that). Keep an eye on the SW website for more info.

    Oh, and it seems like Something Aweful’s Fashion SWAT today decided to tackle tattoos. If you’re a fan of their Cliff Yablonski writing, well, this is a whole lot friendlier but in the same vein. Enjoy or don’t. Lucky they don’t know about the tattoo pictured below.

    Sorry about that, I had to correct the gender imbalance in this entry.

  • TSD Show Tonight in Dallas

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Tonight is the TSD Reunion Show in Dallas Texas (August 18th)! Come see their first show in almost five years!

    It’s at The Church (2424 Swiss @ Good Latimer) as part of Odd Fest, and doors open at 9 PM. The show is 18 and up only. There’s a contest for the “Oddest People” with the winners getting both Ozzfest tickets and a contract with HVQ Agency.

    [Javascript required to view Flash movie, please turn it on and refresh this page]


    DivX download link for BME members: Extreme2 or Full members

    Thanks to Ron Garza for this old footage of Allen Falkner and Xeon throwing hooks into Mark Rose for the debut of their 360-suspension at EMOS in Austin, Texas (the piercings were done at True Blue Tattoo). Music in the clip is Los Gatos Locos, Someone’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight.

  • Tattoos = Pop Culture

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    I’ll say with some certainty that at this point My Little Pony tattoos are popular enough that they’re well beyond passing trend. Certainly it’s not unusual for tattoos to blur the line between personal reference and clever pop culture reference, and these are a great example of that.

    But, like dead celebrities, it’s not a trend until it comes in threes, so maybe a Vegas bookie wants to take odds on what’s going to be the next big thing in hipster tattoos in the BME tattoo galleries: The Morton Salt Girl or Ghostbusters? Place your bets… Personally my money is on the Salt Girl.

    Send in your picture to settle the bet.

  • Alternate ear pointing methods

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Traditionally, body-modification artists have created pointed, elfin ears by folding and trimming the clients helix in such a way that it can be sutured together to form a defined point. The results produced using this technique are generally fairly impressive, but they are far from subtle, and the results rarely look natural.

    About three weeks ago, Finnish-born and London-based artist Sampaa (IAM:madmax) carried out an ear-pointing procedure at the Kalima Studio on the south cost of England. Using a technique hes been working on in theory for over a year, he has managed to produce pointed ears that look as if the client was born with them. Very simply, the painstakingly slow and incredibly delicate procedure involves elevating the thin skin of the conch, trimming the exposed cartilage using surgical scissors and a scalpel whilst leaving the helix intact, and then removing the excess skin before stitching the skin back together as neatly as possible.


    Before
    Healing
    Healed

    Healing has been pretty problem free. Im going to be conducting a full and detailed interview with Sampaa over the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime, enjoy the photos of the results.

    Shannon adds: “Venezuelan artist Emilio Gonzalez has been doing a similar technique over the last year or two which produces quite similar results, although his procedure is a little different.”

  • Nostrils and Hooks

    Written by

    Shannon Larratt

    Two more videos for you this morning. At the top is a short clip of Alison getting her nostril pierced (and shedding a tear in the process) at Astral Werks in Richmond, VA, and at the bottom are some suspensions from Martin; a suicide, a knee suspension, and a superwoman. Music in the first clip is Introducing Happiness by the Rheostatics, and in the second is I’ll Go Crazy performed by the World Famous Blue Jays (it’s a James Brown cover).

    [Javascript required to view Flash movie, please turn it on and refresh this page]


    DivX download link for BME members: Extreme2 or Full members

    [Javascript required to view Flash movie, please turn it on and refresh this page]


    DivX download link for BME members: Extreme2 or Full members

    Got a video I can post here? Email it or a download link to me [email protected] and be sure to tell me it’s for posting on ModBlog, and any information you’d like included (your name or contact info, who’s doing what in the video, the context, whatever).

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