Body Modification

Even in this day and age, there are still people who freak out over tattoos and piercings. I wonder what their reaction would be to Thursday's lecture on body modification which included tongue splitting, nullification, neck rings and suspension.

Personally, I think it's up to the individual what they do to their body - that's not to say that I like some of the things people do to themselves (I can't say I care for extreme body modification or badly done tattoos) but it's their choice and isn't hurting anyone, so it's not my place to judge.

However, if there is no consent involved (such as with foot-binding) then I think it's terrible and people should be stopped from doing it. I also think that if someone has a psychiatric problem, such as an addiction to cosmetic surgery, then it isn't ethical for professionals to just do everything the person wants because they're being paid for it (although the professionals saying no doesn't always stop people: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3439638/Cosmetic-surgery-addict-injected-cooking-oil-into-her-own-face.html).

Body modification, although mainly done for fashion or to signify subculture (e.g. punks, goths, emos) in the West, is closely linked to tribes. The Maoris, for instance, are well-known for their facial tattoos (ta mokos). There is also the issue that tribal body modifications are sometimes adopted by Westerners for fashion purposes (Robbie Williams and Mike Tyson have Maori tattoos) which, unsurprisingly, tribespeople often find insulting. I can understand that because of the way in which the West have often trampled over people in other cultures in the past (such as the practise of collecting severed Maori heads).

People may object to body modification for religious reasons - the argument being that you are altering the body that God gave you, when we are created in God's image. But then, how far does that argument stretch? Does that mean that children born with cleft palates shouldn't have corrective surgery? Or is it more to do with people doing these things for vanity rather than for medical purposes? For the latter argument, I can see where people are coming from in a way - some people have to undergo countless procedures and endure a lot of pain for medical reasons, other people freely choose to do it. But then again, it's their choice to make.

Top 10 physically modified people: http://damncoolpics.blogspot.com/2007/08/top-10-physically-modified-people-in.html