Body Modification
Well today it finally happened -- I got my nose pierced. No, its not the dream septum ring (thats the one in the middle) its on the left nostril. But I love it! Its great. I've wanted a facial piercing so badly for so long, and I finally have it. That makes five holes, six mutilations (because number two [right cartilege] fucked up the first time and had to be redone). God only knows where its going to end up...
My parents think this is a pacifier. They think that by giving this to me I'll calm down and end my obsession with body modification. No. Now that I've gotten a taste for it, I must have more. This is only the beginning. I wonder if I'll end up with some of the freaky shit I see here: www.bmezine.com And sometimes I hope I do. I think I must have a piercing fetish. Piercings, gauges, tattoos, scarification, even suspensions, I just can't get enough of 'em.
Lots of people tell me that when those "freaks" (their word, not mine) get old, they'll regret what they've done. My dad believes this quite fervently, you should have heard the lengths he went to in order to dissuade me from my new nose stud. He even warned I could get AIDS (total non-possibility at any shop that uses an autoclave mahcine and is sanitary). He told me how much it would hurt (despite the fact that he's never been piereced, he feels as though he's an authority). What was odd, though, was that it didn't hurt that badly. It just felt like a shot that didn't stop. Not too bad.
But I'm tired of hearing "you'll regret it!!" and espeically tired of "look at those FREAKS!" The first one arises out of a non-understanding of body modification. There are two kinds of people who get pierced and inked: the kind that do it for themselves, and the kind that do it for others. The kind who do it for themselves do it because they personally like it, and it makes them happy. Its an intensely personal choice and experience, and the final product happens to be whats displayed to the world (and sometimes its not). The people who do it for others do it for popularity, or to play a social role, or to fit in with a certain crowd, or just to be showy. These people are the ones who will regret it. They'll regret that they did something they fundamentally did not desire to appease others. But those who do it for themselves and no one else are the ones who won't regret it.
As for "freaks," I'm damn tired of this. Yes, those who modify themselves are different. But you know who else are different? Body builders. They modify themselves though the unnatural large growth of muscles. But are they called freaks or made fun of? People who get plastic surgery are the same as the modifiers; in fact theirs is the heaviest mod of all. But they aren't considered weird for doing it. I know what it like to be called a freak, and it sucks. People need to forget their bigotry and their stereotypes. And if they don't, then they can fuck off.
I told someone today about it online. He laughed, and said he "never found the need for piercings." I'm sure he thinks he's quite clever by saying this, and he has our mentality all figured out (but then again, if you know who I'm talking about you should understand). But this very statement betrays his total lack of understanding. Modification is not something that weak peopel use as a crutch. It is not a way for the uncreative to express themselves. It is a persoanl expression. A synthetic reflection of whats inside. The very statement, "the need for piercings" plays off mods as some kind of emotional need of the person, like some kind of cheap addiction. Thats simply not how it is. But people like this will never understand. They live in their little world, and they won't leave it for shit.
So, I suppose I have little else to say about this. Actually I have a lot more to say, but all answers are ust products of questions. So as I sit herer, grimacing at my swollen nostril with a piece of sharp metal lodged through it, I ponder the future of my body. And it is MY body. Not yours, not the government's, not your god's, not the corporations', nobody's but mine. It is mine to do as I please with. Just as yours is yours. Our bodies are the only thing that are truly ours in this world. So don't let people tell you what to do with it. If you want to change it, change it. If you want to fuck it up, fuck it up. If you want to leave it alone, then don't do shit. It makes sense.
My parents think this is a pacifier. They think that by giving this to me I'll calm down and end my obsession with body modification. No. Now that I've gotten a taste for it, I must have more. This is only the beginning. I wonder if I'll end up with some of the freaky shit I see here: www.bmezine.com And sometimes I hope I do. I think I must have a piercing fetish. Piercings, gauges, tattoos, scarification, even suspensions, I just can't get enough of 'em.
Lots of people tell me that when those "freaks" (their word, not mine) get old, they'll regret what they've done. My dad believes this quite fervently, you should have heard the lengths he went to in order to dissuade me from my new nose stud. He even warned I could get AIDS (total non-possibility at any shop that uses an autoclave mahcine and is sanitary). He told me how much it would hurt (despite the fact that he's never been piereced, he feels as though he's an authority). What was odd, though, was that it didn't hurt that badly. It just felt like a shot that didn't stop. Not too bad.
But I'm tired of hearing "you'll regret it!!" and espeically tired of "look at those FREAKS!" The first one arises out of a non-understanding of body modification. There are two kinds of people who get pierced and inked: the kind that do it for themselves, and the kind that do it for others. The kind who do it for themselves do it because they personally like it, and it makes them happy. Its an intensely personal choice and experience, and the final product happens to be whats displayed to the world (and sometimes its not). The people who do it for others do it for popularity, or to play a social role, or to fit in with a certain crowd, or just to be showy. These people are the ones who will regret it. They'll regret that they did something they fundamentally did not desire to appease others. But those who do it for themselves and no one else are the ones who won't regret it.
As for "freaks," I'm damn tired of this. Yes, those who modify themselves are different. But you know who else are different? Body builders. They modify themselves though the unnatural large growth of muscles. But are they called freaks or made fun of? People who get plastic surgery are the same as the modifiers; in fact theirs is the heaviest mod of all. But they aren't considered weird for doing it. I know what it like to be called a freak, and it sucks. People need to forget their bigotry and their stereotypes. And if they don't, then they can fuck off.
I told someone today about it online. He laughed, and said he "never found the need for piercings." I'm sure he thinks he's quite clever by saying this, and he has our mentality all figured out (but then again, if you know who I'm talking about you should understand). But this very statement betrays his total lack of understanding. Modification is not something that weak peopel use as a crutch. It is not a way for the uncreative to express themselves. It is a persoanl expression. A synthetic reflection of whats inside. The very statement, "the need for piercings" plays off mods as some kind of emotional need of the person, like some kind of cheap addiction. Thats simply not how it is. But people like this will never understand. They live in their little world, and they won't leave it for shit.
So, I suppose I have little else to say about this. Actually I have a lot more to say, but all answers are ust products of questions. So as I sit herer, grimacing at my swollen nostril with a piece of sharp metal lodged through it, I ponder the future of my body. And it is MY body. Not yours, not the government's, not your god's, not the corporations', nobody's but mine. It is mine to do as I please with. Just as yours is yours. Our bodies are the only thing that are truly ours in this world. So don't let people tell you what to do with it. If you want to change it, change it. If you want to fuck it up, fuck it up. If you want to leave it alone, then don't do shit. It makes sense.