To anyone who has issues with body modification

People everywhere do things you ,yourself wouldn't do.People do things you don't understand. It is a right brought by freedom to do the incomprehensible.The Constitution the idea of a "free country" was once considered crazy when the only governments were kings and tyrants you know.
The essence of freedom is a right to be,do and say what you want as long as you do not take the rights of another's freedom and the security in their own person,away.Body modification harms no one who is not willing to modify themselves. In a free country, whoever you are you can be not-understandable to the"mainstream".

Freedom means you can literally decide to take risks or not- it's all up to you.

There is no other person on Earth who is capable of telling you who you are - they can only tell you what they think you should be and it's usually ends up looking like what they would want more often than not.*coincidence* hardly.
Bullies hate the diversity a culture creates when other people are free to risk self actualization .Bullies who realize others may not accept their imposed limits seek to dominate all things they don't understand and limit others creativity,independent thought,self expressions, self explorations, to what they can comprehend and thereby control.

The fundies want control of culture and spirituality above all else.

Body modification has a spiritual component for some people.For others it's beauty..There are a billion reasons people do it.All are legit if they really want it and are aware of the risk and know why they do it. Body mod is freedom,a risk,a challenge,a healing process, and a self adornment..a process of self exploration that's not for everyone.

As for the abuse theory,who are you to declare what sanity and a person's path to sanity MUST be like? Therapists can't even declare what sanity is without the "mainstream"Cultural context/baggage to define it for them. Besides the idea of what is "normal" was an invention of eugenicists.It has nothing to do with reality.Body modification has been part of mankind's history far longer than "normal" has.

Remember fundies,as well as authoritarians,and controlling people wanting to make the world conform to their aesthetics and their ways HATE any alternative religions,appearances,counter culture, different ways of life, or different spiritual practices thoughts and worldviews that are NOT their own or "familiar" to them..
So body mod is an easy target for the culture control freak in any culture.

If you oppose abortion be aware not only is it a woman's right and her way out of male domination and economic/physical chattel slavery to a patriarchal culture run by controlling men it's is a body modification.
If you cover gray hair you have modified your body to appear younger than you are.
if you get plastic surgery to remove an unsightly wart you have modified your body to make yourself more beautiful in your own eyes.
If you wear makeup you temporarily have modified the way you appear to attract others.

People modify themselves for many reasons. To deny people the right to modify their own body in the way they choose to is controlling and it is a fundamental violation of a person's self boundaries.To deny people a right to take risk and live with the results is to deny a person the right of self control,self ownership and self sovereignty over what they do with their own body which is a foundation of democracy and freedom itself.

Once accepted as OK,when does the societal desire to control another person's freedoms and self expression end? When everyone looks the same dresses the same,thinks the same? How far do you go in enforcing your rules on others who are not a danger or harming to YOU?
Tyranny knows no limits or self control in applying limits to what others can and cannot do or be.


As Steven Haworth, body modification pioneer, has said, “Body Modification may be the extreme end of the self-expression scale, but we’re not asking you to do it. We’re asking you to be cool with it its something that makes us happy.”


The great mystery is not that we should have been thrown down here at random between the profusion of matter and that of the stars; it is that from our very prison we should draw, from our own selves, images powerful enough to deny our nothingness.
Andre Malraux (1901-1976)
Man's Fate, 1933

Which is why I don't understand how the Illinois democrats can be the ones sponsoring a bill making it illegal to have jewelry implanted in the eye.

Sometimes it almost seems like we're in Bizzarro world in Illinois. Some democrats here act more like republicans.

AMEN!!

I am a transsexual, 2 1/2 years post-op...and mine may well be the most "extreme" form of body modification. but it has allowed me self-actualization, and has hurt no one.

Yet, "bullies" constantly try to punish me for what I have done, by denying me employment, by physical, emotional, and verbal abuse, etc, etc.

While I don't understand some forms of body mod...for example, branding, or the latest fashion, hanging from meathooks (no I am not kidding) I would not stop someone who wanted to do these things from doing it...I'd only ask that you don't force ME to do it.

The problem is that some people are just not comfortable with anything that falls outside their narrow circle of comfort. So be it. They have no right to deny to others that which makes THEM uncomfortable. There is no Constitutional right against being grossed out or made uncomfortable. Or being offended.

But they haven't figured out a safe way to do that, yet.

B-)

Also, westerners tend to be obsessed with their physical bodies.

Rather than considering the physical body as a vehicle it becomes very much a dominant part of many peoples' Self Identity.

Additionally, western culture seems to think the answer to every problem or unhappiness lies in a pill or surgical procedure.

The above are just some various observances.

and would be willing to be the ultimate judge on it, yes?

Whew! I'm glad someone has such absolute knowledge and is willing to share.

superior or something?

edit- let's see, just to actually attempt to engage in dialog even though you don't seem capable, I'd say female genital "circumsion" is mutiliation, wouldn't you?

Is only mutilation when it's forced without consent. When parents do it to kids or a bully cocerces someone.S culture can be a bully.

If a person does it freely because they want to than it's thier right.
Denying them that right is cocercion.

Binding girls feet
stretching neck/braking collar bone for metal neck rings
slicing lips and inserting labrettes

These are all done for "beautification" to women in different cultures.

They are all begun at early ages so the young girl wouldn't be able to have any input.

Hence mutilitation?

If a woman wanted to slice off a pinky toe to fit her foot into extremely narrow shoes is that mutiliation or modification?

Altering your physical body for a cultural ideal.

Very interesting topic.

When I was a kid I was forced into braces by my mom and our culture.I was constantly teased because of my different teeth. But truthfully I had no say..I also had huge fangs,and I liked those but they were shaved flat,while they yaked out 6 teeth so my braces would work..All because our culture says buck teeth and anything but white flat perfect teeth are ugly.I have TMJ now.

And I miss my fangs.

The braces were not truly consentual for me.

The only law I can recall was the Georgia state general assembly banning female genital piercings as an ammendment to the the "female circumcision" (i.e. genital mutilation) ban.

A ban on genital piercing, like drug prohibition, is unenforceable on a scale that would make such a law meaningful.

I'm male. I have a few covered pieces of jewelry. I like them, and I know that kind of thing isn't for everyone. That said, I would be vehemently against any laws banning the practice, although I think the body mod industry should be better regulated, e.g. more training/testing for artists.

I don't understand why anyone would want to wear a tie but I'm not trying to get a law against it passed.

It's funny but I have no tats, piercings or other body mods but all my friends do. When I meet up with them at the tavern or the club it looks like a mini piercing and tattoo convention. Have one friend that owns a piercing/tattoo studio and about 6 or 7 others that are tattoo artists.

with tattoos and someone without tattoos, is that the person with tattoos doesn't care if you don't have tattoos.

Tattoos and piercings - not for me (except I did have an earring for a few years, and I'd be willing to do that again) - but I don't begrudge anyone having piercings or tattoos, even the ones that look really painful (like the penis piercing video my pierced friend had me watch once- ouch!!).

In a sane society, no one would fuckin' care.

You should do whatever you want with your body. It's YOUR body. Period.

I've talked to a couple of guys...and don't laugh at this...about injecting silicone into their bodies. I won't go into details, because someone may deem it inappropriate...but there are guys who have injected silicone into various parts of their body...and yes, it has a sexual aspect to it. :-) I wouldn't do anything like that, but it sort of fascinates me. It's body modification and ties into ideas of beauty and sexual attractivenss. Yes, some may think it's questionable, medically speaking. But it's their bodies...and who am I to begrudge them?

Decked out in tats and studs but your boundaries are violated if someone notices?

I don't care if people say like my tats,because tats are interesting art. They are something I put there for MY own beauty..If others like them I say thanks, if they don't whatever..Tattoos are NOT sexualized body parts in this culture.You cannot rape a tattoo.
But to comment on my body parts like I am an object that exists to be used sexually..that offends me.. because it is objectifying me in a way that makes me less of a person.

When someone leers I know I am seen my them as an object for their use, consumption. It's like cutting off (emotionally) parts of me that *I* value and pretending as if they do not exist because I was forced by biology to have certain parts that some people have this fetishism issue because our culture is sick and hierarchical.

Objectification of a human being into certain body parts so the looker can satisfy them self at my expense is sick..That is why leering offends me it disrespects me as a whole person. I am not an object to be used for objectified pleasure ,nor do I "tolerate" it or excuse it out of low self esteem or some exhibitionist fetish..

I am a human being, with a mind,with a heart,that has emotions,I am an ENTIRE person.You can't leer at one part of me without taking the whole person into consideration.I insist..because I respect myself..And that is MY boundary for My own self respect.My call to make...and I enforce my boundaries no matter what anyone else thinks..

Leering at womens chests or legs is a culturally entrenched stupid form of domination.So if you were sensitive to what you do to others feels like FOR THEM you'd notice how leering intimidates alot of people(women)and you'd prefer NOT to do it because you don't want to intimidate or risk being rude to someone you may find attractive because you want their respect more than to get off by yourself.Because leering exists precisely to objectify someone else and I have decided long ago I will not be dominated by any human being who is my equal,I don't tolerate intimidation. It's called having self respect..And all people are my equals.

Treat me like an equal entire human being and you will get respected in return~guaranteed .Objectify me and you will be treated like the rude ass you are acting like.

I am the one who is the recipient of the rudeness so I am who can say if it's rude to me.The rude person has no say on how I feel inside my own emotions dealing with their callous crap they do to objectify me.

I do warn leerers once that they are rude to me.Because I am aware they may be oblivious insensitive dolts who never had to be considerate before.If they do not have the capacity to understand when they are being rude and stop on their own I'll tell them to..Maybe it's because they have never met people who demand equal respect when they interact with others..yet? I'll cut them slack once because people do get raised in hypothetical barns. So if rude people don't like being told to stop being assholes ,don't cross that line again.. It's simple really.

Even if tattoos and piercings are "art," people who go to art galleries "stare" at art.

An individual who puts all his or her "art" where it can be seen has issued a dare to people to pay attention to that "art."

The contradiction inherent in styling oneself as a bold invitation to "look at me!" coupled with the internal revulsion toward people who do must indeed tear some people up.

Maybe that's why it took the form of separate posts.

Again, reminding me of the Dennis Hopper character in Blue Velvet:

"Don't look at me!"

Why would I worry what anyone else does to their body? I'm too busy trying to take care of my own.