i know, a SERIOUS post here?
sisterfromanothermister had posted on facebook about these videos, and it reminded me about how much i fucking hate them. i hate these videos and i hate the stereotypes that accompany being modified.
for my new readers and to spark other's memories, i am modified. i have both of my nostrils pierced, two lower lip piercings (one on each side), and my ear lobes stretched to 6g, or 4mm. i have nine tattoos, on my upper arms, legs, back, shoulder, and neck. one is always visible, another is usually visible. i also have pink and orange hair. which is awesome. but not really considered a modification by most people.
i am going to link to both of these videos here. the piercing one does show an actual lip piercing, so if you're super squeamish about needles, you might want to skip it.
okay. now i will be the first to say that i think that chick has a few too many piercings on her face, but guess what? it's not my face. so it's not my decision. i personally wouldn't have that many. but i think she's beautiful and unique and being true to herself. i think the guy with all the tattoos is amazing. his body is truly a canvas and he too is beautiful and being true to himself.
HOWEVER the 'organization' that posted these videos is using them in an anti-binge drinking campaign with the slogan 'some people just don't know when to stop'.
so they are comparing BINGE DRINKING with HEAVY BODY MODIFICATION.
while it is true that there can be health complications with some body modification, there is no way that it is anywhere NEAR as harmful to people as binge drinking. my piercings and tattoos do NOT directly affect anyone except me. binge drinking can affect not only the drinker, but those around them - friends, family, etc. and forget about if they get in a car - they are basically a fucking accident waiting to happen.
i guess i felt the need to share this for a few reasons. one is to prove that not all modified people are the same - we are typically stereotyped into young people with psychotic disorders, young people trying to be different and/or fit in, bikers, oddballs, freaks, what have you. many of us are mostly normal people, living the same kind of life that you are, just with a couple of extra holes in our bodies. there is no reason to change tables and not sit near us. i have personally experienced shit like that more times than i care to count. at diners, awesome husband and i have been seated in the noisy teenager section, i'm sure because of how we look, and we are quiet, courteous adults who should not have to put up with that bullshit. we too are paying customers and are capable of acting like adults instead of hyenas on fucking crack.
videos like this just do more to make modified people look more like outsiders, like we're crazy (i mean, i AM crazy, but that hasn't anything to do with my modifications) or dangerous. it fucking EQUATES US TO BINGE DRINKERS.
let me know what you think. i know i'm overly sensitive to shit like this, but still. does knowing about my piercings and tattoos change how you feel about what i write? or make you look at me in a different way? do you find yourself looking at or treating modified people differently? SHARING TIME!
It's not that I treat them differently, it's that I am reserved. If you have a few facial piercings or a ton of tattoos I think nothing of it.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously babe? That girl at the top there looks like a FREAK. That is Wayyyyyyyyyy too much. There's nothing "beautiful" about modifying yourself so much that you lose your identity. You understand?
It's her prerogative and no one should judge her, but I think that's taking it to an extreme where it's no longer about being original.
Love tattoos. Have nothing against them. But all those piercings freak me the ef out. And if she doesn't want to be labeled as a freak, she shouldn't attempt her hardest to look like one.
Now those companies comparing binge drinking to tattoos and piercings? That's ludicrous. It's an outrage and they should be sued. It is NOT the same.
I agree with you, I believe that everyone should be able to be who they want to be.. Want to have 345 piercings? Great, What to have every inch of your body tattoed? Awesome, want to be in a relationship with someone of the same sex? go for it... It all falls into the category of accepting people for who they are and who they want to be... great post.
ReplyDeleteI personally wouldn't want to do that to my body but they shouldn't be judged just by the way that they look. That's stupid and it's as ignorant as racism. I hate it.
ReplyDeletehttp://theadorkableditzmissteps.blogspot.com/
I think this is a great post and you are right, it is waaayyy off base to compare being modified to binge drinking.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't my place to judge anyone if they want to have many, many piercings or tattoos. I may or may not find it aesthetically pleasing to look at, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. But that's not the point. They are the ones who have to wear it and if they are comfortable that way, then more power to them.
The conservatives and those who try to make the correlation to binge drinking just need to get a life.
I have no problem with tattoos and piercings, sometimes they are pretty darn hot!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there is a line of too much for most people, and for me that is over that. Just my preference.
I think the point of the commercials is a good one, that if you are gonna make a long-term decision such as body modification, you should be sober when you make that decision. These are big decisions, and I am squeamish, so may be reacting to watching that... ew...
i think the point that the group is trying to make is that binge drinkers don't know when to stop - and neither do the people featured in the piercing/tattooing videos. i think the problem that the body modification community has with these videos is that the group breathesg is saying that piercing/tattooing is like binge drinking.
ReplyDeletebinge drinking is not a healthy habit, and it endangers other people. body modification is a personal choice that people take up for different reasons, some are purely aesthetic, some are spiritual or religious. the guy in the tattoo video says each of his tattoos has a personal meaning. equating a personal art form or form of expression with a destructive habit like binge drinking is disgusting and offensive to body modification enthusiasts.
To each their own. The comparison is incredibly ridiculous and two totally different things.
ReplyDeleteI read a quote once about tattoos that went something like, "My body is my temple, I'm just painting the walls."
It stuck with me. I am tattooed, too and I love them. Piercings are nice too but they really hurt so I dont get them. lol
i really like that idea! i always thought of my body as a canvas and i'm making the outside match the inside.
ReplyDeleteALSO. piercings only hurt once!
@steph gas- not true with a nipple piercing. If you snag that bitch on a towel or something, the pain is worse than when it was first done. Also, it's been four years and it hasn't healed. If I wasn't against wasting my $50, I would have taken it out by now.
ReplyDeleteGreat post and even if this were not my first time to your blog, that wouldn't stop me from coming back.
@ mrs. hyde - i was SUPER careful with my nipple piercings. i had to take them out though because they rejected :(
ReplyDeletei actually pulled one of my noserings THROUGH my nose last week, to the inside. that hurt A LOT. so, i guess they do hurt more than once. but you tend to forget the pain. kind of like childbirth, i guess.