Extreme body modification seems to be a thing (do a google search if you would like to see examples though be aware some of them are pretty…well extreme…) and it makes me wonder if a persons control over their own body like that should be an absolute or should someone step in and prevent it if it seems to be going too far, ‘going too far’ being subjective of course.
Personally I’m undecided on the issue, mainly because I suspect that in least some cases there may be mental health issues or deeper problems going on there and the modification is very much permanent, there is no going back. If a close friend or family member told me they were considering it I would very much have to try to talk them out of it.
B.I.I.D. or body integration identity disorder IS considered a mental illness and those who suffer from it often feel as tho they are living in the wrong body and desire extreme body modifications such as amputation or paralysis in order to feel whole.
I figure your right to modify your own body should be infinite and unlimited, however you do not have the same latitude to require another person to assist you. If you want to be a quad amputee, well you should have the right but if you can’t find anyone willing to cut your limbs off you’re not entitled to force a doctor to perform the procedure. It should also be up to the discretion of local courts to decide what they’ll prosecute just in case some enterprising soul decides there’s a good living to be had in paid mayhem.
But if you want to take a chainsaw to your own leg, well, have at it. It’s not like thousands of others haven’t done it with less intent.
Anecdotally, I’m seeing fewer of my college kids with facial piercings and those ear stretching thingies. Perhaps non-extreme mods aren’t really cool anymore and are going the way of tribal and tramp stamp tats.
I get concerned that young people who opt for extreme mods such as facial tattoos, split tongues, and eye sclera tattoos are narrowing their career and general opportunities.
I had a student with large swastika/Nazi shit tattoos on her neck and face. She unsuccessfully tried to cover the tats with makeup. Unbidden, she told me that she got involved with a white power asshole when she was 16 and got the tats at his bidding. She got sucked into his beliefs for a few years before deciding to get out. She said she hadn’t been able to get a job, even a McJob, and was saving up for eventual laser surgery.
I personally don’t care what sane people do to their bodies, but chances are that a guy whose face is tattooed with lizard scales and implanted forehead horns isn’t a viable job candidate outside of clubs, tattoo parlors, and other really tolerant venues. What happens when a woman with facial cat stripe tattooing and screw-in whiskers decides she’d like, for example, to be a doctor or lawyer? It’s going to be difficult to become one.
And to end anecdotally: the 5 or so people I know who are into extreme body modding deal with some heavy duty mental illnesses. Causal and correlation etc, etc.
I seem to recall that there are tattoo parlors that will work to change hate group tats to something more appropriate for reduced cost and dermatologists who’ll do the same with laser removal, might be worth doing a google in the area to see if anyone’s participating.
I also hear that a big trend in plastic surgery is remediation of gauge piercings. Doesn’t surprise me much, people are often really amazed at how their skin DOESN’T snap back just because they change their minds about wearing their jewelry.
JennShark - Here’s a group that does free removal of offensive, visible and gang tattoos in CA. I don’t know what you need to qualify for their services.
My grandkids grabbed my glasses off my face, I can’t imagine what they would do to those large gauges or nose peircings. When ever my child asked about tattoos or odd piercings I have always fed her the “what would it be like if you are a grandmother with that” line. So far it’s worked. OTOH, my son got a few tattoos while in the Marines. They aren’t on his face or neck or hands. I think there might be a rule about visible tattoos in the Corp. Other than that I have no problem if someone wants to have these things. It’s a personal choice.
whenever any pulls the “what is that tattoo going to look like when you are old?” card I like to say: I’ve seen more naked 80 year olds than most people, and I am I here to tell you, ain’t NOTHING looking good. Your tats are the least of it. Get what you want, all things being equal.
some of the more extreme stuff does bother me, but I have learned to let it go. I have never met anyone who wanted to amputate a limb or be paralyzed so that’s something I don’t know how I will deal with it if it happens.
You addressed it in your next post, but people often forget that just because you have the right to do something doesn’t mean other people are forced to be on the receiving end.
Part of the issue here is finding out where Body Modification transitions to (self) abuse. A good example is (quickly and off the top of my head) scarification. I can go to some tattoo places and they’ll, literally, cut or burn me in order to create scars. Do an image search, all the examples I see are very fresh/raw and I don’t want to link to them. However, if you take a knife or branding iron to your own skin, you’re likely to be arrested and put on a psych watch.
I work with a lot of high school kids. I think there’s just a move to tattoos. And with that, I’m seeing more and more 16 and 17 year olds get tattoos (with parental permission). I’m also seeing less tattoos than I was 5-10 years ago.
More and more workplaces are becoming open to tattoos. I’ve even seen the a major hospital group start to ease up on their ‘don’t even bother applying here’ policy for visible tattoos. But those ‘OMG look at that guy, his whole face is tattooed’ people probably weren’t looking to work a 9-5 to begin with. IOW, IME, don’t worry about other people. I’ve found that, in general, getting stressed about what someone else does, that doesn’t impact me in any way, shape or form isn’t worth it.
The thing about tattoos, IME, is that after a while (months, years) you don’t think about them anymore. They’re just part of you. You’re asking your child how she’ll feel about some skin ink in 40 or 50 years. Keeping in mind that there’s plenty of grandmothers with tattoos, and there’s going to be more very soon, I doubt she cares. If she really wants a tattoo, that line won’t hold her off forever and it may even be used against you if she wants to rebel.
I saw that too. One person couldn’t find a doctor to do an elective amputation shot himself in the leg with a shotgun in a ‘that’ll show’m move’. I can absolutely understand someone wanting to be an amputee, for any number of reasons. I can even understand that feeling be so strong and lasting for so long that they actually have it done, in one way or another. IIRC, in that episode, another person paid someone to shoot him in the shoulder. But I don’t think he really felt like he’s always needed a bullet hole to be complete, he just wanted to tell his buddies he got shot so he’d look cool. Having it done on a nationally aired TV show probably wasn’t the way to go in that case.
A friend of mine wanted a facial scar a few years ago. He talked with me about it and explained the reasons he wanted it. He had been thinking about it for a long time, and his reasons were “reasonable”. I acted as a go-between with his girlfriend, and explained to her why the scar was so important (he was unable to talk with her about it).
I hooked him up with a tattoo artist friend of mine who does branding and scarification in addition to tattoing. They discussed the mod, went over the specifics, and a week later he had a big bandage on his face. The finished scar is subtle, yet obvious. My friend couldn’t be more pleased with the end result, and that’s all that really matters. Oh, and his gf is totally cool with the situation.
Thanks, Pro and others. She disappeared off my radar a year or so ago; unfortunately, it looks like she faded away after a few rough semesters. However, I now know there are resources if (when) I run into another person who needs bad tatt choices remediated.
Agree that there is much more acceptance of tatts and piercings. I have friends in top management positions who have full sleeves, etc. I’ve a regrettable 30yo tatt on my bicep.
I just don’t think we’re to the point of public comfort with, say, folks who have tattooed the whites of their eyes black or have full-on “lizarded out” their face. Well, at least I’m not ready for my GP or mechanic to look like a demon: