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This is a collection of articles on body piercings, body art, and tattooing. Here you will find a range of articles on all types of body piercings and piercing fashions, including belly rings, nose rings, tongue rings, and all other types of piercings. These piercing news articles also include the history of piercings, its role in society, and much more. So if you’re looking to get some information, this is your source for body piercing news! |
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BBCNews A whole new meaning to "ear nose and throat". Body art is part of today's culture. We decorate our bodies to make a personal statement. ANCIENT HISTORY Body art is not a new thing. It has been around for thousands of years and began with the very first tribes and clans. Nostril piercing is thought to originate from the Middle East 4000 years ago. It spread into India in the 16th century where the kind of jewellery worn related to caste and social standing. Tattoos have been found on the bodies of Egyptian mummies and ear, nose and lip ornaments have been dug up at ancient Inca burial grounds. In the ancient temples of the Aztecs and Mayans tongues were pierced as part of a ritual to communicate with their gods.
In the 18th century tattoos were proving popular among the upper classes, who were falling over themselves to get one. Victorian women had a craze for having their nipples pierced - or in
some cases both - and then joined them with chains. So much for the supposed
straight-laced era! It was done for formal occasions and enabled him to wear the tight, fashionable trousers of the day without any embarrassment!
A tattoo is created by using a vibrating needle attached to an electric hand-held tool. The needle injects the ink into the dermal layer of the skin and it can be quite uncomfortable, even painful. Why do people have a tattoo? Perhaps as a permanent reminder of a particular time, the name of a loved one or a favourite football team. Many celebrities have tattoos. Role models such as Eminem, David Beckham and Jennifer Aniston have probably raised the status of tattoos. A lot of older women are also choosing to wear one with pride. For some it's a way of making them feel better about themselves when they reach a certain milestone in their lives, even if it's in a place where no one would normally see it.
Nose piercing came to the west as part of the hippy culture and was then adopted by punks. The mouth, lips and tongue are sensuous parts of the body and piercing in this area can be sexually arousing for both men and women. Nipple piercing was once considered a sign of virility and the natives of central America had their nipples pierced to mark their transition into manhood. Navels are now the most popular form of piercing.
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What Is a Body Piercing and What Can You Expect? Anonymous Over the past few years, body art has become popular, and it's hard to walk down the street, go to the mall, or watch TV without seeing someone with a piercing or a tattoo. Whether it's ears, lips, nostrils, eyebrows, belly buttons, tongues, or even cheeks, you've probably seen piercings - maybe multiple piercings - on lots of people. You might think body piercings look cool and you've thought about getting one. But are they safe? Are they a good idea? And what should you be aware of if you do decide to get one? What Is a Body Piercing and What Can You Expect? A body piercing is exactly that - a piercing or puncture made in your body by a needle. After that, a piece of jewelry is inserted into the puncture. The most popular pierced body parts seem to be the ears, the nostrils, and the belly button. If the person performing the piercing provides a safe, clean, and professional environment, this is what you can expect from getting a body part pierced: The area you've chosen to be pierced (except for the tongue) is cleaned with a germicidal soap (a soap that kills disease-causing bacteria and microorganisms). Your skin is then punctured with a very sharp, clean needle. The piece of jewelry, which has already been sterilized, is attached to the area. The person performing the piercing disposes of the needle in a special container so that there is no risk of the needle or blood touching someone else. The pierced area is cleaned. The person performing the piercing checks and adjusts the jewelry. The person performing the piercing gives you instructions on how to make sure your new piercing heals correctly and what to do if there is a problem. Before You Pierce That Part If you're thinking about getting pierced, do your research first. If you're under 18, some places won't allow you to get a piercing without a parent's consent. It's a good idea to find out what risks are involved and how best to protect yourself from infections and other complications. Certain sites on the body can cause more problems than others - infection is a common complication of mouth and nose piercings because of the millions of bacteria that live in those areas. Tongue piercings can damage teeth over time. And tongue, cheek, and lip piercings can cause gum problems. Studies have shown that people with certain types of heart disease might have a higher risk of developing a heart infection after body piercing. If you have a medical problem such as allergies, diabetes, skin disorders, a condition that affects your immune system, or infections - or if you are pregnant - ask your doctor if there are any special concerns you should have or precautions you should take beforehand. Also, it's not a good idea to get a body piercing if you're prone to getting keloids (an overgrowth of scar tissue). If you decide to get a body piercing: Make sure you're up to date with your immunizations (especially hepatitis
and tetanus). Plan where you will get medical care if your piercing becomes
infected (signs of infection include excessive redness/tenderness around
the piercing site; prolonged bleeding; pus; or change in your skin color
around the piercing area). Also, if you plan to get a tongue or mouth
piercing, make sure your teeth and gums are healthy.
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by Michael Klemperer Tattooing and body modification are very ancient practices indeed, and are tied inextricably with human concepts about aestheticism and identity. Such practices must be seen as part of an overall body decoration theme which invariably must include coiffure, cosmetics, dress and non permanent adornment used as a means of expression or communication within society. I am using the term 'body modification / body art' in this text as one derived to encompass a variety of skin decoration practices such as tattooing, body piercing and scarification. Skin does not ordinarily survive in archaeological contexts. Thus archaeological evidence for the extent or antiquity of body modification is scant. However in certain conditions, or because of distinct preservation techniques a little evidence has survived which gives clues to the nature of the practice in the past. The actual origins of body art are somewhat unimportant and will, like the origins of many things remain a mystery. Since body art practices sprung up in many widely geographically separate places, such as Peru and Egypt, and it is extremely improbable that such ideas were transferred by diffusion or population migration (all alien theorists will doubtlessly disagree strongly at this point). Thus it must be likely that body modification was invented more than once, ie. that there can often have been been a coincidence of technical, environmental and socio-cultural conditions favouring its development. In view of their occurrence and wide distribution it would appear that the "major modes and techniques of body art would seem to be very old". For all train spotters out there,, the earliest known firm evidence for tattoo is in ancient Egypt., where the "Egyptian record of 4500 years of tattooing is presently the longest in human history". The oldest preserved tattoos from this period are from Thebes, during Dynasty Xl, about 2160 before present. These tattoos from a preserved mummified female comprise of a series of "abstract patterns of individual dots or dashes randomly placed upon the body with apparent disregard for formal zoning". Apparently nothing changes? Also of interest from this period is a second mummy, also identified as female, and probably "that of a female dancer", and two further females all showing similar tattoos. One of these shows a remarkable cicatrix* (*Cicatrix: scar of healed wound, in this case one,for possible decorative effect, and for the sake of argument, can be regarded as perhaps the first instance of scarification.) across her lower abdomen, this incision, made by a knife or cautery, does not invade the muscles of the abdomen and therefore cannot it is extremely doubtful whether this is merely a wound or surgery. Incidentally why the mummy was regarded as a dancer is open to question and may reflect modern prejudice regarding tattooed women being 'certain types' rather than founded on evidence. It is also of interest to note that most tattoos in the archaeological record are those of women, and if one wanted to be contraire, might suggest that this, at one time most macho of art forms, may once have been a female preserve. Tattooing does not appear in native Egyptian cultural tradition until the time of the Middle Kingdom and as a result some scholars attribute its introduction as being from Nubia The earliest Egyptian mummies are associated with Nubia and Nubian mummies discovered in Kubban in 1910 by Firth, dated to 2000 BC, also displayed very similar tattoos to the Egyptian finds. More recent excavations at Aksha uncovered tattooed mummies of both adolescent and adult women with similar tattoo patterns but at a much later date of 400BC. Other 'evidence' for Egyptian body art can be seen from faience figurines from the Middle Kingdom (about 2000BC) which show decorations of dot and diamond shaped patterns interpreted by some authors, Omlin (1973), Keimer (1948) and Desroches-Noblecourt (1953) as tattoo patterns. As with any other pictorial or literary evidence one must be careful in taking too much store in their interpretation. There is no way of telling whether depictions in art represent tattooing or other forms of adornment such as body painting. Furthermore in accounts by 'contemporary' authors the motives of 'description' may have more to do with vilifying ones enemies or creating fantastical accounts rather than realistic depictions. There is some suggestion that some tattooing from the Middle Kingdom may have had erotic overtones. There may be connections between the tattoo traditions, the figurines and the goddess Hathor "the most lascivious of all Egyptian goddesses". However he suggests no such erotic links to Nubian tattoos, which is surprising as he links both traditions culturally. Other links to deities include a predilection, from 1550BC onwards, towards depictions of the divinity Bes associated with the household and employed as a protective talisman. Other archaeological evidence of body art preserved from such dry conditions can be found in Central and Southern Peru where desiccated bodies from the Nazca Culture (circa Ist Millennium AD) show evidence of tattooing. In Asia body art also has a considerable history. In 1986 in Northwest China five 'non Mongoloid' bodies with geometric tattoos were recovered and are believed to be "at least 3000 years old". Elsewhere in Asia Scythlan bodies from frozen burial mounds in Southern Siberia have been recovered with elaborate and extensive tattooing. At Pazyruck bodies of a Scythian 'princess' and 'chieftain' (apparently anyone in prehistory with a few tattoos, weapons and trinkets was of a royal or warrior caste!) have been excavated dating back over 2500 years. The patterns of tattoos in these cases are highly elaborate, Polosmak, the excavator of the 'Princess' speculates that, "the tattoos may contain some kind of code. They may say something about her life". This statement, whilst not exactly a startling revelation, does at least indicate that archaeologists realise that body art is more than just decorative. In Japan tattooing was known by 600BC, clay figurines from Jomon (c. 10,000-300BC) and Yayoi (c. 300BC-300AD) periods show markings which have been interpreted as either facial tattoos or scarification. Also from the Yayoi period three reference from Chinese dynastic histories compiled by Chien Shou in AD 297 refer to the inhabitants of Japan as: "Men young and old, all tattoo their faces and decorate their bodies with designs". The account further states that tattoos had protective functions and position and size of tattoos varies according to the rank of the individual. Later it is reported that Japan increasingly followed China in the custom of using tattoos as caste or punishment emblems with those of low rank, untouchables or criminals so marked confirming social ostracism The decorative traditions which we now associate with the Japanese tattoo developed much later in the seventeenth century with the impetus ascribed to influences from the Chinese Shui-hu Chuan novel (some may remember the Water Margin series on Television) providing a suitable heroic template. In Europe an 'Ice man' found in the Austro-ltallan Alps in 1991 possibly dating back some 2500 years again represents an example of some of the earliest archaeological evidence for the practice of tattooing. The tattoos, a sequence of bands around the joints, have been interpreted by some rather functionalist authors as attempts to cure arthritis. However tattooing has strong talismanic connections and it would be perhaps more appropriate to view these bands as 'protection from' rather than 'curative against' the effects of disease or misfortune. Ethnographic sources also give insight into the variety and types of body modification practised throughout the globe. 'Modern' western tattooing begins with the exploratory voyages of Captain James Cook in the mid 18th century, to Polynesia where Cook and his crew encountered South Pacific tattooing culture. This practice, which became popular among sailors was often seen by European eyes as 'savage' or 'barbarous' reflecting the elite eighteenth century's world view of a preordained 'great chain of being'. This hierarchical construct produced by the 'great scholars' of the age was basically a vehicle for class based prejudice. People and animals were arranged in strict status strata, from the monarch down, with the 'primitive', the poor, 'criminals' and certain sorts of animals at the bottom of the heap. Such schemes later became the basis of such practices as eugenics and apartheid and still colour Western mainstream reaction to body art today. In Polynesian society tattooing was the norm however, and played and played a "key role in the construction of the person". In Polynesian regimes such as Hawaii, New Zealand, the Marquesas, Samoa and Melanesian Fiji the cultures, whilst not sharing a cultural logic, do exhibit similarities in that body art is used as a means of expression and communication within society. Other ethnographical and historical sources of body art come from 'Native America'. Again body art in the America's is described as "usually connected with ethnic identity, social role or status". The body art of this area covers practices of modification of soft tissue, such as piercing's, represented both in art, the historical and archaeological records. Labret, Septum and pierced ear ornaments appear both in ethnographic and archaeological contexts throughout the Americas. The Aztecs of Mexico as well as the Eskimos in Alaska are all well documented as using piercing as a form of body art. As with 'tribal' styles of tattooing such peoples have acted as an inspiration for piercing in the so called Modern Primitive movement. It is not without a certain amount of irony then, that white Europeans have adopted the very art styles of the populations who were systematically exterminated by there emigrant and colonial ancestors. In Eskimo and Aleut culture tattooing and labret wearing was widely practised in prehistoric and early post-contact Alaska. After 1741, in the post European contact period, the practice declined due to 'Intense efforts on the part of Christian missionaries to eradicate aspects of dress, grooming and ritual that they found offensive". As well as being used to suppress the stylistic practices of subgroups, religious values have been expressed via body art in order to denote belonging and identity. An early example of this was observed and recorded in AD496 by Procupius of Gaza who commented on early Christian tattoos. It is interesting to note however that in orthodox Christian groups tattooing became increasingly forbidden. Finally in this whistle stop tour of the archaeology and history of non western tattooing it is worth while mentioning that various modern ethnographic sources of tattooing, scarification and piercing such as the Tabwa, Gaanda, Tiv, Yorba, Baule, Newar and groups in Borneo, Melanesia and Gujarat to name a few, have been covered by various authors as examples of body art cultures. These sources provide both interesting aspects on non Western body art culture and have provided many Western researchers and tattoo artists alike with sources of ideas that have permeated recent Western alternative culture. The archaeology of Tattooing: The Western legacy. In Europe very early body art was arguably practised by amongst others Ancient Britons, Thraciens, Gauls and Germans. Greeks mention the art of tattooing in works by authors such as Cicero and Herodian. The Roman's too had an interest in tattooing, with writers such as Virgil, Seneca and Galenus reporting how criminals and slaves were marked as a stigma. There are also reports from Roman authors that groups such as the 'Picts' were tattooed or painted but this may in fact merely be a construct of contemporary authors attempting to depict their adversaries as savage or criminal in nature. The image of the kilted, tattooed/ painted Scottish warrior, for example, is a mix of eighteenth century and modern romanticism (the kilt was a purely nineteenth century creation) and attempts by Roman's to represent the Picts as barbaric animals. It is reported that early Christians tattooed a cross on either arms or face (much as Coptic Christians in Armenia, Abyssinia, Syria and Russia do today), however the tradition fell out of favour in the west and, rather conversely, was considered as a sign of paganism. Later tattooing of the face was forbidden by Emperor Constantine and in 787AD, a Council of Churches meeting at Calcuth in Northumberland, prohibited all forms of tattooing. One should not underestimate the power of the church at this stage, who spoke for the elites of society, and whose impact on the populace was considerable. Thus the scene was set by the dominant class of the time to place body art in the category of otheness, appartness perhaps even evil, the effect being that it was therefore rejected, ignored and abhorred. Body art then was prohibited by the highest authorities and declined "almost to a point of disappearance during the Dark and Middle Ages in Europe". Where tattooing continued it took on a sub-rosa quality occurring amongst people living outside the law. Body art was 're-discovered' by adventurers on voyages of discovery with the first possible example shown in a drawing by John White (1578) of an Eskimo woman found by Frobisher after a voyage to find the North-West passage (1576-1758). Other early historical accounts of body art include that of John Bulwer (1632) where he mentioned 'tattooed savages'; Crantz (1750) in Greenland Eskimos, Captain John Smith (1593) in N.America and Dampier who, in 1691, brought to England 'Prince Jeoly', a South Seas islander, who was heavily tattooed (Ebensten 1953). Body art practices such as tattooing were brought back into sharp relief in western countries by European expansion into the Pacific especially the voyages of Captain Cook in 1769. Cook, through contact with Polynesian tattoo culture brought back the word 'Tattoo' (derived from the Tahitian ta tau, 'to mark') and, in 1774, a tattooed Polynesian, named Omai to London. Cook described the traditions and tattoo patterns of Polynesian iconography with accuracy and enthusiasm, and generated considerable interest in the traditions in Europe. Western notions about body art were coloured then by ideas about the "ethnic other", the 'painted savage' as it were. As previously stated these ideas are further elucidated by the work of Mary Douglas. Douglas divides this outsider category into two parts; the first are people from 'another culture' who participate in another symbolic universe. The second category of western ideas about body art, is that of the stigma of class, or as Douglas (1970) puts it; outsiders who have left the 'normal' symbolic universe. Into the latter category come the first Westerners to be influenced to be influenced by Polynesian tattoo culture in the 18th century. These class others ie. the tattooed criminal or sailor were the first to be influenced by the Polynesian art. These European sailors and adventurers whose enthusiasm for tattooing surfaced from the very first encounters with Polynesian culture, employed this form of decoration spontaneously as an "expression of class position, lifestyle or the mariners habitus". The effect of such tattoo practice was soon felt in Europe where these 'weirdly tattooed' European men became fairground attractions, and by 1870 had attracted the attention of not only the public but the scientific and medical establishment. Many of these early tattoo subjects became part of the very distinct subculture of circus or sideshow performers and entertainers. Most came with lurid tales about how they acquired such body art, typically they had been 'captured' in exotic locations and been 'forced' to undergo the life threatening art of tattooing. Performers such as Annie Howard, The Beautiful Irene, Lady Pictura, Creola, Miss Stella and Don Manvelo adopted exotic dress as well as outlandish tales to attract audiences. The tattoos were often In a style with scrolls of words amongst decorative vignettes, hearts, animals and flowers which came to be known as the 'American manner' of tattooing. This tattoo form was highly stylised and bore messages such as 'Nothing without Labour', 'Never Despair', and 'Death before Dishonour'. This style became increasingly conventionalised and schematised into what Rubin (1988) terms the 'International Folk Style'. The fairground attraction element of tattoo subculture flourished until the First World War, when, as tattooing became more common in the general populace, interest wore off and the subculture waned. In the English circuses, post-Great War, a figure called 'The Great Omi' with zebra striped tattooing proved a popular attraction following in this fairground subcultural tradition. Today this tradition is almost dead, due to the decline of circus as a media of entertainment. There are however a number of exceptions who have managed to carve a niche, often due to the 'extreme' nature of their performances, including the late great Michael Wilson formally of Bradshaw's Circus of World Curiosities, 'The Enigma' of the Jim Rose Circus and U.S. performance artist Ron Athey. Tattooing became increasingly popular but had associations with criminal classes and seafarers and was "generally frowned upon in 'polite' society in both Europe and the United States". However in the mid to late 19th century for a short period tattooing became popular amongst European nobility with Edward VIII, the Czar Nicholas, King Frederik of Denmark and the infamous Prince Constantine of Albania, amongst others, becoming decorated. Body piercing arrived in Europe in this period, also brought back by sailors from the Pacific and Eastern cultures and from the Middle East by Legionnaires. This practice too was associated with certain subcultures such as gypsies and sailors who had ear piercing's. In Victorian times the 'dressing ring' or Prince Albert, a genital piercing named after Victoria's husband, was used, allegedly, to chain the penis to the wearers leg, to overcome embarrassment with the tight trousers fashionable at the time. Body piercing, except for ear piercing, was only practised by a small subculture of aficionados until the 1970's when Punk re-established the practice into more mainstream culture. In 1891 the first electric tattooing machine was patented in effect revolutionising the tattooing process which had, prior to this, all been executed by time consuming hand techniques. The industry at this time often consisted of travelling artists with information on techniques circulating via an "underground communication network". At the core of this activity was a small nucleus of 'committed, highly independent, often peripatetic entrepreneurs who were accustomed to responding quickly to legal and social sanctions and changing economic conditions". Practitioners were usually from blue-collar backgrounds and increasingly had to cope with a hostile reaction to body art from a variety of fronts. The practice of tattooing was regarded as a definitively deviant picture by the mid 20th century and tattoo consumers regarded as being from "marginal rootless and dangerously unconventional social groups". Explanations for tattooing from the scientific and 'learned' professions, such as Darwin's belief that it was an extension of the desire to make rude pictures on walls, Westermark's and Ebensten's explanation that it has a sexual motivation, Lombroso's claim that it was an expression of criminality and Lacassgne's connections with tattooing and an "underdeveloped emotional temperament all focused the general public's mind on notions that it was a symbol of disaffillation, deviancy and criminality. The public attitude towards tattooing was set firmly in this period by the criminology theories of the day. Much of this attitude was inspired by Cesare Lombroso a statistician, lawyer and 'criminal anthropologist'. He was a offshoot of eighteenth and nineteenth century evolutionary thought, and more specifically a representative of the trend initiated in the 1870's by the embryologist Haekel which sought to interpret the ontogenetic history (the nature of being) of the individual as a epitome of its phylogenetic (racial) past. The basic thrust of this was that due to 'poor breeding' the individual suffered from a deficit in their 'nature' or as some 'theorists' today would propose a genetic deficiency. Thus Lombroso, and his ilk, believed that criminal behaviour occurred as a consequence of poor breeding which resulted in the individual concerned never reaching the evolutionary stage where they would participate in civilised circles. As a result the criminal was born to it and, even if no actual law breaking occurred, could be recognised by "certain physical -biological stigmata". For example a contemporary of Lombroso, Adolf Loos, stated: "Tattooed men who are not behind bars are either latent criminals or degenerate aristocrats. If someone who is tattooed dies in freedom, then he does so a few years before he would have committed murder". If this seem's far fetched ?, out dated ?, perhaps irrelevant ? then consider this: great genetic theorists like... oh let me think... Michael Howard, Theresa Gorman and, all be it slightly earlier, their close political ally Heinrich Himmler (who derived his eugenic theories from poultry breeding) all believe that there is a simple correlation between a single gene and certain traits; the oft quoted 'criminal gene'. This gene, which if only it could be eliminated would make us all moral citizens, settle down in the home counties (poultry breeding anyone?) also is responsible for deviant traits. This is important from an archaeological and anthropological perspective because these historically based attitudes affect directly the sentiment that many in authority have today towards those who are tattooist's and those who have tattoos. These traits included (please commit yourself if you exhibit any of these tendencies): the love of ornament, propensity for madness, alcoholism, gaudy clothes, demotic jargon, deficient moral sensibilities and "the irresistible disposition to become tattooed". Thus one was born to be a criminal, born to be tattooed, morally suspect etc. all traits that the middle classes then, and some now, deem certain dangerous elements, of predictably the lower classes, to possess. This theory was of course thinly disguised racial and class prejudice but does reflect on the fact that many institutionalised people are tattooed. Many of these elements in society seem to have a fatalistic ethos, stigmatising themselves using material culture and style, and in some ways playing into the hands of those who seek to stigmatise them. This stigma is a voluntary stigma, which many in the tattoo fraternity would perhaps recognise, it symbolically isolates the wearer of the body art from the norms of conventional society. Today there is a tendency amongst some of the medical establishment to view body modification as generally negative. For example; 'psychotherapist' Braterman (1993) stated "It's actually quite a worrying trend ... This form of self mutilation which is about isolating oneself, alienating oneself from the environment ... getting in touch with your body means things like touching and stroking, maybe massage, it isn't about inflicting violence on your body ... It seems to suggest a degree of emotional immaturity". Many also think of it as a manifestation of psychopathology linked to a decline in interest in the written word and ascendancy of audiovisual media. Whilst this may be to a certain extent true for the extreme forms of self mutilation practised by inmates of prison and mental institutions, generally they, just as many other members of society, are responding to social and cultural conditions. Inmates of prisons and hospitals suffer, in our 'modern' urban culture a tremendous loss of self esteem, by virtue of their condition, and as a result will try to achieve an acceptable identity, or simply any identity at all, via tattooing. Comment: Archaeology of body art in the modern world. Like it or not we all live under the shadow of the West. If you are in any doubt about this statement witness the growth of global capitalism and its by product consumerism. Global products and all pervading western ideological constructs have shaped our view of how the world is and how it was constructed. Body art in this world view is generally consigned to a very marginal position, 'something that primitive people do', or the caste mark of low status or the dispossessed. Recently however body art has become commodified, a product, a fashion item akin to an item of clothing and thus dislocated from some of its symbolic connotations. Many publications dealing with body art do not help this situation with subjects being treated in the familiar 19th century manner as 'exotic' or 'primitive fairground attractions'. Failing that the subjects are often treated as visual commodities, as objects to be subjected by the voyeur to a curious and controlling gaze. Body art has become considerably more widespread in the last decade or so, which can be put down to a number of cultural influences from Hippy to Punk producing a new fluorescence of body art being termed by Rubin (1988) the "Tattoo Renaissance" and by Levi Strauss (1988) "Modern Primitive" movement. This new climate saw the expansion of body art into (or onto) new clientele especially the middle classes, with the industry seeing changes with new techniques, new artists, greater technical innovation and a greater professionalism. Some see the process as a joining of "upper and lower strata's of society ... aristocrats, rock musicians, primitives, and criminals ... come together in asserting their non conformity to conventional middle class attitudes and values ... a dissemination of of unconventional, individualistic values, and also a reflection of better education, enhanced economic security, and openness to a wider range of experiences (Including other cultures and subcultures through travel, music, dance, literature, food, dress, adornment etc.)". The results have produced a wider range of body art, previously underground practices in Western society such as piercing, scarification and branding have received media attention and, as a result, become in some respects more mainstream. Piercing in particular has become more widespread with facial, genital, naval and other body piercing becoming more popular and openly displayed. The number of piercing and tattoo studios has increased with Myers (1992) stating that in the last 20 years the number of professional tattoo studios in the United States has risen from 300 to 4000. The amount of information on the subject of body art has also increased dramatically with information on piercing, in particular, rising out of the 'underground' into more general circulation. Body art has become increasingly 'fashionable' with such notable style icons as the Spice Girls, Bjork and Rob 'Zombie' (it must however be difficult to tattoo the undead?) not to mention a plethora of fashion models, media stars 'picking up' on the trend. Piercing is considered by some, especially the middle classes, media and the young as very 'extreme' or 'wild', far more so than tattooing. However piercing's are generally not permanent, and if taken out will heal, this has led to a social acceptance which far exceeds tattooing in similar body areas. Attitudes towards piercing, scarification etc. in the tattoo world were at first mixed with some tattoo conventions 'banning' the display of piercing's. This attitude has generally disappeared very quickly with the realisation of new entrepreneurial opportunities, with most tattoo studios now incorporating piercers. From basic subcultural explanations of body art, eg. criminals or perverts, the new 'modern' body art movement has moved to provide more complex artistic or 'cultural' reasons behind the decoration. Motivations cited include sexual pleasure, a root to self-knowledge through ritual, empowering, resistance to conformity, rites of passage, understanding other cultures, magico religious motifs, decorative, trust/loyalty (especially for S/M practitioners) and a 'quest' for creativity are all mentioned in a plethora of articles and books on the subject. However one has to ask whether these explanations represent just the justifications of a more powerful and articulate middle class? or perhaps are the responses of people looking for more than a means of expressing just subcultural or personal style? Body art has not however gained general acceptance as many in the 'modern primitive' movement would like to think. Many of these middle class or celebrity clients are buffered from cultural stigmatisation by virtue of their money and status. Body art for these groups is often a statement of fashion or shock value rather than a means of subcultural expression, body arts ~outlaw' or 'criminal' connotations are being played with by such groups but without generally experiencing the stigmatisation involved by being in such subcultures. Material or stylistic expression is only appropriate in context, if taken out of context its meaning is confused or removed. The question remains about how a so called 'Modern Primitive' can show 'affiliation for 'native' groups via body art practices? The notion seems absurd, because not only does the term primitive' express colonial, racist overtones, but because the 'Modern Primitive' has no social background experience to give the body art meaning; the art can only be personal or decorative rather than affiliative. Vale and Juno (1991) in their influential book on the subject also add class conscious elitism to the argument by deriding the very subcultural groups whose 'otherness' they seek to possess in the statement: "generalised proselytisation has no place here-some people should definitely not get tattoo's". As a result there has been a backlash in some quarters against this tattoo renaissance movement. The first, which comes from the establishment, is predictable, with legislation being mooted, due possibly to increased coverage of body art in the media leading to establishment attention. The second source of problems is that, despite claims to a more 'liberated attitude' towards body art, 'Modern Primitives' without class buffering are finding difficulty getting acceptance by society. There are difficulties getting work and far from "radically improved social relations" or having 'power over their own bodies' many are finding that they are stigmatised, consigned by society into the very subcultural groups they are trying to escape from. This said the ninety's have seen a wider acceptance of body art in mainstream society with a larger number of people in this country becoming tattooed or pierced than ever previously recorded. With this flouresence of body art, particularly the inevitable backlash in the wake of fashion interest in the mid nineties, body art has reached an interesting period in the West. The contradictions between the history of the art-form and its recent popular adoption are beginning to show. Some groups in society seek to appropriate the 'anti-social' characteristics of body art to help their identity. Bikers, gangs, Skinheads and punks all use the 'anti-establishment' connotations of body art to establish their 'otherness', their disaffiliation with the values of mainstream society. There are other groups who regard body art as just fashion statement, but still revel in its 'deviant' connotations, its potential for 'shock'. Others feel body art 'empowering', a 'rite of passage', a return to 'primitive' values, who feel that elevating it to 'art' status in the popular imagination will rid it of negative attributes. Body art can indeed be very fine art, but many who seek to destigmatise it seem also to revel in the very qualities of 'otherness', its history of negative connotations, that they seek to remove. In this short study I have endeavoured to place the body art in context, to illustrate its long history, and have sought to explain from an archaeological perspective why it enjoys its uneasy status today. To those who have ploughed through this work I thank you; to those in the business of body art keep up the good work; and to those, like myself, suffering from body art fixations; keep taking the tablets. Incidentally should anyone wish to disagree, offer advice, death threats, proposals of marriage or preferably money I can be contacted at the University of Sheffield Archaeology Department or at: prp97mpk@sheffield.ac.uk. I should also like to add that none of the views expressed in this document reflect those of the University of Sheffield in any way or the views of that emporium of body art Into You. I should also like to thank Alex Binnie, Micky Sharpz, Jacqueline Bailey and Sarah Street for all their help in the Tattoo sphere, and Michael Lane and Ian Tyers for technical advice. Bibliography: Bianchi, R. 1988 Tattoo in Ancient Egypt. In Marks of Civilization, edited by A. Rubin, 21-29. Los Angeles : Regents of The University of California. Campbell, M. 1994 After 2500 years, time runs out for the Ice Maiden. The Sunday Times 27th March : 22. Curry, D. 1992 Decorating the body politic . New Formations 19: 69-83. Desroches-Noblecourt, C. 1953 'Concubines du mort' et mere de famille au Moyen Empire. Bulletin de Institute Francais d' Archeologie Orientale du Caire 53 : 7-47. Douglas, M. 1970 Purity and Danger. Harmondsworth : Penguin. Douglas, M. 1972 'Self Evidence'. Proceedings of The Royal Anthropological Institute 1: 27-43. Ebensten, H. 1953 Pierced Hearts and True Love . London : Derek Verschoyle Ltd.. Edgerton, R.B. & Dingman, H. 1963 Tattooing and identity International Journal of Social Psychiatry 9 : 143-153 . Gell, A. 1993 Wrapping in Images. Oxford : Oxford University Press. Gritton, J. 1988 Labrets and tattooing in Native Alaska. In Marks of Civilization, edited by A. Rubin,181-191. Los Angeles : Regents of The University of California. Halayern, M. , Chakroun, A. & Bagbag, F. 1989 Le tatouage. Annales Medico Psychologiques 147(3) : 337-340. Hayward, K. 1993 Kith and Skin, Bite August 1993 : 58-61. Juno, A. & Vale V.1991 Modern Primitives. Hong Kong : Re/search Publications. Keimer, L. 1948 Remarques sur le Tatouage dans L' Egypte Anciente. Cairo : University Press. Lester, D. 1986 Tattoos, eye colour and method for suicide. Activitas Nervosa Superiour 28(3) : 239-240. Levi Strauss, D. 1988 Modem Primitives. In Modern Primitives , edited by A, Juno & V. Vale, 157-159. Hong Kong : Re/search Publications. Lombroso, C. 1896 The savage origins of tattooing. Popular Science Monthly April : 793-803. Loos, A. 1962 Ornament und Verbrechen . Samtliche Schriften , edited by F. Gluck. Vienna: Herold. McCallum, D. 1988 Historical and cultural dimensions of the tattoo in Japan. Marks of Civilization, edited by A. Rubin,109-135. Los Angeles : Regents of The University of California. Munz, L. & Kunster, G. 1966 Adolf Loos : Pioneer of Modern Architecture. London: London Press. Myers, J. 1992 Non mainstream body modification. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 21(3) : 267-306. Omlin J. 1973 Der Papyrus 5001 seine Satirisch-erotichen Zeichnungen und Inschriften.Turin : Turin Press. Renfrew, C. & Bahn, P. 1991 Archaeology, Theories, Methods , and Practice. London : Thames & Hudson. Richie, D. and Buruma, 1. 1980 The Japanese Tattoo. New York and Tokyo: Weatherhill. Rubin, A. 1988 Marks of Civilization . Los Angeles : Regents of the University of California. Rondinella, G. 1985 The Sign Upon Cain. Term : Alterocca Editore s. r. 1. Sanders, C. 1988 Marks of mischief : Becoming and being tattooed. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 16 (4) : 395-432. Sanders, C. 1989 Organizational constraints on tattoo images: a sociological analysis of artistic style. In The Meaning of Things : Material Culture and Symbolic Expression , edited by 1. Hodder, 232-241. London: Allen and Unwin. Schiffmacher, H. and Riemschneider, B. 1996 1000 Tattoos. Taschen. Seeger, J. 1993 Girls about town, Body Art 18 : 33-36. Thomas, J. 1993 The politics of vision and the archaeologies of landscape in Landscape Politics and Perspectives , Edited by B. Bender, 19-49 . Oxford : Berg Publishers. Wroblewski, C Skin Shows Series / Tattooed Women, London : Virgin Publishing.
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Why young people need body modification Why young people need body modification
One of the dirtiest and hardest to break urban legends in body modification is the idea that there's some physical reason why young people can't get piercings. The fact is though that there is no physical reason why people of all ages can’t get tattoos, piercings, scarification, or even more extreme modifications. Not only that, there are no valid reasons of any kind unique to minors barring them from body modifications. None. Yet nearly every area bans all or some modifications for those under the age of eighteen, and even more surprisingly, this ban is supported by the vast majority of professional piercers who rationalize it for a variety of questionable reasons.Ninety-nine out of a hundred are automata, careful to walk in prescribed paths, careful to follow the prescribed custom. This is not an accident but the result of substantial education, which, scientifically defined, is the subsumption of the individual. I was tattooed as a minor and I was pierced as a minor, including genital piercings. All of these things had a highly positive effect on my life, and I believe were instrumental in helping make me an independent adult capable of thinking — and doing — for myself. I’d like to now take a look at a few of the reasons presented by people opposed to piercing and otherwise modifying minors and break them down, and then propose what I believe the reason for this ban is, and why it’s fundamentally wrong.
While an oft repeated lie, this is simply false. For most of human history people have engaged in tattooing, scarification, and piercings to mark puberty and coming of age rites, these acts taking place generally between age ten and fifteen. These modifications “survived well into adulthood with no ill effects from either the youthfulness of the body or its subsequent growth. If anything, a young healthy person may heal modifications with more resilience and positive results than an aging individual. In any case, there is no functional or biological reason why minors can not successfully be pierced, tattooed, or otherwise modified.
This is fundamentally insulting, but it is a reason that’s presented very regularly. First of all, “taking care of a piercing or tattoo is very easy and it’s well inside the grasp of even a fairly young child. It’s no more difficult than wound care in general (ever cut yourself as a kid?), and certainly far easier than tasks we expect a minor to be able to handle such as taking care of a pet, doing chores around the house, and so on.
It’s somewhat difficult to pinpoint exactly when a person has experienced enough of life to be able to make major decisions, but luckily this is an issue that we’ve had to face in far more grave scenarios than — gasp — a navel piercing. We allow people to drive cars (which actually kill people when things go wrong) in their mid teens. Education decisions that will affect a person’s life far more profoundly than a little scar from a regretted piercing start getting made by people in their early teens. We allow people to marry and have children in their teens — you may disagree with this, but the law does allow it. As decisions go, the potential negative outcomes of a piercing or tattoo are dwarfed by the potential outcomes of many, many other decisions that teens are forced (and permitted) to make.
The fact is that minors are out there having sex. Like it or not, it’s rare for someone to “wait until they turn eighteen or get married. Some people do, but it’s not normal, nor is it legally mandated. Pop music and youth fashion is highly sexualized (and publicly so), far more so than a navel piercing or even a genital piercing (which is private) when it comes down to it. Without a radical puritanical overhaul of Western society such an argument is hypocritical at best.
Certainly one can make these sorts of subjective arguments about what’s appropriate behavior and what’s not, but let’s first mention that when you look at human history, body piercing and body modification is normal — our modern Western society is an odd-ball in that we don’t embrace it. In any case, while parents certainly may have some right to control or at least guide their children’s behavior, the government has no place stepping in and making the rules for them. If a parent wants to punish their child for getting an eyebrow ring, they can do so, but it’s not the State’s place to restrict the practice.So now that we’ve seen that the presented reasons are deceptions, or at best ignorance, let’s talk about the real reason body modification for minors is illegal. Allowing minors to engage in body modification risks them breaking the bonds of artificially extended adolescence, and helps free them from the bonds of slavery. Modern society is built around a large “slave class of workers who are subservient to the social machine, and people are kept loyal to it through fear and blindness helped by never allowing individuals to fully move out of childhood. This makes them dependent on the State and the corporation, afraid to strike out on their own into a world that makes individuality and liberty extremely difficult to obtain. I’ve written in the past about the
education system and its goals, and this article is in part a
rehash of some of those points. To simplify, the purpose of the education
system is to slow down people’s ability to learn independently,
making them easy to manipulate and enslave. This was done after the
excellent education Americans received in the 1800s started resulting
in “class jumping where poor but well educated and bright individuals
became wealthy, and those that were unfairly abused by corporations
had “discontent due to their awareness — a smart, informed
person doesn’t like being a slave, they discovered, and it’s
hard for rich people to stay so much richer than everyone else without
slaves (or as they put it these days, The things that we learn as we graduate high school are within the intellectual grasp of the vast majority of ten year olds, given a functional education that is. I’m sure many of you reading this remember devouring books as a young child, and maybe even being told to “stop reading those books — you’re too young! when you strayed into the science books (or whatever your interest was). The truth of the matter is that once you hit about sixteen it’s all downhill from there as far as the way your brain (and your body) works. If you are conditioned before that point to be a slave, it’s harder and harder to break out the older you get. That’s why almost every “primitive culture — which needed all of its members to help on the hunts, the food gathering, and so on — engaged in body modification and other “manhood or “womanhood or “warrior status rituals at young ages. If people don’t define themselves as strong, independent, and competent people as youths, they will forever be constrained to relying on someone else for guidance and even food. How different is a person who’s been conditioned from birth to be dependent on their government and their employer and unable to go out on their own any different from a slave in the most traditional sense of the word? While the piercers and parents who parrot these “rules are largely unaware of this underlying reason, you can bet that the lawmakers are very aware of them and work incredibly hard to sustain this repressive status quo. With that in mind, let us re-examine the above objections to modified
youth.
Young people tend to be healthier and better able to heal modifications than aging individuals. If you’re going to do things like stretch your ears, your body is far more accepting of it the younger you are. In simple terms, the younger you are when you start stretching your ears, the better they will look when you’re done.
Caring for body modifications is really quite simple. Even if a minor willfully ignores the care required, the consequences are almost always extremely minor, and can teach young people in a safe fashion what will happen to them if they are not responsible for their decisions.
Body modification is both “minor and profound at the same time. By taking responsibility over their lives and bodies in this way, young people learn how to take care of themselves and how their decisions affect them.
Too much of a minor’s sexuality is out of their control. The media tells them how they have to behave and dress and express themselves, and massive pressure is on them to engage in sexual behavior before they are ready. This is already happening, it’s legal, and it’s very dangerous — teen pregnancy (and abortion), rape, STDs, and other problems are frighteningly common. Body modification allows a young person — or an older person — to take personal control over their sexual identities and encourages responsibility in a safe and healthy way.
Well, this one might be true as stated, if the parent has limited empathy for their child that is. Children do not always have the same beliefs or interests as their parents, and ultimately, as they start to assert that personality, parents have a choice of going to war over it, or learning to love their child for who they are and making compromises so they can remain a family. Simply saying “no without real discussion is a poor way to parent and has resulted in far too many broken homes, a tragedy that could have been averted with nothing more than an open mind.I hope I’ve helped clarify that the end result of allowing young people to modify their bodies is not only positive, but could help catalyze much larger and extremely beneficial societal change. We can move forward to a draconian future where immense government and corporations dictate how the drones lead their lives, or we can move forward to a collaborative utopia where everyone is valuable and everyone is allowed to express themselves, working together for both common and individual goals. I believe that this freedom is an essential notion, and that unless we imbue it in the youth, our society becomes something far darker than it even is now. Piercers, I’m not asking you to break the law — I’ve already put myself at great risk by writing this — but please don’t keep repeating the lies. Let young people and parents know just how positive body modification is for a young person. Let legislators know that it’s safe and healthy and most of all improves people’s lives. And young people, all I can say to you is that when I — and most of the current generation of “celebrity piercers — were your age, there were no studios and we had to pierce ourselves. At least you have the benefits of resources like BME so you’re not running blind like we were! Write about what modification does for you, good and bad, and submit it to BME or your own sites and journals. Write about it for school to help educate your teachers. Try and explain to your parents why it matters to you. Get them involved even. If body modification is good, we can prove it through our lives, right? But please understand this: This is an uphill battle, and as “mainstream as body modification is, it’s far from accepted. Don’t join this army unless you’re willing to fight, and fight hard. If you get modifications that the public can see, you will have to work twice as hard to get your share of jobs and education. Do everything you can to educate yourself, both at school and outside of school. Get in shape, learn every skill you can — welding, flower arranging, everything — and just make yourself an amazing individual that can do a lot of things and think intelligently on a lot of subjects. The more “powerful and independent you are, the more you can assert yourself as an individual, and the less power anyone else has to tell you how you can live your life. Most of all though, don’t believe their lies, and don’t
accept their prison.
Recommended reading: “Underground History of American
Education by John Taylor Gatto. You can read
it online for free here. This book will change the way you look
at the Western world and its institutions. Read it before it's
banned.
IAM members click
here to comment on or add to this article — I’ve
only just scraped the surface!
PS. To the nutcases who are calling the FBI because of the photo
at the start of this article, of course it’s a fake photo.
We don’t live in a perfect world, yet.
Shannon Larratt is the editor and publisher of BMEZINE.COM, the largest and oldest full-spectrum body modification publication on the planet. He also is known for his promotion of radical individualistic politics, spirituality, and on a more base level, his main vice: exotic cars. Shannon lives in Canada with his family and friends where he is currently producing the BME movie. Copyright © 2004 BMEZINE.COM. Permission is granted to reprint this article in its entirety as long as credit is retained and usage is non-commercial. Requests to publish edited or shortened versions must be confirmed in writing. For bibliographical purposes this article was first published October 22nd, 2004 by BMEZINE.COM in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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There are several forms of body art. Body art can be temporary, for example,
body painting, or permanent, such as shaping, dyeing, and scarification,
tattooing, and piercing. This article will provide some insight into body
art. Body painting transforms a person into a spirit or work of art; this can include another gender or a sacred place. Emphasizing on the visual appeal of the subject, the protective body paint is what gives it the appeal. Body shaping is a technique in which to sculpt the body. Culturally defined ideals of beauty have caused people to bind the soft bones of children's skulls and feet, stretched necks with rings, and removed ribs to make their waist smaller. The most common method today of body sculpting is plastic surgery. Plastic surgery can sculpt and define almost any part of the body. Skin Dyeing Henna, is used as a temporary skin dye, in which different patterns and designs are applied to the body. The crushed leaves of the henna plant, when mixed with other natural ingredients, provides a thick, aromatic paste used for painting hands and feet. The olive green, dried out henna powder, mixed with such ingredients as black tea and coffee turns dark. When applied to the skin and left on overnight, it will harden and when pealed leaves a red tone to the skin. Body art piercing, tattooing, and scarification Piercing is ornamental as it allows the body to hold certain kinds of ornaments, which are inserted through the skin. The most common parts of the body that are pierced is the face although you will often find ear, nose and lip ornaments. Piercing is often part of a ceremony marking the coming of age. Ornaments might be limited to certain people or worn only on certain occasions Tattoos are intended to be permanent and the patterns and techniques have varied over the years. The effects of tattooing depend on the country you live in. As an example, in the United States, tattooing is typically looked upon as being rebellious. Tattooing, in the last decade, has become a very popular form of body art throughout the world. Scarification is much like tattooing, instead of placing a color into the skin with a tattoo needle, the color, or substance is placed into the wound or cut. Once the wound has healed, a permanent mark will remain on the skin All of the forms of body art listed above can have adverse effects on individuals. There are health concerns with types of body art. If you are contemplating any of the above procedures, be sure to consider all the risks and facts before making any commitments.
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Hot Body Jewelry from Belly
Button Rings to Tongue Rings Body jewelry has become a huge part of the mainstream mall and specialty jewelry stores around the world. It is almost impossible to go anywhere without coming across someone who doesn't have something on their body pierced or adorned with jewelry. Choosing the right body jewelry for the right piercing can truly make your look stand out above the rest. Body jewelry is often available in barbell shapes. Shorter barbells that are 5/16'', 3/8'' or 7/16'' are great for eyebrows and ears that are pierced. Barbells that are large from ½'' to 5/8''typically work in a tongue piercing or naval piercings. Keep in mind that when you have your tongue pierced; you will probably have a larger barbell placed in your tongue to allow for swelling. You will need to purchase the smaller recommended sizes for after your wound heals. One of the most popular shapes for body jewelry is a ring. You can use rings for almost any piercing you have on your body. From your lips and nose to your ears and eyebrows, rings are perfect and always look great. You can even find rings available for both male and female genital piercings. Nostril screws and bones are available for those who have a need for this type of body jewelry. Make sure the screw or bone isn't too long and will fit just about any piercing. If you choose one that is too large you might be able to feel it in the nostril and it could become irritating. You also don't want people to be able to see the inner part of your body jewelry in your nose. Reasons for wearing body jewelry and getting pierced are has unique has the person. You can ask has many people has you would like people about their piercings and get a different answer from them all, however they all have something in common – they all want to find high quality body jewelry such as belly button rings, barbells or tongue rings at the best price, and that's why we are here. Body piercing Body piercing is recorded as far back as 4000 years and has been an important part of cultural and social structures for a number of generations. From nobility to religious expression, different types of body piercing have played an important role in developing this particular art form. Although body piercing still retains significance for many cultures, it has also become an art form and vehicle of self-expression for many individuals. Whatever you choose to begin with for you body piercing, you should choose the safest metals with minimal risk for allergic reactions like stainless steel, titanium and gold. Healing time for each body piercing can vary depending on the body part and the individual who has the piercing. The general rule is that areas that have ample blood supply will hear quicker than areas that have lesser blood supply. Healing times are not completely accurate, but intended as more of a guideline to give you an idea of what to expect. The healing time for a tongue piercing is approximately 4 to 6 weeks, the lip is approximately 6 to 8 weeks, the navel is approximately 6 months to over 1 year and the nostril takes approximately 2 months to 1 year. Cheek takes about 2 to 3 months to heal. It is important to wait until all body piercings are healed before changing your jewelry. The size and design of the jewelry for your body piercing will vary depending on which body part you are having pierced. Always choose a reputable body piercer with verified credentials and follow the healing instructions to ensure a healthy and attractive piercing. Whether your piercing your belly button or your eyebrow What ever you have pierced on your body, You can find a great looking piece of body jewelry to accent it. Whether you're looking for bellybutton rings to tongue rings, find them that are beautiful and designed for comfort, and we have great merchants to the best sources for body jewelry. So no matter what kind of body jewelry you're trying to find from toe rings and even temporary tattoos your just a click away. Our site also provides great information on everything from the history of body jewelry to how body piercing is done, and if you have questions on aftercare and how to choose a piercer you can find it here. Shop for body jewelry like tongue & belly button rings online Merchants offer a large selection of tongue rings, belly button rings, chains, temporary tattoos and anything else your looking for, our site has links to what we believe are the best wholesale body jewelry sites on the Internet. Find that one special piece you are looking for all from the comfort of your home and it is delivered to your doorstep!
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History of Body Piercings Pinpointing the actual beginnings and motivations behind the history of body piercings is virtually impossible. The easiest way to learn about the history of body piercings is to do your research by body part. Nose piercings were first recorded about 4000 years ago in the Middle East. The Bible mentions that Abraham requested his oldest servant locate a wife for his son, Isaac. The servant found a woman named Rebekah and one of the gifts presented to her was a golden nose ring. The practice of nose piercing moved on to India during the 16th Century by the Moghul emperors. Indian women pierce the left nostril because that area is thought to be connected with the female reproductive organs. This piercing is believed to make childbirth easier and lessen menstrual pain. The history of body piercings show that the nose is one of the most common places people pierced. In addition to piercing the nostril, people would pierce their septum and stretch the hole to be able to wear large pieces of jewelry like pieces of bone, wood and other significant natural items. You will find most warrior cultures practiced septum piercing due to the fact that placing large objects such as animal tusks through the septum can give one a fierce appearance. Both north and south Native Americans have been show throughout the history of body piercings to practice tongue piercings. Tongue piercing was done to draw blood in order to appease the gods and also to create an altered state of consciousness so that the shaman or medicine man could come into contact with the gods. The history of body piercings show that the earlobe was probably the first place in which body piercing was attempted. This was probably due to the its soft tissue and the ease with which it can be pierced. A mummified body found in 1991 was shown to have pierced ears. The body was tested and shown to be over 5000 years old. |
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Belly button rings, navel jewelry, belly jewelry or however you like to refer to it, is the most fashionable type of adornment when it comes to body piercing. Not only are belly button rings in demand, it is by far because the navel is considered to be the sexiest place to have pierced. With the right jewelry and a good piercing, belly button rings can attract more attention than any other feature on an individual. Choosing the right belly button rings can be the key to having a healthy and attractive naval area. If you choose belly button rings with the wrong kind of metal, you could end up with discoloring, discomfort and even an infection that might cause you to have to let your piercing close up. The best choices to make when purchasing your belly button rings are to choose 14k or 18k gold, surgical implant stainless steel, surgical implant titanium or Tygon, which is a plastic specifically created for people who are sensitive to metal. Avoid plated gold belly button rings, as the plating can wear off and uncover metal that could have an adverse reaction with your skin. Sterling silver is not a good choice either because it oxidates when it comes into contact with bodily fluids and tissues. Any artificially colored belly button rings should be avoided. Once you've chosen a quality metal that won't irritate your skin or even jeopardize your piercing, you are ready to get creative with your belly button rings. Simple balls, dangling gems or characters, licensed logos of your favorite teams or characters and even holiday theme bellybutton rings are available at a number of retailers. You can even dress up your entire mid-drift with a belly chain and belly ring combination.
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Nose Rings, Bones, Studs & Twists If you've fallen in love with nose piercings, you have also fallen in love with your choices from the world of nose rings studs jewelry. When you've had your nose pierced and the healing time has passed and you can't wait to change the original nose ring from the piercing. There are a few steps to follow to ensure that you remove your nose rings studs jewelry carefully and safely to reduce the risks of injury or infection. Nose rings studs jewelry are the pieces used to decorate nose piercings. The most common type of nose piercing is when a hole is placed through the cartilage of the nostril. This is the type of piercing you will find nose stud in. Nose studs can also be called nose pins and sometimes even referred to as nose screws, although nose screws do describe a specific type of nose jewelry other than a nose stud. Having your nose pierced through the cartilage with a nose rings studs jewelry can be painful, but not as painful as other parts of your nose. When you decide to have nose piercings such as the septum piercing, it could be painful depending on the individual. The nose has a number of nerves randomly running through it and your nose piercings could hurt quite a bit if the person doing the piercing was to hit a nerve. Again, the amount of pain experienced varies per individual. Nose rings studs jewelry are available in a variety of colors, sizes and shapes. Always take care to buy an appropriate gauge when you choose a nose rings studs jewelry and take great care when changing your nose rings studs jewelry to avoid injury. NOSE RINGS & NOSTRIL PIERCING JEWELRY
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Ear Plugs, Earlets, Talons & Ear Rings Your ear rings plugs earlets give you a look so unique you are almost never at a loss for people who want to know about your adornment. Finding ear rings plugs earlets is not always easy depending on the area in which you live and the kind of body jewelry offered. The best place you can go to find all kind of ear rings plugs earlets and other accessories is on the Internet. You have your ear rings plugs earlets at the size you desire, but there are an amazing number of gauges available. You can buy ear rings plugs eyelets at 18, 16,14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 0, 00, 7/16, ½ inch, 9/16 inch, 5/8 inch, ¾ inch, 7/8 inch and one inch gauges. When you shop for your desired size ear rings plugs eyelets, you might be surprised as to how many styles are available. You can buy plastic ear rings plugs eyelets that are non-toxic and completely inert. A lot of the time, the plastic found in ear rings plugs eyelets and other body jewelry is the same kind used in surgical and medical replacement applications. Other varieties of ear rings plugs eyelets include Lucite plugs, amber plugs (often tapered), surgical steel, glass, Pyrex, wood, stone, titanium and gold. There are other fun styles made from various materials that feature cartoon characters, bullet shapes, fun words or phrases and even holes. Whatever you want or need for ear rings plugs eyelets, you are sure to able to find exactly what you are looking for somewhere on the Internet in a variety of sizes and prices. EAR PLUGS & EAR PIERCING JEWELRY
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Tongue rings and barbells can sometimes be referred to as a dumbbell. Tongue barbells are a straight spear shape with a ball on the end of each side. When you have tongue rings or barbells placed through your tongue, they will usually be a 14 gauge piercing. The length can change depending on the thickness of each individual tongue. The first tongue rings barbells you will have are usually a 5/8 inch long barbell to accommodate any swelling. When your piercing has healed, you can put in tongue rings barbells that are usually about 7/16 to ½ inch in length, depending on your tongue and comfort level. There are a number of tongue rings and/or barbells to choose from when it is time to change from your original piercing. If your city or town doesn't offer much in the area of body jewelry, you will have absolutely no trouble at all finding the right rings and barbells on the Internet in more styles than you can imagine at affordable prices. Tongue barbells and rings can sometimes seem like one of the body piercings that doesn't offer much variety in what you can wear. That simply isn't the case anymore when you go shopping for tongue jewelry. Tongue barbells can be found with your favorite sports team logo, vibrating ends, blinking and much more! Sometimes tongue barbells can begin to have an undesirable odor due to the bacteria, which is always present in the mouth. You can soak your tongue barbells in baking soda, salt water or mouth rinse for about an hour. Scrub the tongue ring and all of its parts with a toothbrush for a complete cleaning. Allow your tongue ring to thoroughly dry before inserting it back into your tongue. |
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Labrets, Lip Rings & Monroe Studs Labret jewelry is what is inserted into labret piercings, which are located in the center of the lower lip. It is not the most popular piercing, but enough people are getting it done so that you would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't at least seen one or know about labret jewelry. Although one might not know the proper name for a lower lip piercing, they are more than likely aware that having labret jewelry as body ornamentation is a possibility. As with any other piercing on the body, labret jewelry requires thorough cleaning and should be done regularly. With a labret piercing, the labret jewelry and piercing area need to be cleaned both internally and externally. If you notice a problem with the disc from your labret jewelry rubbing against your teeth or gums, see the piercer who put in your labret. If you don't do anything about the rubbing, you could end up with a dental issue in the long run. Sometimes people will experience some tissue growth around the disc of their labret jewelry. Sea salt soaks are strongly recommended for promoting the healing of this type of growth. Sometimes a product called gly-oxide is recommended to promote the healing of labret jewelry. It is effective for some and not for others. Sea salt remains consistent in assisting the healing process. When you have your labret piercing done, you will have longer studded labret jewelry than you will wear when the wound in healed placed in the initial hole. When you are ready to purchase new labret jewelry for your labret piercing, a 16 to 12 gauge labret stud is recommended. Healing time for the wound from labret piercings is typically between 6 to 8 weeks. LABRET JEWELRY, MONROE STUDS & LIP RINGS
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Toe rings are not pieces of jewelry that first come to mind as accessories. Over the past few decades, toe rings have become more and more popular. Not only are toe rings adorable, but they can also look and feel sexy. Whether you sport your toe rings while you go barefoot, in a great pair of sandals or even when you are just lounging around the house, they make a fun and exciting addition to any body jewelry collection. Toe rings make an excellent idea for a gift. When you find yourself in a position where you need to find a gift for someone special and can't decide what to get her, toe rings a great idea. Not only will toe rings surprise the recipient; it will most likely be an unexpected surprise. Toe rings aren't only available in plain silver or gold bands. You can buy toe rings with a person's favorite animal, gemstone, licensed character or other decorative ornamentation on it. Other toe rings include options like Celtic designs, religious symbols and ornate decorations. Choosing toe rings to match your style or preferences will be fun and easy. When you choose your toe rings, make sure they fit properly and won't rub against your skin to avoid irritation or blisters. When you have your new hot and sexy toe rings, you might find yourself selecting the shoes that will set off your toe rings instead of for comfort or coordination. |
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Piercing supplies and needles are the main tools used in all types of body piercing. While most clients are too nervous to look at the tools being used for their particular body piercing, they are certainly aware that piercing needles are involved. Piercing supplies needles come in a variety of sizes to be used on specific body parts. Using the right piercing supplies to do a specific piercing on the body is essential to making sure the piercing heals properly and won't reject the piercing. The size of piercing supplies needles are measured in something called a gauge, which means a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire. Typical piercing supplies needles are available in 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 gauge. When someone wants to have a plug somewhere like their ear, they still have to start out with an initial hole that will be done with piercing supplies needles. Piercing supplies include a number of different sizes and tools used in body piercing. There are a number of other tools that can be used to assist with piercing needles or to serve another purpose. Needle forceps serve as a needle holder, Pennington tweezers, ring-closing pliers, forceps for a number of purposes and various clamps. Piercing supplies such as needles should always be new when doing any piercing. Sterile piercing needles are the only kind that should be used to complete any piercing on a body. If you are having a piercing done, there is nothing wrong with asking to see a brand new needle being taken from its package to protect yourself from the possible transmission of any diseases or infections. PIERCING SUPPLIES, ACCESSORIES & LOOSE ITEMS
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How to Choose and Wear The Right
Jewelry With the various trips to different jewelry stores hunting for that perfect piece of jewelry can be taxing. But it doesn’t have to be, if you know what you are looking for. Choosing which fine jewelry to wear is no different than choosing an outfit. The key is to trust your taste and stick to your personal fashion style. For example if you’re an animal lover you can choose from numerous animal jewelry available in the market, from bird jewelry, cat jewelry, to dog jewelry, dolphin jewelry and even horse jewelry. Although once in a while, it never hurts to step out of the box and try something unconventional like body jewelry or man jewelry, just to add spice. But what's important is that the jewelry should match with the outfit you are wearing. Jewelry is the finishing touch on your total look that will emphasize your fashion. The first step is to determine what you want them to do. Would you like it to be the center of attention or just to compliment you? Another factor to consider is the occasion you'll be wearing it to. It’s vital to make be sure that it is fitting for the event. For instance a sexy oversized choker might be perfect for a night on the town but not for the boardroom. Unlike in clothes, there is no need to stick with just one designer even though most people have a favorite designer. In truth there’s no need to fill your jewelry box with designer pieces, there are a lot of wonderful pieces that are unsigned but will surely make a fashion statement. Try scrambling through your jewelry box, take out your antique jewelry, estate jewelry, gold jewelry, diamond jewelry as well as your fashion jewelry and body jewelry. Mixing and matching your old pieces will give it character and a little zest. The prize of the piece should also be considered. Contrary to what most people believe, jewelries do not have to be diamond jewelry, gold jewelry or precious heirlooms like antique jewelry, estate jewelry, Hawaiian jewelry or Italian jewelry in order to be considered fine pieces. Costume Jewelry, both signed and unsigned, is an example of a fine jewelry and yet it is affordable. A lot of jewelry store sells costume jewelry at a low price and some of them go way back to 1920s. What's great about them is that you can use it, get tired of it, put it away and still get your money’s worth. The last and perhaps the most crucial factor to be considered is the piece’s size and shape. In this case, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean its better. Going for a bigger piece when your face is small may actually detract rather than attract. It would be good to experiment and find out what looks best on you. Choices in jewelries are endless – woman or man jewelry, Italian jewelry or Hawaiian jewelry, fashion jewelry or designer animal jewelries such as bird jewelry, cat jewelry, dog jewelry, dolphin jewelry, or horse jewelry. No matter what your tastes are, your likes and dislikes, you will be able to enhance your look and make a fashion statement little effort in choosing the perfect piece to complement your outfit.
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Body Jewelry and Today's Stars Body jewelry and body piercing practices have been observed by various groups of people all over the world throughout the centuries. For some tribes it is a rite of passage, for others it is an indicator of social status. For many, body jewelry is used to enhance personal beauty and as devices to rise above the rest of the pack. Today’s celebrities have been at the forefront in making body jewelry much more mainstream and acceptable – even desirable. “What’s a little pain if it’ll make me look hip” seems to be the prevalent thought among the young and the old who are turning out in increasing numbers to participate in the body jewelry trend. Not so long ago, only punk rockers and those with ‘bad boy’ images, such as former NBA star Dennis Rodman, were seen sporting body piercings in mainstream media. Today, body jewelry is endorsed by pop celebrities with mass followings, including Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Fiona Apple and Lenny Kravitz. Britney Spears has an extensive collection of navel rings, and Christina Aguilera is said to wear the most interesting body jewelry in areas that are covered by her clothing. Some celebrities with an otherwise ‘serious’ image are nevertheless fans of body art. Actress Camryn Manheim of the television drama ‘The Firm’ sports multiple earrings on the cartilage of one ear. Gillian Anderson, who played the cynical and skeptical FBI agent Dana Scully in the television series ‘The X Files,’ has a pierced belly button. Performers with tongue piercings include former Spice Girl Melanie Brown (Scary Spice) and dancer Jimmy Gulzar, while supermodels Christy Turlington and James King are proud of their piercings. Some sports celebrities also wear body jewelry, including WWE wrestlers A-Train and Billy Gunn, as well as football player Ricky Williams. Body jewelry has also been used throughout the ages to enhance sensation, and by extension, sexuality and sexual performance. Genital and nipple piercing in both men and women, while not as widespread as nose, ear, tongue, navel and eyebrow piercing, still has its own following. Singer Janet Jackson has stated on the Oprah Winfrey talk show that she likes the sensation that her pierced nipples give her. Other celebrities with pierced nipples include rock musicians Axl Rose and Tommy Lee, Icelandic singer Bjork and rapper Lil Kim. Pop princess Britney Spears likewise has a pierced nipple. Celebrities, whether they like it or not, are oftentimes looked up to as role models and the influence they wield over their fans is considerable. Fans emulate their idols’ preferences: from clothing, mannerism, even to the wearing of body jewelry. More and more, they are playing a leading role not only in the direction of today’s fashion trends but also in the shaping of modern pop culture.
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Body Jewelry: An Unusual Way of Enhancing
The Beauty of Your Own Body Since ancient times body jewelry has been a part of the culture and heritage of different religions. It has been known to be an essential part of the clothing and appearance of the people in many regions of the world. At different parts of time through the centuries it was also used to signify the class demarcations prevalent in society at that point of time. However in recent times it has acquired a new dimension. Body jewelry has never been in such high demand. The human body is not merely a body, it is a piece of art which has its own innate beauty and body jewelry is the perfect way to enhance the beauty of your body. Not only can you decorate your body with it, but you can also use it to bring into focus certain parts of your body or to enhance the beauty of certain parts. Body jewelry items are usually for particular places on the human body. These more common places for body jewelry include the nose, eyebrow, nipple, ear lobes and naval, along with ear plugs (both curved and straight barbells). As fashion trends keep changing, the various parts where you can use body jewelry and the manner in which you can use it also keeps changing. Nose body jewelry comes either in the classic captive circular barbell, or in the form of a nose screw. The nose screw can either be jeweled or plain, depending upon your preference. Eyebrow body jewelry is similar to that of the nose, in the sense that the eyebrow body jewelry also has the small captive barbell. This is now being made with a dangling, sparkling charm to hang from the upper most part of your eyebrow barbell. The eyebrow body jewelry can be either curved or straight with a charm of any style or color dangling from the top. Nipple and naval body jewelry is one of the more popular types of body jewelry, it is especially popular amongst the youth or the more adventurous in spirit. Nipple body jewelry includes the nipple barbells and the nipple shields. Naval body jewelry designs are also endless. Whatever kind of body jewelry you use or wear it is important to keep some pointers in mind. Such as what kind of material is that specific body jewelry made off, is your skin allergic to it and is the piercing for the body jewelry done in a sterile and antiseptic environment. This kind of jewelry is available for almost every conceivable part of your body. There are endless styles, designs, colors and textures in which body jewelry is made. What ever your budget, whether it is low end or high end; body jewelry is available in every range to suit your pocket as well as your tastes. Body jewelry is not merely a decorative fixture; it is also a personal style statement. You can use it to bring attention or to take away attention from a specific part of your body. It is quite in vogue these days and has been in existence since time immemorial. If you have the attitude and the panache you can carry of any kind of body jewelry.
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Belly button rings used to be limited to only the most daring women Belly button rings used to be limited to only the most daring women, but nowadays, it seems like just about anyone with a sexy middle wants to draw some attention to that nice little waist they’ve worked so hard on with an assortment of pretty little navel rings. In response, manufacturers have developed belly button jewelry in every imaginable shape and size, from cutesy little daisies and dainty fairies to oversized skull and cross-bones barbell navel jewelry. If belly rings are your thing, you can find a style to suit you on the Internet, where there are hundreds of online sites offering body jewelry for the navel. Keep in mind when looking for a navel ring that your belly button jewelry should be well made as well as attractive, so do shop around and make sure that you find a site that is familiar with belly button piercing and what types of body jewelry are appropriate. But the fun part is the jewelry, isn’t it? When you hit the beach in your bikini, you want to have navel rings that look great and feel great, too. Or maybe you want a little more flash and want some belly chains to really grab some real attention. That’s cool, too, since there’s almost as many of those as there are belly rings! Ask any man if he thinks belly button jewelry is sexy, and you’ll hear a resounding “Yes!” Navel rings accentuate the waistline and belly, one of the most attractive parts of a woman’s body. Belly rings have crossed over to the mainstream because it is so attractive and so many people understand its appeal. Navel jewelry is the new beauty mark of the future, and is almost as popular as pierced ears for good reason – it’s attractive and feminine. And belly piercing jewelry is a great way to step into the world of body piercings and still be able to cover it up for work. Look around, and you’ll see women from high schools to executive offices showing off jewelry in their navels when they’re out on the town on the weekends. Go with a belly button jewelry, and you can decide who sees it and when. BELLY
BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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Finding the right tongue rings and tongue barbells is all about selection Finding the right tongue rings and tongue barbells is all about selection. There may be lots of places you can go and get the standard styles of tongue rings - maybe a few basic tongue barbells styles with boring end pieces but no originality. If you want something new and different, be sure to look at some of the newest styles of tongue rings available. There are lots of new and unusual ones on the market with unique touches like cat’s eye accents and rainbow titanium. Tongue barbells come in all kinds of cool styles, including dice, skulls and acrylic beads embedded with the emblem of your favorite band. Most tongue jewelry is made of high-quality metal or acrylics so that tongue rings and tongue barbells are both comfortable and sanitary and won’t cause damage to the teeth and gums. Look for high grade materials like surgical steel and smooth edges for maximum comfort and durability when shopping for tongue rings. Tongue rings come in the more common style called tongue barbells and in a door knocker style that has a round ring hanging off the ball on one end of the straight pin going through the tongue, giving a “door knocker” effect. You’ll find hundreds of logos, sayings and pictures available on the end pieces of these, with the rings in various sizes. Imagine being able to simply stick out your tongue to make a statement without saying a word! That’s right, with the right tongue ring; you can even have the perfect phrase literally on the tip of your tongue all the time! (“Princess” or “Hot Stuff” maybe?) With so many great styles of tongue rings and tongue barbells to choose from, you can’t go wrong these days. You’re bound to find something that’s just right for you, whether it’s a glow in the dark kooshball barbell or a great Playboy door knocker tongue ring.
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The History of Body Piercings - Ancient
and Fascinating Around the World Body piercings have seen a resurgence of interest in the last ten to twenty years and are becoming more and more a part of the mainstream Western culture. Take a look at any fashion or entertainment magazine and you’ll see plenty of well-known celebrities with body piercings like navel rings or a labret. You might be surprised to find out that piercing is actually an ancient form of expression that most cultures have practiced at some time or other for thousands of years. Egyptian body piercings reflected status and love of beauty The earliest known mummified remains of a human that was pierced is over 5,000 years old. This worthy gentleman had his ears pierced with larger-gauge plugs in his ears, so plugs may be one of the oldest forms of body modification there is! We also know that the Egyptians loved to adorn themselves elaborately, and even restricted certain types of body piercings to the royal family. In fact, only pharaoh himself could have his navel pierced. Any one else who tried to get a belly button ring could be executed. (Tell that to Britney Spears!) Almost every well-to-do Egyptian wore earrings, though, to display their wealth and accent their beauty. Elaborate enameled and gold earrings frequently portrayed items in nature such as lotus blossoms. Body piercings are also mentioned in the Bible. In the Old Testament it’s obvious that body jewelry is considered a mark of beauty and wealth, especially for Bedouin and nomadic tribes. In many cases, body jewelry was given as a bridal gift or as part of a dowry. It is clear that piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness in Biblical times. Romans were practical piercers Romans were very practical people, and for them piercing almost always served a purpose. Roman centurions pierced their nipples not because they liked the way it looked, but to signify their strength and virility. It was a badge of honor that demonstrated the centurion’s dedication to the Roman Empire. As a symbol, it was important and served a specific function, unifying and bonding the army. Even Julius Caesar pierced his nipples to show his strength and his identification with his men. Genital piercing through the head of the penis was performed on gladiators, who were almost always slaves, for two reasons. A ring through the head of the penis could be used to tie the organ back to the testicles with a length of leather. In gladiatorial combat, this prevented serious injury. With a large enough ring or bar, it also prevented the slave from having sex without the owner’s consent. Since the gladiator was “property,” a stud fee could be charged to another slave owner for the highly prized opportunity to raise the next generation of great fighters. Making love or war, piercing makes it better Going across the ocean at around the same time, the Aztecs, Maya and some American Indians practiced tongue piercing as part of their religious rituals. It was thought to bring them closer to their gods and was a type of ritual blood-letting. The Aztec and Maya were warrior tribes, and also practiced septum piercing in order to appear fiercer to their enemies. Nothing looks quite as frightening as an opponent sporting a huge boar tusk thrust through his nose! This practice was also common among tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Some of the materials commonly used were bone, tusks and feathers. Hundreds of years later, French fur trappers in Washington State discovered American Indian tribes who wore bones through their septum and called them the Nez Perce, meaning “Pierced Noses” in French. It’s interesting that civilizations separated by thousands of miles and even centuries often developed a love for the same kind of body piercings to enhance certain features, isn’t it? In Central and South America, lip labrets were popular for purely aesthetic reasons – women with pierced lips were considered more attractive. In fact, the holes were often stretched to incredible size as progressively larger wooden plates were inserted to emphasize the lips as much as possible. (Kind of like collagen today). The Aztecs and Maya also sported lip labrets of gold and jade, many of them elaborately carved into mythical or religious figures or sporting gemstones. These were seen as highly attractive and to enhance sexuality. As the world moved into the dark ages, interest in piercing died down somewhat and the medieval church began to condemn it as sinful. For a few hundred years, Western civilization abandoned the practice. As the Renaissance went into full swing, however, interest in piercing began to pick up again. A new era and a new interest in body piercings Sailors became convinced that piercing one ear would improve their long-distance site, and so the site of a sailor with a gold or brass ring became common. Word also spread that should a sailor be washed ashore after a shipwreck, the finder should keep the gold ring in exchange for providing a proper Christian burial. Sailors were both religious and superstitious, so they generally spent a lot for a large gold earring to hedge their bets. Men became much more fashion-conscious during the Renaissance and Elizabethan eras, and almost any male member of the nobility would have at least one earring, if not more. Large pearl drops and enormous diamond studs were a great way to advertise your wealth and standing in the community. It could also designate royal favor if your earring was a gift from a member of the royal family. Women, not wanting to be outshone by the men in all their finery, began to wear plunging necklines, with the Queen of Bavaria introducing the most outrageous, which consisted of not much at all above the waist. In order to adorn themselves, women began piercing their nipples to show off their jewelry. Soon they began wearing chains and even strands of pearls draped between the two. Men and women both discovered that these nipple piercings were also delightful playthings in bed, adding sensitivity to the breasts and giving the men both visual and tactile stimulation. Men began getting pierced purely for pleasure as well. While not entirely mainstream, piercing of the nipples and, occasionally, the genitals, continued to hold interest for members of the upper crust of society in Europe on and off for the next few hundred years. The next resurgence of interest was, surprisingly, during the Victorian age, which is usually seen as very repressed. Prince Albert, future husband of Queen Victoria, is said to have gotten the penis piercing that is named after him in order wear the tight-fitting trousers so popular at the time. The ring could then be attached to a hook on the inside of one pant leg, tucked safely away between the legs for a neat, trim look. Although we have no record of Victoria’s response to the piercing itself, there is ample evidence she was wildly in love with her husband and almost never left his side after their marriage! Soon, Victorian men were getting Prince Albert's, frenums and a variety of other piercings purely for the pleasurable sexual effects, and women were doing the same. By the 1890’s, it was almost expected that a woman would have her nipples pierced. In fact, some doctors at the time suggested it improved conditions for breastfeeding, although not all agreed. It was an interesting double standard –- plenty of people were doing it, but no one was talking about it. Modern-day body piercings In the last hundred years or so, body piercings in the Western world have mostly been limited to the ears, a standard hold-over from the fact that both men and women wore earrings during Elizabethan times. The Puritan movement did away with men wearing earrings, however, and it didn’t really regain popularity until recently. Nose rings found new interest when young people (they were called hippies then) from the U.S. began traveling in India extensively looking for enlightenment in the 1960’s. They noticed the nostril rings that most women had been wearing there since the sixteenth century. In India, this was a form of traditional, accepted adornment and was often linked to an earring by a chain. For rebellious teens from America, it was a great form of rebellion. After bringing nose piercings back to the U.S., the interest in body piercings of all kinds quickly caught on during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Celebrities, sports stars and singers all began sporting a variety of piercings. Soon, high school students and even stay-at-home moms were flashing new body piercings. And the rest, as they say, is history! This article on the "History of Body Piercings" reprinted with
permission.
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How Body Piercing
Works -- The Ins and Outs of this Cutting Edge Process
Body piercing (defined as any piercing beyond the standard earlobe piercing) has become such a popular form of body modification that between five and ten percent of the population of the United States has indulged in at least one form of it at some time in their lives. In most cases, once a person gets a body piercing, they follow the first one with more. There are lots of considerations; however, for making sure that your body piercing is done safely so that you don’t end up with either an infection or a poorly done piercing that could leave an unsightly scar. It ain’t ear piercing, honey… The procedure for a good body piercing isn’t the same is for getting your earlobes pierced. Most earlobe piercings that you see done in a mall or jewelry store involve using a piercing gun that quickly shoots the actual earring post through the earlobe. This may be fine for an area of the body that has soft tissue and is easily pierced, but it isn’t a good idea for other parts of the body for a few reasons. First, it isn’t as accurate as a needle, so lining it up won’t always work. Just as with any gun, there is a recoil that will make the aim inaccurate. Second, the force of the gun will cause bruising and damage to the skin that isn’t necessary and will slow the healing process. Third, a piercing gun can’t be sterilized completely, so there is a higher risk of infection. The message is clear –- never get a body piercing done with a piercing gun. Always go to a professional who follows procedures approved by the Association of Professional Piercers (APP). Once you get to the piercing parlor, there are several steps to the body piercing process that will take place to ensure both the success of the piercing and your health and safety. Each of these steps should be followed and nothing skipped. Getting the preliminaries out of the way You must be comfortable in the environment and comfortable with your piercer before moving ahead with anything. If he or she attempts to rush you through the procedure without answering your questions or putting you at ease, do not continue. This is a long-term commitment you are making, so it’s up to you if you want to go through with it. There is paperwork to be filled out, and don’t let a piercing parlor tell you otherwise. A good piercing studio always keeps accurate records to ensure the health and safety of their clients. If there would ever be a question of contamination or some other health hazard, they must be able to contact you. If you are a minor, they must have the signature of your parent or guardian, who must be present at the time of the piercing. Sterilization –- the only route to safe body piercing Sterilization is all-important in body piercing –- the piercing area must be sterile, the piercer’s hands must be sterile, the tools used must be sterile, and the piercing needle must be sterile. A separate area for sterilization should be available in the piercing parlor where a steam heat autoclave is operational. The autoclave is the only approved sterilization device that can sufficiently heat tools such as forceps to a high enough temperature to kill all bacteria. Before beginning any piercing, all tools will be sterilized in an autoclave and laid out carefully on a clean tray. After this, they will not be touched until your piercing begins, and then only by your piercer when he has safely cleaned and gloved his hands, just as a surgeon would. You can’t be too clean The piercing chair or table will also be cleaned, usually by being wiped down thoroughly with an antibacterial spray and disposable cloths or paper towels to prevent recontamination. You will not be allowed to enter and prepare for your piercing until the area has been prepped and sterilized. The needles used for body piercing are sterile and individually packaged, and no reputable piercer will ever use a needle that has already been used once. When you are pierced, the sterile needle’s package should be opened in your presence just before your piercing. The same is true of your starter jewelry -– it should be sealed in sterile packaging and only opened in your presence. The piercer will wash his hands and wrists with an antibacterial liquid soap and dry them before donning disposable gloves. At this point, he will be ready to begin your piercing. Prep work means straight piercings and fewer complications With properly gloved hands, your piercer will first check the area you want pierced to determine if you are really a candidate for the type of body piercing you’re seeking. In some cases, he may tell you that the conditions aren’t appropriate. For instance, if there is damage to the cartilage or heavy scarring in the area you want pierced. He will also tell you if you have a current cut or skin condition that means you should postpone piercing. If this is the case, in order to protect your health and prevent possible problems down the line, he will not go any farther with the procedure. If everything looks fine, he’ll tell you so and you’ll move on to the next step.
But first, a word about those piercing needles... Piercing needles are not your average sewing needle or push-pin. Piercing needles are highly specialized and were designed specifically to pierce the flesh while causing the least amount of pain possible. They also help encourage faster and cleaner healing than a regular needle. These needles also come in a variety of gauges suited for specific types of piercings. For instance, if you are getting a nipple pierced, the piercer will probably not want to use anything smaller than a 12 gauge (the smaller the gauge, the larger the needle), while a lip or nostril could be pierced with a 14 or 16 gauge. Thicker gauges prevent migration in areas prone to this movement of the jewelry, and prevent tear-out of piercings in more delicate flesh. Piercing needles are made from surgical steel –- the same material that hospital scalpels and lancets are made from. This ensures that they are biocompatible with all skin types and won’t cause an allergic reaction. They are also extremely sharp because they are laser cut with precision edges so that they slice cleanly through the skin without tearing or pulling. The piercing needles are hollow rather than solid so that they actually cut a tiny hole through the skin being pierced rather than punching through the skin. These hollow needles leave a clean-edged, precise hole in the flesh that will heal relatively quickly, while a regular needle (which is much duller by comparison) actually pushes its way through the skin, tearing and bruising the skin along the way. This is why a professional piercing needle provides a much less painful piercing with minimal bruising, and is much safer and easier for your body. The main event –- the body piercing The basic procedure is the same for most piercings, but all piercers have their own way of handling the process. Some piercers will clamp the area with forceps to stabilize the area before putting the needle through, while others prefer to use a steady hand and their own eyes to guide the needle. If the person being pierced seems like they may flinch, it is more likely the forceps or surgical pliers of some type will be used to steady the area and hold the skin in place. This doesn’t hurt, and is simply to make sure you don’t get a crooked placement. When the needle is lined up with the marking, the piercer will ask one last time if you are ready, and then quickly push the needle through. Some piercers use a cork as a backing, others don’t. This usually only takes a moment and feels like someone is pinching the skin hard. In most cases, the build-up to the moment is far worse than the actual piercing. Areas that are more sensitive include the genital area and the bridge of the nose. Starter jewelry needs to be high quality After the needle is removed, the starter jewelry is immediately put into place. One of the most important things to know about starter jewelry is that it is being put into an open wound, which is what a fresh piercing really is. Obviously, you don’t want your starter jewelry to be something that can cause an allergic reaction or infection. There are three materials recognized by professional piercers as acceptable for starter jewelry for their high quality, purity and their low incidence of allergic reactions:
Starter jewelry is generally a captive bead ring or barbell. The piercer will choose an appropriate size for the area that is slightly larger than what you would normally wear to allow for some swelling, which is normal for the first several days after a new piercing. He will screw the ends onto the new jewelry and make sure it is securely in place. At this point, the piercer will remove this set of gloves and put on another fresh set, clean the area around the new piercing and examine it one last time. He will let you take a look at your new body jewelry while he explains the aftercare and any potential problems you should watch for. He will also give you a sheet of detailed aftercare instructions to take home with you. Before you leave, take a few moments to relax either in the piercing room or the waiting room, as sometimes the adrenalin rush and its aftermath can leave you feeling a bit light-headed. Once you feel steady and sure of yourself, it is a good idea to get something like fruit juice to drink or a light snack. Your piercing is done! What if I want to try body piercing myself? If you love body modification, you may be considering piercing yourself. It’s really not a good idea for a number of reasons. If you want to try piercing, do it the right way -- become a fully trained, licensed professional. Without the proper training and an understanding of proper sterilization techniques you risk scarring, infection, and permanent damage to the area. Using makeshift piercing tools like sewing needles is also a great risk because they simply cannot be sterilized properly. Even heating over an open flame (such as a lighter) will not kill all bacteria. The only guaranteed way to kill all germs is with an autoclave or by using packaged, sterile surgical needles. Even then, the entire area and all tools must be sterilized properly. If you are truly interested in piercing, consider it not as a hobby or a momentary activity but as a career. Becoming an apprentice at a piercing parlor means learning proper technique and learning a trade at the same time, combining your interests with a way to make a living. An apprentice usually trains for at least a year under a licensed, professional piercer learning all aspects of sterilization, piercing and customer service. In many states they are also required to take courses in first aid, blood borne pathogens, anatomy and other Health and Safety standards and practices. You will observe piercings and work with the sterilization process for several months before actually doing any piercings, but when you do pierce you will be doing it properly and professionally. A good place to find out more information is through the Association of Professional Piercers’ website at www.safepiercing.org. This article on the "How Body Piercing Works" reprinted with
permission.
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Belly Rings: Sexy is as Sexy
Does
Body piercings have been the object of much controversy -- besides being an artistic expression and a celebration of one's physical endowments. The belly ring is such a piece of jewelry. In times of old, body piercings were treated differently, depending on the culture. As most body piercings had ritual or ceremonial value, many cultures prohibited specific types of body piercing that were purely for the sake of adornment. The warriors of old Central and South American civilizations sported body piercings, specifically in the nose area, in order to appear more intimidating to their enemies. On the other hand, lip piercings and decorations were meant to enhance attractiveness, especially among women of the day and age. And while body piercings were more or less common in ancient Egypt, the ancient Egyptian pharaohs actually appropriated specific types of piercings. For example, no one BUT members of the royal family should wear a belly ring, on pain of death! Talk about the price of vanity. Nowadays there is still some stigma associated with body piercings, especially among young women. It may be true that piercing is not always a safe practice, but more and more tattoo parlors are adopting measures that will ensure that infection is at least avoided. The increasing popularity of body jewelry cannot be ignored, especially since things like the belly ring and lip ring are making their way to MTV! Yes, we're talking about Britney Spears and her belly rings. We're talking about the famous "stars and moon" dangling belly ring she wore to the MTV music awards last year. We're also talking about Christina Aguilera and her "Nirvana nipple ring," among lots of other unconventional accessories -- made slightly less unconventional by their appearance on international TV. Belly rings are popular among young people who like to get together and dance. Dancers on TV are popularizing it as a sexy accessory. There are no pharaohs nowadays who would want to lop off Britney Spears' head for donning this spectacularly alluring piece of jewelry. From a status symbol to a sexy fashion accessory, the belly ring sure has come a long way. BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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Parenting Your Teenager:
Self-Decorating or Self-Harm - How to Tell the Difference Q. I need your help with a question about my teen-age daughter. Getting her ears pierced was no big deal, but then she wanted to get a belly button ring and a tongue ring. We let her get the belly button one but not the tongue one. Just the other night, we walked into her room and she was scratching on her leg with a pair of scissors. She was drawing a little blood, but she says it's no big deal and no different from getting her belly button pierced and that her best friend does it, too. This does not sound right, but I don't want to overreact. Is it the same? Also, does this mean she is suicidal, and should I tell her friend's parents about what is going on? A. I applaud you for going with your instincts and not buying the con that cutting yourself with scissors is just like a navel ring and everyone else is doing it. It's not the same, and everyone else is not doing it. Getting your ears, navel, tongue, lips, nose, etc., pierced for a ring, while it may look strange, is called self decorating. What you caught your daughter doing is called self-harming. From bobby socks to nose rings, teen-agers always have and always will decorate themselves. What scares some parents is that kids are running out of new ways to decorate themselves in ways that are shocking. Body piercings and tattoos are the rage now. Each family needs to decide what is acceptable in the home. I know some families that have made getting a navel ring a family event. I'm not necessarily recommending this across the board, but it seemed to work for them. Cutting yourself is one of the most common forms of self-harm. Other common forms of self-harm include burning with lighters or matches, pulling out body hairs and picking at sores. Signs and symptoms of self-harming behaviors include: =>Finding sharp instruments (knives, razor blades, box cutters, even glass) hidden in their room, car or elsewhere. =>Finding linens and clothes with blood stains, and the explanations don't make sense. =>Unexplained hair loss, bald patches. =>Cut and/or burn marks on legs and arms, which are the most typical places, though they can show up anywhere. =>Frequent isolation in bedroom, bathroom or elsewhere. =>Lots and lots of bracelets on the wrists, that NEVER come off in front of you Self-harming goes way beyond self-decorating. It is hurting yourself to relieve emotional pain. It's paradoxical, but self-harming is an attempt to deal with pain. The emotional logic goes something like this: "If I'm hurting physically, then maybe my feelings won't hurt so much." There is a certain release and relief from the bad feelings that are experienced by the person self-harming. Those feelings are followed by guilt about what has been done. This sets up a vicious cycle of doing it again to stop feeling bad, guilt, etc. A key question is: What is the person feeling that hurts so bad? I urge parents to not take this stuff lightly and treat it like the serious problem that it is. People who cut themselves or cause other physical harm to relieve emotional pain need help. I suggest you schedule an appointment with both your family physician and a family therapist who has experience treating these kind of problems. You also asked if this could mean your daughter is suicidal. It's a crucial question, yet difficult to answer on the little I know. According to the latest consumer update from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy "self-harming adolescents are rarely suicidal." Yet, I urge parents to take anything that even looks a little bit like suicidal thinking or behavior very seriously; there is no margin for error. Finally, many parents who discover negative information about other children struggle with whether they should notify their parents. My rule of thumb is: If it were your child, would you want to know? Of course you would. Notifying other parents will not make you popular with your daughter, but there are more important issues here. It also can be intimidating. Some words you might want to use are: "Listen, Mr./Mrs. Smith. I've come across some information about your daughter that, if she were my child, I would want to know." BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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Jewelry – What's Today's
Fashion Statement? The appearance of jewelry has changed dramatically over the centuries, but the fact that men and women have sought beautiful things to adorn themselves hasn't. From centuries ago, master craftsmen have woven precious stones and beautiful metals into designs fit for kings and queens. Expanding technology over the past couple of centuries has wrought some important changes. Most notably, jewelry has become more intricate and elaborate. Custom designs are highly prized as more of the jewelry manufacturing is done by machine. Materials have also changed. Instead of pure gold which is not always durable, chains and other jewelry are often made of tougher materials and plated with gold. New materials have also emerged, including titanium - one of the hottest new jewelry trends on the market. Titanium comes in several colors, is very durable and - most importantly - is considered extremely fashionable. Fashion trends are the most important thing to shape the jewelry industry. From one decade to another, the trends have changed. Often, jewelry trends reflect the ideas, passions and goals of the times. Who can forget the terrific jewelry of the 1960s and 1970s? The “peace sign,” “flower power” and other symbols of the “hippie era” were all the rage. And many of those designs are seeing a return to popularity, along with some of the clothing fashions of the day. The stones of jewelry have also changed over the decades though some classics remain constant. Pearls, diamonds, emeralds and rubies have remained important. A half century ago, no self-respecting socialite had a jewelry box without a string of pearls - though some were faux pearls. But pearls didn't have their first chance at popularity in the 1950s. Thirty years earlier, strings of pearls (or beads if pearls were just out of the question) were a must for those enjoying the Flapper phase. The costume jewelry of that period, along with jewelry fashions distinctive to other times, have become collectors' items. Entire businesses are built around the ability to provide those pieces to the movie industry. What will be next year's fashion statement? You may think we've seen it all with multiple ear piercings BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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Body Piercing, Is There Anything
Wrong With It? When you spend a day at the mall, you see people with body piercings. Perhaps you see someone with a nose ring. Another may have a belly button ring. In fact, you may see people with some really crazy body piercing. Is there any reason that people should not have so many body piercings? When it all comes down to it, it is everyone's separate decision to be made, but we must ask, is there anything wrong with it, really? Body piercing is popular, especially among teens. Something that once started as earrings led to the piercing of many other body parts. Do you have your ears pierced? Is there something wrong with people who have their ears pierced? Many teens find body piercing to be a way of self expression and a way to rebel. Today, people get their noses, tongues, eye brows, belly buttons and even other places pierced. You can go into any jewelry store at the mall and find belly button and eye brow rings. The jewelry itself is not tacky or ugly, but can be very regular pieces. So, what makes body piercing so bad, then? People have preconceived notions about people who are different from them. When ladies started to get their ears pierced, that was taboo as well. As time goes on and things become more "normal" the preconceived notions about body piercings will go away as well. As long as the piercing is done properly, in a clean environment and is taken care of properly, then there are no adverse side effects to having body piercings. Again, they must be taken care of and cleaned properly though as infections can spread rapidly this way. So, the next time you are at that mall and see a group of girls walk by with belly button rings, think twice before you judge them. Consider why you don't like that eye brow ring on the boy who is taking your order's face. Think twice when judging others because as you judge them, they may be judging you right back! Written by David Kunstek, webmaster and author of http://www.piercing-web.com . BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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You do what? Certified body
piercer
Trooper Ramsey is in the body-modification business. He's a certified body piercer. And he's made a career of it. Ramsey, 39, owns Lucky Dog Tattoo and body piercing shop in Cathedral City, a venture he started about four years ago. He opened his second shop - Anchored Ink Tattoo in Murrietta Hot Springs - about a year and a half ago. Ramsey, who said he obtained his certification (in 1996) "to bring more of a professional level of body piercing (to the desert) at that time" - offers advice to those interested in the tattoo trade: "The best way to find out if they want a career in body-modification is by "apprenticing with a well-known, reputable tattoo artist or piercer." Ramsey said the industry has matured since he first became involved in his craft. "It's grown from a punk rocker-military-biker kind of crowd. It's (more) mainstream," he said. Ramsey's clients tend to be between 18 and 40 years old. Prices for a tattoo range from $60 to a "major investment $500,
$1,000," he said. Among the most commonly requested tattoos are names,
stars, tribal bands and 'in memory of'. "(People) modify themselves to feel new, better, different we're here to help that process along," he said. BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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Body Piercing - Things to
Think About Body piercing has become very popular of late, from noses to genitals. But it's not as new as some may think. There are many different styles and variations to choose from. All have different pain levels and aftercare procedures. Research your chosen area and piercing before going ahead. Genital piecing has been around for many years and has been documented through out history from tribal ritual to the karma sutra. The biggest debate seems to be the 'pain or pleasure' one. Does a piercing increase sexual pleasure or is it not worth going through the pain? Piercings are available for both men and women, obviously every body is different but the general feedback seems to be on the positive for sexual enhancement. There is more variety of piecing available to men, the most widely known being the Prince Albert. (It is said that this piercing can lead to problems urinating whilst standing, check it out before you decide!) For women the VCH (Vertical Clitoral Hood) is becoming increasingly popular. There are a few different ways this is done so make sure you have all the details you need before going ahead. * Are Piercings Safe: If performed by a professional in a clean environment with the right equipment then most of them are. * Will it hurt: Yes it will...but not for long! How much it will hurt will depend on the piercing you're having and of course everyone has a different pain barrier. * Should I bother with aftercare: Yes, don't be tempted to stop caring for your new piercing because it seems to be fine now! In some opinions Genital Piercings are fashionable, fun, look good and
can be sexually enhancing but only when done professionally! If you decide
it's for you make sure you know what you want, how it's done and who is
qualified to do it. Do not be afraid to ask for credentials. Genital piercings
do carry a risk. Protect yourself and your partner(s). www.fetish-mate.com BELLY BUTTON RINGS & NAVEL JEWELRY
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