...Lip stretching is a body modification that goes back 10,000 years and had been practiced all over the world, from Siberia to South America, from the Middle East to Europe, although there is no evidence that the custom traveled from one area to another. The procedure survives only in Africa and among some Amazonian tribes in South America. The practice is seen among women in the Mursi and Surma tribes of Ethiopia. The lower lip is pierced and a peg is inserted, to be replaced with a larger peg as the skin stretches. A plate or labret is inserted when the piercing is large enough. Traditionally, this is done as a young woman prepares to marry, but is now a personal decision rather than an obligation. Skull binding has been practiced at various points in history in widespread parts of the world, with some evidence of Neanderthal skulls that had been shaped around 45,000 BCE in Iraq. The custom of head shaping has been most notable among skulls excavated in Peru, where the practice dates back 9,000 years. The skull can only be shaped during infancy. The bones eventually harden to the point that skull modification would only break the cranial bones. An infant's skull would be wrapped with cloth (sometimes with wooden boards added) to restrict its expansion sideways, causing the head to grow long and tall instead. This practice was usually restricted to the wealthier classes. Reproductions of such skulls can be purchased online. Scarification is a traditional alternative...
Words: 1356 - Pages: 6
...Body Modification: A Rising Sensation I stared in horror at the fearsome needle taunting me to challenge its glinting tip. I closed my eyes, prayed with every cell in my body for the pain to be minimal, and grimaced as she expertly twirled the needle between her fingers and then slid it through my flesh in one fluid motion. When I took a peek, I gaped cross-eyed at the foreign object jutting out of my nose and smiled. I don’t remember what state of mind I was in when I walked into the parlor, but I left victorious! Throughout history, people have decorated and modified the appearance of their bodies in many different ways. Nostril piercings are thought to have been adopted into the noble castes in the Middle East almost 4000 years ago. Nowadays, nostril piercings have been adopted by Christina Aguilera. In South America, Aztec and Mayan priests pierced their tongues as part of a ritual to communicate with their gods. In several African tribes, the beauty of women was determined by the size of plates that were fitted into their upper lips. In ancient civilizations of Egypt, a “perfect belly button” could elevate someone’s social standing. At that time, only Pharaohs and royal families could pierce their navels. Anyone else was promptly executed. A “perfect belly button”, however, could be a peasant’s ticket to a better life. The ancient Romans pierced their nipples (ouch) to show their strength and endurance. It is also theorized that their nipple jewelry held their...
Words: 728 - Pages: 3
...The History and Culture of Body Modification What is body modification and why has it had such a large impact on society? For centuries humans have been using their bodies as a canvas to identify themselves to the rest of society. Body modification lets a person stand out or blend in; it allows people to describe who they are and where they come from without saying a word. There are many forms of body modification such as Tattooing, Scarification, Piercings, Stretching, Plastic Surgery, and Corseting. Each form holds a story, a reason why it is done. “ In the past three decades, Western body art has not only become a practice, and in some quarters a fashion, that has crossed social boundaries of class and gender, "high" culture and "low," but also it has been greatly influenced by "tribal" practices, past and present.” (Enid Schildkrout, Inscribing the Body, Para 10 line 8) Tattooing The history of tattooing stems back thousands of years from all over the world for all different reasons. “In terms of tattoos on actual bodies, the earliest known examples were for a long time Egyptian and were present on several female mummies dated to c. 2000 B.C. But following the more recent discovery of the Iceman from the area of the Italian-Austrian border in 1991 and his tattoo patterns, this date has been pushed back a further thousand years when he was carbon-dated at around 5,200 years old. The distribution of the tattooed dots and small crosses on his lower spine and right knee...
Words: 1618 - Pages: 7
...For centuries, humans have been practicing body modification for the sake of beauty. Two common forms of body modifications are corset wearing and foot binding. The corset was an important part of the female wardrobe for several centuries in the Western culture. It helped to sculpt the body, allowing for an outward intimate visualization of the female physique. Middle-class women depended heavily on the use of the corset to aide with keeping the mind and body tamed. Foot binding, was equally important to women of China for centuries. Tiny feet were once seen as a sign of female beauty by the men in China. A woman needed to bind feet so that she was able to find a good husband. Parents were obligated to make sure the process of foot binding...
Words: 1049 - Pages: 5
...It is amazing what many people will do for the sake of their culture. After all, it is those who are most loyal to their culture that keep tradition and culture unique and alive. But how far is too far? Extreme body modification can be seen in many countries, many cultures and from many people of different walks of life. Anyone could sit on a busy street for a full day and continuously watch people and never see all the forms of body modification that are present today. Here in the United States, we starve ourselves, invest thousands of dollars in plastic surgery and spend more hours in the gym than we do with our family just so that we can fit into what our culture defines as beautiful. As big or as little as someone may think this sacrifice is, is it really that bad? Foot binding, neck rings, extreme scarring tooth filing, and ear stretching, are just a few examples of what other cultures engage in so that they can fit into their culture’s idea of beautiful. There are many different theories that attempt to explain why foot binding exists and how the idea came about. “Foot binding began late in the T'ang Dynasty (618-906) and it gradually spread through the upper class during the Song Dynasty (960-1297), lasting through the Ming period (1368-1644) and then ending in the Ching Dynasty (1644-1911)” (Seagrave). There are several legends that attempt to account for the creation of this custom. One is that the concubine of a Chinese prince named Yao Niang walked so gracefully...
Words: 1795 - Pages: 8
...Played in Human History Com/172 University of Phoenix Tattoos and the Role They've Played in Human History Tattoos are a means of permanently marking the body with coloring by a way of piercing the skin. This form of art articulates the body as well as the psyche. This body modification can be found in every culture around the world, with some of its earliest findings dating back as far as 10,000 BCE (Lineberry, 2007). History shows the symbolisms behind tattoos vary from one society to the next. These markings may be for therapeutic purposes in one part of the world while showing social status in another, and in turn, a way of branding criminals in an additional region. Although tattoos have many different significances, wavering with each different culture, there is no doubt they are a significant part of human history. Professor Don Brothwell and Cate Lineberry, stated a man found in ice around the Italian-Austrian border, had tattoos that may have been for therapeutic purposes. Post examination, they concluded that the disbursement of dots and small crosses on his body in the areas of his lower back, right knee, and ankle may relate to areas of "strain-induced degeneration". Suggesting that these tattoos were applied to ease joint pain and to explain why the tattoos on this man were not in places on the body that were easily displayed (Lineberry, 2007). In ancient Egyptian culture, tattoos were prominently found on women. These mummified women found in early discoveries...
Words: 1424 - Pages: 6
...Foot Binding the 20th Century Women have been trying to modify their bodies since the beginning of time and this has not changed to the present day. Today women use many types of products to change the way they look to create societies image of perfection. The use of makeup and other topical products is seen to be the norm and if you don’t use them you are usually not seen as put together as other women. Also today women today have many more drastic and permanent option that women in the past could not use. Women today can undergo cosmetic surgery. In fact, the amount of women that get liposuction is 55%, 47% get tummy tucks, 21% get breast enlargements and 24% of women get Botox injections (ChaCha). While the method of body modification had changed, the amount of pain and time that women are willing to put into creating the image that they think is the ideal image has not change over time. Body type and structure has always been important to women. They ideal body type has changed over time. For example, larger women at one point in time were coveted because being larger meant that you could afford to eat in excess. In China specifically the size of women’s feet was thought to be important and the smaller they were the more attractive the women. This is a brutal process that many young women had to endure so that they could be considered attractive and did a lot of damage to their bodies and esteem. Foot binding has occurred in China since the Sung Dynasty which was around...
Words: 1012 - Pages: 5
...Youth in Dystopia (DRAFT) Christopher Lewis Chapman University May 21, 2014 Vadeboncoeur (2005) criticizes the age-old question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and explains that youth are always defined as being in the process of becoming an adult. But what happens if this question is no long applicable or even necessary? Dystopian novels remove this illusion of choice. In each of the novels I will address, all teenagers attend or participate in a ceremony whereby they transition from young adult to adult. The first series I will address is Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series, where youth undergo plastic surgery as their rite of passage. Maturation and growing up require endure body modifications to create same-ness and the perfectly pretty white race. Second, I will analyze Ally Condie’s Matched series, where social order to determined by sorters who decide vocation and spouses. All teenagers attend a ceremony where a person’s perfect match is determined by a computer program. Lastly, I will use Veronica Roth’s Divergent series to explore how the world is constructed by personality type. Youth choose to participate in factions that are determined by a psychological examination that detects a youth’s instinctual predilections when facing their fears. As readers begin to figure out the rules to this new society, they are challenged to make comparisons to their own world. We are forced to wonder whether or not, as educators, we reinforce stereotypical...
Words: 3808 - Pages: 16
...Henna Around The World GTQ#1 The cold sensation of the brownish black color of Henna felt wonderful on my arm. The Henna artist decorated my hands with beautiful Henna flowers. I am an Arabic Muslim girl from the Middle East, therefore, Henna is very important to me personally. As a child I was raised and grew up with the smell of Henna. Every time my mom sees my hair falling out and getting thin she will put some henna on it and it goes back to normal and even better. Henna means to me a lot, it reminds me of my childhood. GTQ#2 The popularity of Henna is changing the formula to a harmful substance. According to the New York Times, "Henna tattoos are widely available and usually harmless" (Bakalar). It is becoming more popular in the US because it is a temporary design and alternative to the real tattoos. As Henna becomes more popular, people are adding chemicals to the original formula. "Henna is a vegetable dye that can be brown, red or green, and it wears off in a matter of days. But to produce a darker color, some tattoo artists added a chemical called Paraphenylenediamine, or PPD”(Bakalar). Henna is a natural plant but adding chemicals to the original formula made it very harmful. Adding chemicals to Henna burned and blistered a”a 19-year-old woman who had a temporary tattoo applied at a wedding”(Bakalar). The Kuwaiti woman was one of the people who got affected by the PPD. Henna changed from a harmless temporary tattoo to a very harmful...
Words: 374 - Pages: 2
...He begins by arguing that the positive effects of waist trainers are a hoax and, that they do not work. Harrison supports this stance with Dr. Sharma’s statement, “All you’re doing is compressing your stomach and pushing the fat around instead of getting rid of it.” Dr. Sharma also says body shape is predetermined by genetics. The inches trimmed through corset training are only temporary and will not last without continued...
Words: 649 - Pages: 3
...tattoo is the in thing to do, it is in fact along term problem. The increasing of tattooing done by teenagers is because of rebellion, peer pressure, and social status. Rebellion is one of the many reasons why teenagers get tattoos. The children of today want to use piercing and tattoos as a form of expression and independence. The problem with this is that parents do not feel the same way, and so teenagers go out and get a tattoo in a ways just to show their parents that they can do as they please, and that they are not the bosses of them. The problem with this is that later on in life the child that got the tattoo will grow up and have children of their own, who will also want to get a tattoo or other means of expression done on their body. The teenager who is now a parent will most likely tell them no, but just like they did when they were younger, their children will also still probably go out and get a tattoo. How is the parent going to explain that it is not the right time for it, if they themselves got one also at that age? Another reason teenagers get tattoos is because of peer pressure. We have to remember teenagers are sheep and like sheep they follow the crowd. The in crowd such as the popular kids in school, musicians, and actors spread their fad very easily amongst teenagers, because they feel that they will have to get a tattoo just to fit in, so they will not feel left out and abandoned. The main problem with this is that getting a tattoo now will not always...
Words: 634 - Pages: 3
...Piercings such as; belly button, tongue, eyebrow, nose, ears, private area piercings, and dermals. The tattoos will be based on size, detail, color, and time taken to complete the tattoo. There will be sample pages where you can choose a tattoo already designed and drawn out, or you can have one customized and drawn out for you personally. The target market for Ridikulous Tattoos is a market with a very large range of ages. Anyone 18 or over, and legally allowed to be tattooed would be in my target market. I could however, narrow my target market to afes 18-50. Consumers in this range are more likely to want a tattoo. Consumers in this age range are also more likely to be able to handle the pain, and trauma receiving a tattoo puts your body through. The unique selling proposition is definitely going to make our tattoo parlor stand out amongst my competitors. Unlike every other tattoo parlor that charges an hourly rate when charging for their tattoos I plan to charge based on the tattoo itself. The price will depend on size, detail, shading, coloring, and time spent competing the tattoo. Normally at other tattoo parlors the...
Words: 735 - Pages: 3
...presence. Tattoos are a form of personal expression that is not protected under the First Amendment. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an employer can establish a dress code and appearance policies if they don’t discriminate against a person based on their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. In the healthcare field, facial tattoos along with offensive tattoos that are visible, are often forbidden, even if the hospital has no official policy regarding the subject. Most organization worry about protecting their professional image first. The two main reasons why doctors, nurses, and people from management may not get excessive or visible tattoos are because of the belief that body ink is not professional and the negative stigma of being associated with criminal activity. The higher your position, the more you’re expected to fit the social image your job comes with. A radiologist may can get away with more tattoos than a doctor would. When choosing a tattoo, you should consider the size, placement, and the professional image you’re trying to portray. Ultimately, the choice is yours but working in the medical field with tattoos is no trouble if you’re mindful of requirements and expectations. (Aims) I think that tattoos should be allowed in the medical workplace. For one, what does it matter if you have tattoos are not? The tattoos are not hurting anybody so, why make a big commotion about it? Tattoos are simply a form...
Words: 461 - Pages: 2
...1. Do you think Mindy dresses appropriately for a professional interview? No, I do not think Mindy is dress appropriately for a professional interview. Mindy look like she is dress to go work at a tattoo shop with the piercings, and tattoos she have. I believe that Mindy’s dress is inappropriate for the medical facility because her hair is colored different bright colors, she has facial piercings, her clothes do not cover her body and undergarments are showing, she has on too much make up, she is wearing dangling earrings and bracelet, her tattoos are not covered up and she has on open toed shoes. Most employers have a standard for dress codes. If she is not breaking any of the dress codes, then nothing can be done to make her dress more professionally. The numbers I choose that would best fit her for a professional interview is 1, 2, and 1. 2. Does personal "style" detract from the medical facility's air of professionalism? Mindy’s personal “style” does detract from the facilities air of professionalism. She looks like she should be working in a tanning salon or a tattoo parlor, not a professional medical clinic. 3. What are your thoughts on how and why it is important to project a professional image at the interview? In order to project a professional image, one should follow the dress code established by the business. You should be polite and helpful in any situation presented to you. You should use tact when talking to others and be respectful of others opinions....
Words: 268 - Pages: 2
...Tattoos and Their Effect on the Working Environment A lot of people would not want to be stabbed with a needle 50 times just to have ink embedded into their skin, but there are a lot of people who do because it is their way to put something on their body permanently and have it mean a great deal to them. Tattoos, which are an expressive way to show yourself, are being shown as disrespectful in the working environment, and therefore people are not getting the benefits they need. The art of a tattoo is not to be judged by, but to embrace others differences. In December of 2001, Edward Rangel joined the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers down in Washington, where he served as a server and just so happened to have two tattoos, one on each wrist. His...
Words: 554 - Pages: 3
