Chapter Six |
"Because the world needs freaks..." ("The Lizard Man" http://bmeworld.com/amago 2000) In the 50’s, when a teenager wanted to rebel, they went out and bought a pair of Levi’s. Today however, the new craze of rebellious acts consists of getting an eyebrow piercing, or a nipple ring. But where does it stop being body art, and start being body-mutilation? Tattoos, piercings and so forth, are seen as a statement - a permanent expression of thoughts, feelings or memories etched over skin. For some, the experience of being pierced is liberating, for others, it is a way of altering their appearance to suit them. Or maybe even to fit in with a particular social group. The "Ink and Hole" culture is not the only the category in body-modification. There is also the area of rituals and rites of passage that fall within the boundaries of body-mod. Some tribal groups of male indigenous Australians slice open their genitals along the length of the urethra with the use of stones during adolescent initiation rituals. (Alexander V. Timofeyev, http://wso.williams.edu/self_mutilation/index.html 2002) The Surma people of Ethiopia insert lip plates into the mouths of the women a year before marriage. The plate itself symbolises the amount of cattle the girl’s family desires in order to approve of the marriage. The greater the amount of cattle, the larger the lip plate that must be worn. Also in another part of Africa, the young women of the Dugum Dani tribe severe their fingers as part of a sacrifice at funerals. (Guiness book of world records, 1995 pg 63) Ceremonial mutilation is still considered barbaric by western standards, yet it is accepted in a sense, because these ritual mutilations of the self are merely a part of othersculture. So what happens when we find members of our own culture are performing self-harm? The act of self-injury can in fact be a form of ritual, as explained earlier, however it is still seen as abnormal. Because of this, many self-harmers will turn to the world of body-modification, as I discovered in an interview. "My family found out about it a while back, and they’re always keeping an eye on me. But I still needed that release. I was passing by a tattoo place the other week and thought, "yeah. there’s where I can get it." About an hour later, I came out with a rather agonising yet satisfying tongue piercing." (Interviewee #4) So it seems that while there still are prejudices against tattoos and piercings, it is more acceptable than someone burning or cutting into themselves. But is it really still considered self mutilation? Technically no, since in order for it to be considered self-harm, it needs to be done by that person, whereas tattooing and piercing is almost always done by someone else. "There is a certain significance.. symbolic in it’s own way, when someone gets a tattoo or a piercing. The people that come in are usually looking for something that means something to them, such as a name, animal, or even a particular place in which they are pierced." (Interviewee #11) In an article by www.ambient.ca about the relationship between self-mutilation and body-modification, it described the act of being pierced as a liberating experience. The example they used was of someone that had been sexually abused that came in for a genital piercing. The experience of the body modification was symbolic of the woman taking back control of her own body. While body-mod can have aspects of a somewhat symbolic nature, is there such a thing as going too far? There are people who showcase their modifications as a spectacle, and perform other painful acts purely for others entertainment. Is it still considered self-injury if a man puts a nail into his face for a crowd’s amusement? One example of this behaviour would be Erik Sprague, aka the Lizard Man. He has gone under extensive permanent body modifications to make himself appear as a lizard. Erik has undergone over roughly 650 hours of full body tattoo work. As well, he has had his teeth sharpened, tongue slit, and even had Teflon implants placed in his forehead. He has been altering his appearance for well over a decade now. (www.thelizardman.com) Would this qualify as self-mutilation? The 21st century has brought a whole new world of possibilities and experimenting with different piercings and body modification. Gone are the days of the simple ear piecing. Now one is capable of getting their hands, neck, wrists, chest and face pierced; the back can be pierced and tied up with a leather strap, which is known as Corsetry; tongues can be slit; and for the hard-core fan, there is always castration or amputation. Interestingly, the majority of these current body-mod trends are seen in some of the acts of self-injury. However, there is indeed a difference between the two, as I discovered from an interview with a tattoo artist. "Yes, they are two very similar acts, since both body-mod and self-mutilation involve inflicting wounds upon the person’s own body. One obvious difference is that someone else does tattoos and piercings for the person, otherwise it would be called self-modification. But, the contrasting factor between the two, is that body-modification is performed for the end result. Self-injury is done for the pain experienced during the process." (Interview #11) From this interview with the tattoo artist, the difference between self-injury and body-modification is made very clear. Those who endure painful body-mod procedures do so to achieve their desired physical form. Whereas those who self-harm do so to achieve their desired emotional state. Because of this fact, self-injurers are still shunned by society. |