studium in usu corporis immutatione

A blog examining tattoos and piercings in popular culture: Do people's body modifications truly represent who they are inside, or are they just another aspect of the persona- what we put on display for the world to see?

[salve-immutatio]

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cherry, K.. “Archetypes (Jung’s Archetypes).” About.com Psychology. N.p.. Web. 4 Dec 2013. 

Sprague, Erik. “The Lizardman - Frequently Asked Questions.” The Lizardman - Frequently Asked Questions. The Lizardman, July 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Michalak, Jodie. “Interview with a Zombie.” About.com Tattoos / Body Piercings. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

"Accepted vs. Non-Accepted." Body Modification Through A Sociologist’s Eyes. Wordpress, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Brizee, Allen, and J. Case Tompkins. "Welcome to the Purdue OWL." Purdue OWL: Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2014. "Body Modification Through A Sociologist's Eyes." Body Modification Through A Sociologists Eyes. Wordpress.com, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 09 July 2014. "Dermablend Professional: Go Beyond The Cover: Behind the Scenes." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 July 2014. Oetting, Rachel. "Gang Tattoos: A Look at Their Use and Meanings." : The Russian Mafia. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 July 2014.

[salve-immutatio]

Essentially, what I've found from this research is that body modifications are performed for one's own personal pleasure, not the enjoyment of others. (Actually, the consensus seems to be that others don't appreciate the modifications in the slightest.) Examples would be Rick and Erik, and Jung's theory itself says that outward actions come from internal, personal reasoning.

[salve-immutatio]

Question: Exactly what differentiates breast implants (or chin and cheek implants) from transdermal horns? Or how does the marking of the body by cutting or burning any different from plastic surgery??

Answer (or, one of the many.): The answer links directly to the obvious fact that the majority of plastic surgeries are surgically done to imitate nature, where as transdermal horns are inserted to be a deviance in society.

[whogeorge]

[salve-immutatio]

How do you feel about other people with body modifications? Why? What about multiple modifications- full-body tattoos, or transformations, like Rick Genest and Erik Sprague?

(Question 2)

[salve-immutatio]

The road thus far...

So far, we've seen two full-body examples of self-expression in the for of body modification. Both Rick Genest and Erik Sprague cite themselves as the reason they went through with the mods- other things may have inspired them, such as Sprague's art project, or Genest's conversation, but they didn't tattoo themselves for anyone but themselves.

[salve-immutatio]

Erik 'The Lizardman' Sprague, showing off some of his modifications.

[salve-immutatio]

An interview with Erik 'The Lizardman' Sprague

Why have you transformed yourself via various body modification processes? My physical appearance is part of a transformation project I began as an undergraduate working in body based performance art.

What is the transformation project? While in college I hit upon the idea of using body modification procedures (initially tattooing) for a body based art piece that would explore the idea of what it means to be human from a linguistic standpoint. I was working with philosophy of language and it occurred to me that some of the principles put forth by Wittgenstein in his later works offered an interesting potential for exploration in relation to the transformation ideas I had been working with in art. Broken down it goes something like this: (1) Wittgenstein suggested that one way in which we are able to apply one term to many different objects is because they share a sort of "family resemblance" (2) Focusing on how this principle related to the use of terms like 'human being', 'person', etc in the sense that people identify others as humans more based on observation of surface physical characteristics and behaviors I decided to modify those aspects of myself in manner which would significantly differentiate me from other 'human beings' (3) In order to achieve this differentiation I chose to use permanent body modification procedures because I felt that a permanent commitment to the artistic statement was preferable if not necessary.

Why a reptilian theme? I felt I should choose something that would work well for a total body theme (fit all areas, age well) and, even more importantly, something I would like for the rest of my life. After considering several options (mazes, stories, spots, stripes) I settled on the reptilian theme because I liked the look and it made a good fit with other ideas I had for the future at the time; like my split tongue and teeth, which did come to pass.

[salve-immutatio]

It looks the same, to me. I guess I'm just used to being in my own skin.

Rick Genest, Dermablend Pro's behind-the-scenes commercial shoot.

[salve-immutatio]

Rick Genest- more commonly known as 'Zombie Boy'- shot a commercial for Dermablend Pro, a L'Oréal-owned cosmetics brand. The idea of the commercial was to prove just how well their makeup can conceal- specifically blemishes, despite the product being demonstrated on tattoos.

[salve-immutatio]

An interview with Rick (Zombie Boy, Rico the Zombie) Genest

Who’s idea was the zombie transformation?

Well, the idea was either my grandmothers or the mailman's; the details of that bikini party are shady at best.

Was there ever a point where you have been scared of what you’ve done to yourself and your body?

Absolutely not! I worked very hard at achieving this goal for over a decade. Whether under the needle, knife, roof, the sun or the moon; this project has been my lifelong ticket to the big tent.

Do you feel more vulnerable or human wearing your inside on the outside?

In all honesty, I see it for what it is; Ink. As paint is to a brush on canvas. Should there be an irrational fear of artistic creation? Rather I feel developed and consequently more experienced than vulnerable.

What is the theme of your body art?

My body art depicts anarchy. As an anarchist, there is a call for revolution. The first stage of a revolution is defiance. Appearing to be dead while alive defies the very laws of nature itself.

[salve-immutatio]

It's Okay to Say "I Don't Like Them:" On Body Modifications

[Content Notice: pictures of scars] When I first discovered that there are people who think nothing of circumcising their infant sons for social reasons (i.e. "so that he looks like everyone else")...

This article shows a primary source's views on body modification- "I've gotten 14 different piercings as well as one tattoo..."- and also brings up a few terriffic points as to why people are for and against body modification.

scarring

danger of infection/complications

aesthetic and psychological pleasure

[salve-immutatio]

[procedural images of body modifications]

[salve-immutatio]

Examples of several different types of body modification

[salve-immutatio]

What is body modification?

According to Wikipedia:

"Body modification (or body alteration, called body mutilation by detractors) is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy orphenotype.[1] It is often done for aesthetics, sexual enhancement, rites of passage, religious beliefs, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, for shock value, and as self-expression, among other reasons.[1][2] In its most broad definition it includes plastic surgery, socially acceptable decoration (e.g., common ear piercing in many societies), and religious rites of passage (e.g., circumcision in a number of cultures), as well as the modern primitive movement."

According to UrbanDictionary:

"The act of changing one's body in order to beautify or better it.  This can be done through a vast number of things, including, but not limited to:  Piercing, tattoos, scarification, amputation, and some people may say, even things like hair cuts."

[salve-immutatio]

QUESTION

How many of you have tattoos/piercings?

[salve-immutatio]

First of all, how do Jung's archetypes relate to body modification?

The point of this study is to figure that out. Generally, the thought seems to be that body modifications (such as tattoos and piercings) come from ‘inside’- all of the people I know with such features say that they got whatever it may have been done simply for themselves, not for anyone else, and not to ‘put on a face’ for others to see. But I decided to take it a step further- maybe average people get tattooed and pierced for themselves, but what about gang members, when tattoos are ritualized in their organizations? Are those tattoos true reflections of the people themselves, or do they serve to put up a tough front, to intimidate and scare off any opposition?

Essentially, the question is, “Are tattoos and piercings applied for the Shadow, the Anima, or the Persona’s desires?”