OH DEAR, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOURSELF?!

Body Modifying (v.); the deliberate altering of the human body for aesthetic or non-medical purposes

As of lately, I have been hearing/reading/seeing a lot of negative commentary on body modifications. The phrase "body modification" doesn't have a good reputation and the connotations associated with it are becoming more and more negative. The use of the phrase is also being incredibly misused or misunderstood more and more frequently.

 A body modification is anything from dying your hair, piercing your ear to getting a tattoo or an implant in the shape of brass knuckles in your chest.  "But I only dyed my hair from blonde to brown" Were you born with brown hair? No? Then you've altered your appearance from the state it was in when you were born. THAT is a body mod. Just because it isn't blatantly obvious you've changed something, you've changed it. 

The past few weeks, in regards to the more extreme forms of body modifying, I've heard mostly,"how could you do that to yourself?" or "she/he'll regret that when they're 89." But my question is, who the fuck are you to say anything or even care? If you knew them, you would understand that virtually every tattoo, piercing, implant or other form of body modification is special to that person for whatever reason. Whether it be religious, spiritual (yes, they're different, that's a rant for another time), self expression or memorial to a treasured someone/thing, it means a   g r e a t   deal to the person who is willing to go through the potential pain and risks associated with whichever procedure they decide to have done. 

You bleaching your hair, plucking your eyebrows and piercing your ears makes you no better or worse then the ones getting tattooed, piercing their anti-eyebrow or stretching their ears. Although you think they are of completely different worlds, they are one in the same. The same compulsion that you feel to dye your hair red because you just "feel like a redhead" (what a ridiculous phrase) is the same compulsion someone else may have to dye their hair rainbow or pierce their wrist. You honestly believe that being a redhead will enhance your appearance, and others believe their tattoos make them more beautiful, enhance what they were born with. 

But your body is a temple

I personally believe that it IS a temple, but it is  M I N E, and if I choose to adorn my temple with some great artwork (because that's what tattoos are, art), I'd hope to do so without being criticized to the point where someone else believes I've mutilated myself. As some of you know, I have a tattoo that I drew, and I adore it. I also have my septum and my smiley pierced all while my hair has been every color of the rainbow, and had the rainbow in it. Every body mod. I have, I love and hold dear to my heart. My smiley piercing is the most recent (as of last week) and is, by far, the most criticized thing that I've ever done. 

"Ew, that's just gross.!"

To you, sure but to me, it's something that I thought about, and endured pain to obtain and cherish that I can only see it when I smile or make a goofy face. It's something that I believe to be an enhancement of my smile and therefore an extension of myself. I also find tattoos and piercings along with other body mods to be extremely beautiful if done with care. 

Just keep this in mind when you see someone with more extreme body mods that they aren't freaks, they just go about things a little differently then you, applaud them for remaining true to themselves and going for what they feel most beautiful in, their own skin.