Body Modification: A Rising Sensation
A heavily tattooed woman pinched my nose and picked up a gargantuan needle with her other hand.
“Whoa...hold on,” I muttered.
“What’s the matter?”
“You have got to be kidding me. You can’t pierce me with that!”
“Uh...why not?”
“It’s waaaay too big! You can’t just take a chopstick and jab a hole into my face with it...”
“Listen...do you want this piercing or not? I have a whole line of people waiting outside to be in this chair.”
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 cloaks in place!
To this day, piercings have continued to capture human curiosity and fascination. The world record for the highest number of body piercings is one of the most volatile since it is constantly adjusting as each prickled being attempts to outdo the previous one. In 2002, Nathan Robitaille, 23, had 420 needles stuck into his arms, thus breaking the previous world record of 301 piercings.
Over the years many violent crimes have been committed more by teenagers. The more serious crime the teenager did with psychology recommends that juveniles aren’t full responsible for what happen. In Anna Quindlen’s essay, The C Word in the Hallway, is about psychological autopsy with many peoples examples and how if health insurances provided coverage, then not many teens would have committed crimes. In Charlie Spence’s essay, Sixteen, talked about his locked up experience. There are crimes that aren’t that bad, but if a crime was committed so badly then the perpetrators should be locked away and be trialed as an adult.
Then on the fifth day of its journey, Titanic was progressing across the Atlantic. Captain Edward Smith had plotted a new course upon hearing earlier reports of ice from other liners, there were many more communications that day of ice in Titanic's path. On that very night of Sunday 14 April 1912. The sea was calm, the sky dark and clear, and the temperature was getting colder by the minute. With conditions like this an ice berg is very hard to spot. Then, at 11.40pm the lookout rang the alarm and telephoned the bridge saying "Iceberg, right ahead.” It was already too late to avoid the iceberg and Titanic began to start sinking within less than 40 seconds later, a series of holes appeared on the hull. It also took 3 ho...
Alexa Stevenson. “Probing Question: What Is The History of Tattooing.” Penn State News. 20 June, 2008: 1
Tattoos and body modifications have been around for many generations. They first began in 3370 BC and were used by Europeans and Egyptians. Both tattoos and body modifications are defined as a cultural representation of self-expression and sometimes even religion. In the article “Tattoos and Piercing: Issues of Body Modification and the Workplace,” Dr. Elzweig states, “Although tattooing is not a new phenomenon, the number of people who have tattoos has increased significantly and continues to rise. Life magazine estimated in 1936 that only 10% of me American population was tattooed in whole or in part (One out of ten Americans is tattooed, 1936)” (Elweig, Peeples).
A controversial topic today is whether or not body piercings and tattoos should be accepted by professionals working in health care. Currently, tattoos and piercings are allowed in health care as long as they are not visible. According to one of the studies, “Body piercing is defined as a piercing of the body anywhere other than the earlobes” (Westerfield). Therefore, the only visible piercings allowed are small studs in the lobes of the ears for females. The reason body piercings and tattoos are not suggested in health care is that they keep someone from looking professional as well as making them look intimidating. Not everyone sees them that way. The opposing side is that they do not affect
In addition, textbooks are heavy to carry around and it takes longer to find a page. Likewise with digital textbooks they are compatible with tablets, smartphones, and laptops; it’s much easier to carry around and affordable price. However, some people may argue that digital textbooks can be a distraction for people because they would not bother read anymore. The author and poet Dana Gioia argues that electronics alternatives may be a bad influence that will lead society to not read anymore. Gioia complicates matters further when she writes, “While no single activity is responsible for the decline in reading, the cumulative presence and availability of electronic alternatives increasingly have drawn Americans away from reading” (161). I think Gioia is mistaken because she overlooks on electronics being a bad influence; but doesn’t see the benefits of electronics. To demonstrate, most of my textbooks are digital, which I can easily carry my tablet around where ever I go. Also, I save more money on digital textbooks and are simple to annotated the text. Journalist Ellen Lee interview a student from Liberty University, and he states that he prefers digital textbooks because he can tap his iPad, opens the digital copy and quickly open the page. Nevertheless, he also like digital textbooks because it has a feature that allows to highlight and mark the
Body piercing has been around for thousands of years. People used to have body piercings for idol worship. For instance, in the Bible, Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, told all the people to cast off all of their body piercing jewelry because it was displeasing to God. He said that people were making a temple of their body and worshipping themselves and their bodies were for God and not themselves. Now in the twenty-first century, it is mainly used for a trendy, rebellious look. No matter what reason you are doing it for, you are probably going to feel the pain from your choice.
The Titanic was built to be unsinkable, with 16 watertight compartments to help keep it afloat. Many people called the R.M.S. Titanic “unsinkable”, because of how large it was. To many the Titanic, being the biggest ship, also meant it was the best. Publishers Weekly; 3/19/2012, Vol. 259 Issue 12, p30-32, 3p. The ship was advertised as “unsinkable as reasonably possible,” because of it’s numerous safety features. These features included automatic watertight doors, watertight bulkheads and compartments throughout the ship, the most powerful marconi at sea and the Titanic was so large, that it was thought that anything large enough to damage it would be seen in time. They were wrong. Courier Mail, The (Brisbane). 04/03/2012, p38-38. 1.
Body modification is defined as any deliberate alteration to ones’ physical appearance. Most people think that only tattoos and piercings fall into this classification, but this is barely grazing the surface of the extents that body modification can lead to. Anything from a simple ear lobe piercing to breast implants, or tattoos and scarifications are all considered as some form of modification. In western cultures, modifications are made for aesthetics and self-expression, but every culture is different. Native American tribes find spiritual clarity or vision in body suspension, where the body is literally hung on hooks, and in Imperial China's practice of binding the feet of women to represent wealth and beauty. In this paper we will not only look into different piercings, but the history behind them and tattoos as well, also the different modifications that various cultures practice, and why. I will explore tribes such as the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia and the Apatani tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, India. By the end you will have learned about various cultures and traditions, and have a whole new perspective of the art of body modification.
The United States has been affected by a number of crimes committed by juveniles. The juvenile crime rate has been increasing in recent years. Everyday more juveniles commit crimes for various reasons. They act as adults when they are not officially adults. There is a discussion about how juveniles should be punished if they commit heinous crimes. While many argue that juveniles who commit serious crimes, such as murder, should be treated as adults, the fact is, juveniles under the age of eighteen, are not adults, and should not be treated as such.
Body piercings originated in the Middle East around 4000 years ago. The earliest known form of piercing was the nose piercing. Mogul Emperors brought piercings to India in the 16th Century. Ayurveda, which is a traditional medicinal practice native to India, believed that piercing the left nostril of a woman acted as an acupuncture to ease the pain of child birth (Painful Pleasures Inc.). The art of body piercing was also practiced in parts of Africa. The size of the nose ring in African tribes signified the wealth of the family. After a marriage the husband gave the wife a nose ring, which was security in case of a divorce. In ancient times, piercings have also denoted socio-political status. Body piercings mainly represented some kind of social status. Septum and nipple piercings was a mark of the strength and power of a Roman gladiator. Figures like the Pharaoh were the only ones allowed to have belly button piercings, to showcase their God-like status. The Bible mentions body piercings as well. Body jewelry was a symbol of wealth and beauty in the Old Testament. Back then, anyone of a low social status who had a piercing was punished or even executed (WATConsult).
Looking at the world today there are many different traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, but one tradition that seems to get overlooked and miss interpreted is tattoos. Tattoos have been a way of life for many years and have many different meaning to different countries, races, and social groups. Tattoos have been given to many different age groups of people in many different ways such as nails, sticks, bamboo, barracuda teeth, and many of other different tools that have been passed down throughout time. Most people think that tattoos only express people’s feelings in negative ways but there are many more important meanings for most people’s tattoos and it changes from culture to culture. This paper will discuss the history behind tattoos, and the cultural significance from several different cultures. It will address the American point of view in comparison with these other cultures.
Paper has officially been replaced with iPads. Just kidding, but there are over 1.5 million iPads that are being used in classrooms by students on a daily bases rather than using printed textbooks as main learning resources (Graduating With Technology). With recent advancements in technology, many school districts have turned the focus off traditional learning methods of using textbooks, and are now focusing on integrating the use of tablets and computers as the main means of learning for students. Technology is going to continue to advance throughout this digital age and is going to gain popularity within education, but there are questions arising of how effective technology is when used in the classroom. The opportunity of using new technology to enhance learning should be seized, but textbooks should not become extinct within the education system or become a secondary learning method due to tablets and other types of technology becoming more popular in the education system. Textbooks are reliable, they can be used by anyone, and there are enough textbooks for each student to have their own, and be able to take them home. Also, technology is impacting the way the brain receives information. Reading digital print isn't as productive for readers as printed text, and there is limited access to resources needed for tablets to be effective when used by students. While this is true there are benefits to using tablets and other forms of technology in the classroom. It is easier for teachers to have assignments emailed directly to them, or post assignments on the internet, the use of technology is required in many core classes, and textbooks are easily worn, and expensive.
There are many cultural differences of body modification in the Eastern world because the Eastern world’s views and ways of self expression are different to those in the Western world.
As more people began to access the Internet through smart phones and tablets rather than laptops and computers, it is not a surprise that they would also want to transform the American education system by bringing tablets into classrooms. In fact, a few schools around the country have already replaced textbooks with tablets and have seen improvements in students’ standardized test scores. Using tablets instead of textbooks is not only convenient and helpful, but it can also reduce the amount of paper wastes in school. However, it is not a good idea to completely transform textbooks with tablets with the current technology, for it can not only be damaging to the environment and costly to set up, but also might not be effective in improving K-12 education in the long run.