Once an explicit symbol of individuality or conformity to something other than the norm, body modification now appeals to a wide range of people from all social groupings and all walks of life. Similarly to music, fashion and hairstyles there are trends that appear and disappear and always the outrageous statements that lie on the fringes of it all. Not being afraid of having a few needles inserted into my skin I am interested in the world of body modification today and what it means. Tiff Badhairdo from Magnus Opus Tattoo parlour, Brighton helped answer a few of my questions to delve into the world of needles, scalpels and human flesh…

I think there is a fairly standard route of entry into the world of body modification; pierced ears, maybe a nose, lip or eyebrow, with a progression into cartilage and surface piercings (piercings that enter and exit along the same piece of skin e.g. wrist or ankle) later on. From Tiff's experience, the tragus (a particular area of cartilage in the ear) is one of the most popular piercings he performs now and he certainly believes over time that popularity comes and goes for certain piercings as is the case with tattoos. New trends and methods appear over time and in turn grow in popularity as more people exhibit them.

In recent years, those looking for a new way of expressing themselves through the medium of body modification can turn to scarification. This has become the latest form of body art that grown in popularity. Like tattoos, scarification is a permanent design achieved through scarring the skin with, most commonly; a scalpel or the use of heat (branding). Scarification can be seen as a step on from tattooing, it is a permanent modification with the added element that it is raised unlike a tattoo so has a more tactile element. Tiff explained that scarification was always a more ‘underground' form of body art which is now appealing to a wider range of people, as he remembers a time when there was no interest in scarification at all. Tiff believes a major factor that has brought scarification to the forefront of body modifications is the internet. Websites such as www.bmezine.com allow the browser to enter into a world of common body modifications or experience a whole new realm of extreme modifications that are definitely not for the faint hearted! Tiff does acknowledge that some people see scarification blurring the lines too much between body modification and self harm, but when carried out by experienced artists this link becomes weak. Self-harm has a serious psychological element involved when it is carried out, when someone wants to become scarred for purely aesthetic reasons this does not hold the psychological elements of self harm.

Microdermals are another modification that has recently increased in popularity. A microdermal displays the combined appearance of an implant (inserting something under the skin) and a piercing. A single stud is ‘anchored' under the skin after a small incision is made with a scalpel. They are a lot less likely to grow out of the skin than regular surface piercings. This is because there are holes in piece of metal under the skin, so tissue can grow through them and keep the jewellery anchored in place. Microdermals are being incorporated with tattoos in some cases adding a 3D element to designs and with a far less invasive procedure than involved in a surface piercing.

I have only managed to touch the surface regarding body modification in this article as there are many other procedures that are carried out today. As much as trends in body modification have changed over the years and have become more widely acceptable in our culture (in my last office job I was often given piercing care advice from my manager!) it is definitely true that those whose bodies are heavily modified are still open to receive prejudice from a large majority of society. Tiff comments that those who have a lot of visible modifications will usually be limited to working within the body modification industry or within a few other workplaces that will not discriminate. In this sense there is still prejudice against people just because they choose to decorate their body. Is this fair? I don't think so; unless offensive material is displayed on someone's body I don't think it is right to make an assumption about their character purely based on that. However, it is undeniably human nature to react to those that are different from you and maybe opinions will change over time. Just make sure if you do get any modifications yourself, get them done professionally and look after them, infected modifications are not so fun!

By Jen Blakeley

The article can be seen with illustrations in this Brighton Magazine

See The Hussy for other Brighton Art

Thanks to http://www.magnusopustattoo.com