The Church of Body Modification

The article I chose discusses how body modification is viewed by various groups of people. According to the article 15% of Americans have at least one tattoo. These numbers have rose recently particularly in those between the ages of 25 and 29. The article examines females’ and males’ feelings towards their tattoos and found that 42% of women and 25% of men feel that their tattoos have made them sexier. The article does not explain this statistical difference, but I believe that the media gives tattoos on girls a particularly sexual connotation. In movies young women often display their ink in intimate places for the audience. I believe that this portrayal of tattoos gives women a sense of dangerous sexuality when they get their own tattoos.

The article then explores an emerging opinion about body modification as not just self-expression but as a spiritual journey. The Church of Body Modification is the church for a new type of “religion” that views body modification as an expression of faith. Theses manipulations such as fasting, binding, piercing, tattooing and cosmetic surgery are viewed as rituals that tie the soul, mind and body together. Body manipulation is seen by this church as a mechanism to test the bind between flesh and soul. I was a little shocked to discover that there is actually a religion that praises body manipulation. This idea seems contradictory to me since I would think that religion would deem the body as a temple not to be desecrated.

The article goes on to state that The Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Adolescence, Deviant Behavior and Pediatrics found tattooing and body piercing have been positively correlated with risk taking behavior such as eating disorders, depression, and substance abuse. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry deems body manipulation, including tattooing and piercing, as self-injury associated with social alienation. Clearly, medical professions view what others see as self-expression and faith as side effects of a disorder. This raises the question of what body modifications indicate. I believe that the meaning is very personal and cannot be generalized. In an age where the media tends to condone girls flaunting tramp stamps and where guys with tongue rings play the sexy bad boys what can we expect from society.

Heidi Dalzell, Philadelphia Eating Disorder Examiner, Examiner.com. http://www.examiner.com/eating-disorder-in-philadelphia/body-modification-tattoos-piercings-and-body-image