<p>I think what a lot of “no body modification!” people miss is that the vast majority of more “extreme” modifications are chosen by people not focused on fashion or trends. They are making a statement (perhaps to others, perhaps to themselves) about the kind of person they are, and that is not something that changes quickly or often. Someone who gets a tattoo or piercing because it is fashionable or rebellious may indeed later regret it - but that person is not generally going to get something substantial. And if they do, well, then they were fools.</p>
<p>But I know a lot of people with visible tattoos, piercings, and gauges, and if those particular modifications go out of style it does not matter - these are people who will either still love them, find something to enhance/improve/replace them, or will simply look at them as reminders of who they were back then. Regret is reserved for the “butterfly on the ankle” types, not the “gauge with a chain to my nose stud” types.</p>
<p>One last thing - I do not like the aesthetics of gauges. Not my thing. That having been said, I have never seen any correlation between the quality of the person and the nature (or absence) of their modifications. If my boss or subordinate had gauges it would be a non-issue for me, although I understand that prejudices in the population will probably make that impossible.</p>
<p>The problem I see with ear gauges and visible tattoos is that they can impede those who have them in getting a job. Not always, but in this job market, you don’t want any impediments. What ever anyone feels about the right to have them, there are people, some who hire for some nice jobs, that don’t like to hire those who have them. And they may never say a word. Just not hire you.</p>
<p>Yeah, exactly, cosmicfish. Many people with body mods choose them for their own reasons and I don’t like the assumption that they’ll automatically regret it.</p>
<p>I have an African American friend who regrets straightening her hair for years because of the chemical burns she got more than once on her scalp. I know somebody who has aged with very thin hair because she plucked all her gray hairs out as they came in (she has said that this is the case and she regrets doing that).</p>
<p>If somebody really likes ear gages or their tattoo, is able to do that without damage to their career, and is able to maintain proper hygiene (and anyone with bad hygiene stinks), good for them. Some people put a lot of time and thought into these things and don’t end up regretting them.</p>
<p>I do think you have to know you’re going into certain industries or keep your mods somewhere you know will be easy to keep covered.</p>
This only applies to certain fields and at certain levels. As an engineer, I would not go for either of those things because it would indeed impede my career. If I were an artist I would not think twice about it.</p>
<p>My wife is an archaeologist with a visible tattoo. It has never been a problem, other than the fact that every time she meets new colleagues an impromptu body-art show erupts.</p>
<p>I also think it may be a counter to the mainstream culture pressure. I am horrified at how focused people (both men and women) are on women’s looks and how things like high heels, makeup, certain type of clothes, etc. are practically the standard, and looking ‘pretty’ or ‘stylish’ is the main topic of discussion and/or concern with many women. When a young child happens to be a girl, I feel way too many comments to them are about their looks. I can certainly understand the desire to go against all that, although I personally don’t have any tatoos or piercings - I just choose not to wear make-up or use any hair products, etc., besides the basic shampoo/brushing.</p>
<p>Also, I think things that are commonly accepted by many women, like elective plastic surgery or hair dyes and even some nail treatments have far more negative effects on the body than any piercing or tattoo.</p>
<p>I actually saw someone with a good-sized gauge in their NOSE (on the side). You could literally see INSIDE their nose. ugh. Imagine when they have a snotty nose.</p>
<p>“Also, I think things that are commonly accepted by many women, like elective plastic surgery or hair dyes and even some nail treatments have far more negative effects on the body than any piercing or tattoo.”</p>
<p>Ha! I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say, “Those long purple nails nauseate me,” or “Her facelift,” or, “Boy, that fake blond hair she’s got had me go to another counter,” but you’re right, exactly. It’s about what some people consider “proper” and other things are “improper” and nauseating. And standards change. After all, at one time, men had the long hair and high heels…</p>
<p>Sseamom, to me, fake tans, long, perfectly groomed fingernails and obvious facial modifications as well as clothes that have designer labels all over them are nauseating. Pretty much everything taken to the extreme, just like some tattoos and piercings. I just paid for my groceries at a local deli - the cashier had really long and obviously glued on fake nails, and I could not wait to swipe my card and get the heck out of there :)</p>
<p>Bunsen-can I ask why? I mean <em>I</em> barely even HAVE nails, so what do I know, but why do they nauseate you? My SIL had REALLY long real nails-so long I don’t know how she did anything requiring her hands, but although bizarre, they weren’t unsanitary or anything so I’m trying to understand.</p>
<p>One of my darling 17 year old high school senior employees said to me:</p>
<p>If your body is your temple, don’t you want to decorate the walls?</p>
<p>Personally, I would decorate the walls with less permanent art – but that was her take on it. FWIW I have a no-visible tattoos, no dangling jewelry of any type in any location for safety reasons as part of our store dress code.</p>
<p>The liquored up and lacquered down look is equally unappealing. Long nails have the same affect as a wreck on the highway…despite best efforts…ya just gotta stare…especially to see exactly how one keys a cash register and then bags with them talons. Bad facelifts…same reaction…ya gotta stare (although one should not get caught). In my particular area the overfilled lips resulting in ‘trout pout’ is particularly prevalent. I keep waiting for one of the ‘ladies who do lunch’ to become permanently suctioned to their Cosmos glass. Again, ewwwwwwww. Then there is the frozen botox face…look…they can’t smile or frown…Oh…let’s not forget dreadlocks one obviously straight haired white folk. I keep a distance because it just looks like something can jump out at any moment.</p>
<p>As for men in high heels…we got em…no one even notices unless they walk duck style</p>
<p>But…except for the permanent facelift…all of the above is temporary.</p>
<p>I don’t like gauges but I don’t care if someone else chooses to have them. However, no matter what I think, it is an undeniable fact that many people, especially the older generation, find them unappealing. Body modifications may just be a way to express yourself, but they are also going to limit job opportunities in many cases. It may not be fair, and it may be that bearers are being “judged” unfairly, but it is still a fact of life. My husband works for our County, and anyone who works in the jails may not have visible tats, gauges, or facial piercings. I am sure there are many other jobs that have similar restrictions, in addition to small businesses who want to keep their clients happy. My D had eyebrow, lip and nose piercings but has let them all close. She now teaches high school and has been called out several times by students who notice the slight indentations left by those scars.</p>
<p>In general I don’t pay much attention to piercings, gauges, etc. I have to admit I felt a little grossed out when I sat behind the guy who had 4 “sticks” pierced across the back of his neck, each longer than the one below it so it formed a pattern. Each one went thru a fairly wide section of his neck. I couldn’t help laughing as I thought of him trying to put a t-shirt on in a hurry and getting tangled up. That was kind of weird to me, but whatever!</p>
<p>I am talking about the HEALTH effects of plastic surgery, dyes, acrylic nails, Botox - all have much more negative effects on the body than a well - done piercing.</p>
<p>“FWIW I’ve had my eyebrow pierced for 10 years, and have never stopped liking it” - That’s nice, but 10 years is not very long. There’s a good chance you will like it a lot longer. But if not, it seems easier to abandon eyebrow piercing than some of the other things discussed.</p>
<p>My S has gauges and lip piercings and the beginnings of a tatooed body</p>
<p>Frankly, i hate the gauges but i love my S, so I just have learned to live with them. I wish he didn’t have them, but so far it doesn’t seem to have limited him in any way</p>
I would argue that if seeing gauges make you nauseous, that the problem is your own and not the other person’s. There are far worse things out there than gauges, and I would suggest you need to toughen up a little and accept that other people (a) have the right to do with their bodies as they wish and that (b) those modifications do not correlate with violence, drugs, or mental problems.</p>
<p>“That’s nice, but 10 years is not very long. There’s a good chance you will like it a lot longer. But if not, it seems easier to abandon eyebrow piercing than some of the other things discussed.”</p>
<p>I realize that this is kind of comparing apples to oranges but if 7 years is long enough to decide that I like my spouse enough to spend the rest of my life with him, how is 10 years “not very long” for such a comparatively minor decision in my life? </p>
<p>I guess I think that there are a lot of regrettable decisions that people make. But if we refused to do anything that we might regret someday down the line for one reason or another, we wouldn’t do much of anything, would we? If nothing else our lives would be a lot less interesting. Maybe it’s just my generation but getting a tattoo or a piercing is just so far down on my list of things that I find shocking that I just can’t wrap my head around why people react so strongly to it. </p>
<p>“I would argue that if seeing gauges make you nauseous, that the problem is your own and not the other person’s.”</p>
<p>I’m inclined to agree with this. Honestly, I think it’s a little dramatic to say that seeing a body mod results in nausea. It reminds me of the old movies and shows where the lady needs smelling salts to come to after fainting when her delicate sensibilities have been violated. Nowadays that sort of behavior would be seen as pretty ridiculous.</p>
<p>Sseamom, sorry, I just saw your post addressed to me. “Nauseated” may not be the exactly right word choice since it will take much, much more than a mutilated yet live body to make me stomach sick. Yes, the lady had really long, obviously fake, glued on acrylic nails that curled down like a wicked witch’s fingers. I wonder what is lurking under those nails? I would not want those hands to slice my salami.</p>
Yes, the lady had really long, obviously fake, glued on acrylic nails that curled down like a wicked witch’s fingers. I wonder what is lurking under those nails? I would not want those hands to slice my salami.</p>