Body Modification

I feel that it takes one with a healthy amount of self-esteem to have the audacity to judge another for the way the act, talk, or dress. I remember being incredibly taken back by a friend's inability to get over his girlfriend's choice to get a tattoo. And that he never forgave her for it.

At 19, during what I suppose was my largest identity crisis, I went so far as to pierce my ear, which while no big deal to the world at large, was quite a big deal to the large world (aka my father and his home) to which I returned each evening. At the time I thought I was making a statement with that and the way I grew my hair out.

My wife has a small tattoo on her right ankle. I've very little opinion on it. I think both of our families reject its existence by always acting surprised when they see it. It doesn't define her though. It just tells me that she likes lizards. Also that she probably has a much high pain threshold than I do.

Another friend of mine once dated a girl with a tongue ring and bragged of that fact from the rooftops. Of course, I don't think he ever got what he was looking or from her, so what's the difference.

I find belly-button rings incredibly sexy. I mean, eye-catchingly, mesmerizingly sexy. Yet if you asked me if I wanted my wife to get one, I'd say no. I don't know why. Maybe I'm afraid of cold metal brushing up against me when I'm naked. Or maybe I just think that it would lower it's appeal over time, sort of like how you'd lose holiday spirit if you kept your Christmas lights up all year round.

Now that I've got that rant out of the way, I have to say that the latest generation of body modifications scare the Bejesus out of me. I think the links below can spell out better than I exactly how far people are willing to take measures to not only find their identity, but essentially to 'brand' themselves.

Time has shown me that it is not what we do to our body that defines us, but what we use our body to do. I just hope that the people that undertake the measures below understand that.

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Eyeglasses

Wristwatch