My first tattoo was when I was 16 years old. It’s a small bird on the top of my foot and marked the end of a difficult chapter in my life. It’s been 5 years since then and I now have 7 tattoos, each one representing a different challenge or chapter of my life. My grandparents are not very fond of any of my tattoos and I often find that older, more conservative people tend to judge and stare when I roll up my sleeves. In Clinton Sander’s chapter from Customizing the Body he discusses the notion that body modification in todays society can be seen as deviant and tattoo artists are not seen as artists due to general public distaste. Despite these views, Sander’s also discusses a tattoo “renaissance”  where artists are now art school educated, design their tattoos, and can be picky about who and what they choose to tattoo.

Although my tattoos are my most obvious body modification I have experienced what Sander’s calls the “dominant form of permanent body sculpture in western societies” (p. 7). At 17, I had facial reconstructive surgery to correct my overbite. After little success with various contraptions and braces I finally opted to have correctional surgery. The preparation, surgery, and recovery lasted about a year and permanently changed the structure of my face. Although the surgery was preventative and correctional there were definitely aesthetic reasons for me wanting to go through the whole process. After healing, I felt more confident in my appearance and although the pain of having your jaw broken and screwed back together is unimaginable I would do it over again. Continue reading →