Summary Of The Body Piercing Project By Josie Appleton

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Body Piercing and tattoos has become a permanent accessory for people. In the essay, “The Body Piercing Project” by Josie Appleton, she says, "Body modification should be put back in the box. As a way of improving personal appearance, piercing and tattooing are no better or worse than clothes, makeup or hair gel. It is when body modification is loaded with existential significance that the problems start." I agree with her statement because body piercing and tattoos are a way of self-expression for an individual, but it is also an unfulfilling quest as one tattoo or piercing can lead to another and can be addictive. When Josie Appleton stated, “Body modification should be put back in a box…with existential significance that the problems start." What she…show more content…
“ There is even an underlying element of self-hatred here, as individuals try to deal with their problems by doing violence to themselves.” A hole through the skin or a tattoo cannot erase the grief behind it, increase creativity, or redefine self-identity. Moreover, extreme body modification is considered obnoxious within the society. People tend to become uncomfortable around someone who has unappealing piercing all over their face or body. They are considered extremely censored and because of this “The US Navy has banned ‘tattoos/body art that are excessive, obscene, sexually explicit or symbolize discrimination.” Body piercing expresses the crisis of social identity but extreme body modification can also be harmful to oneself. People push themselves to do more and more of body modification because they believe that it is a symbol of self- respect for other people to notice. However excessive of any thing can be bad because a “mark on the skin or a piercing through the tongue cannot genuinely resolve grief, increase creativity or give a solid grounding to
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