Tattoos Research Paper
Tattooing and Piercing: The Body as a Site for Performing the Self
Many people view the human body as an apartment rental rather than a house: They have the use of it during the brief season of their tenancy, but most are loath to initiate any permanent modifications beyond those dictated by nature and necessity. The tattoo and body piercing have long held negative connotations and is even forbidden in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 19:28 it says "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord." Though many view these forms of body art as sin and reduce it to body mutilation, others feel that it is merely a historical footnote about the cultural identity of this era. The debates concerning body modification and self-mutilation often suggest that individuals who choose to decorate their bodies through tattooing and piercing are driven by harmful impulses that they …show more content…
In Genesis 24:22, Abraham ordered one of his servants to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant found Rebekah and gave her a Shanf, or nose-ring, as a wedding gift. In some parts of Australia and New Guinea one tribal custom is a pierced septum, giving the warrior a fierce and savage appearance. Some women of India pierce their noses to induce a state of submissiveness, (they claim this happens by proper placement in a marma or acupuncture point) (Raferty, History, 2002). Ethiopian men and women have various facial piercings and some are identified by over sized ear discs. Lip plates for women, help to gain social status and command a higher bridal price. It was thought by primitive tribes that evil spirits would enter the body through the ear, because demons and spirits are supposed to be repelled by metal, ear-piercing prevents them from entering the body" (Raferty, History,
Many people view the human body as an apartment rental rather than a house: They have the use of it during the brief season of their tenancy, but most are loath to initiate any permanent modifications beyond those dictated by nature and necessity. The tattoo and body piercing have long held negative connotations and is even forbidden in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 19:28 it says "Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead nor print any marks upon you. I am the Lord." Though many view these forms of body art as sin and reduce it to body mutilation, others feel that it is merely a historical footnote about the cultural identity of this era. The debates concerning body modification and self-mutilation often suggest that individuals who choose to decorate their bodies through tattooing and piercing are driven by harmful impulses that they …show more content…
In Genesis 24:22, Abraham ordered one of his servants to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant found Rebekah and gave her a Shanf, or nose-ring, as a wedding gift. In some parts of Australia and New Guinea one tribal custom is a pierced septum, giving the warrior a fierce and savage appearance. Some women of India pierce their noses to induce a state of submissiveness, (they claim this happens by proper placement in a marma or acupuncture point) (Raferty, History, 2002). Ethiopian men and women have various facial piercings and some are identified by over sized ear discs. Lip plates for women, help to gain social status and command a higher bridal price. It was thought by primitive tribes that evil spirits would enter the body through the ear, because demons and spirits are supposed to be repelled by metal, ear-piercing prevents them from entering the body" (Raferty, History,