Com 150 - Body Art: Is It Taboo? a Look at the Origins of Body Modification

Body Art: Is It Taboo? A look at the Origins of Body Modification

Lisa M. Weber

COM 150

Piercings and body modification are wrongly conceived as taboo because they are unfavorably portrayed by television and movies, which contradicts the origins of the art and why the art was created in different cultures. These misconceptions have had negative effects for some who chose to wear them. Being turned down for jobs, bank loans and even dates are some of the obstacles that have to be over come if one chooses to adorn his or her bodies with permanent art. Why is this, you may ask? Body art invokes the ideas of criminals, satanic worship, and unsavory characters. Tattoos and piercings are also almost always perceived to be gang related. This essay is meant to clear up these misconceptions by taking a look at the origins of body art and the meanings that different forms had when they were created.

There are many opinions about the religious aspects of body art. Some people with anti-modification beliefs say that the practice is forbidden in the Bible. However, in the Old Testament, it was said that body jewelry was often given as bridal gifts or as part of a dowry. For Bedouin and nomadic tribes, decorating ones bodies with ornaments were seen as symbols of beauty and wealth. (Wilkerson, L. 2004)

In Genesis 24:22, Abraham asked his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. The servant found Rebekah. As a wedding present, Rebekah was given the gift of a "shanf", which is the Hebrew word for "nose-ring". (Morrison, C. 1998)

In many religions, body art is believed to be an act of Satanism. ""Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you." - Leviticus 19:28. But according to biblical scholar William McClure Thomson, it was the symbols used and the area of the body in which it was placed that was satanic, not the practice of body art itself. According to McClure, "Moses "either instituted such a custom (tattooing) or appropriated one already existing to a religious purpose". Thomson went on to quote Exodus 9 and 16 "And thou shalt show thy son in that day, saying, this is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I cam forth out of Egypt; and it shall be for a sign unto thee upon my hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes" theorizing that Moses borrowed the practice from the Arabs. McClure went on to say that "the prohibition in Leviticus referred only to heathen tattooing which related to idols and superstition and not to "Moses-approved" tattooing".

Witchcraft is also a practice that gets credit for body art and modifications. However, like any other group of people, there are members that have body art and some that do not. People who have tattoos or piercings that also practice Wicca, a form of witch craft, usually wear symbols representing the five earthly elements of sun, wind, earth, fire and spirit, also occasionally moons. These symbols are in no way connected to "black magic", paganism or Satanism, but reflects personal choice and taste.

When people today think of body art, they think of it as a modern practice for rebellious teens and people with questionable backgrounds. The fact is that body art has been practiced for thousands of years, all around the world.

In October 1991, in the Tyrolean Alps between Austria and Italy, a tattooed man approximately 5,500 years old was found. "Oetzi" is the oldest known human to have tattoos preserved on his mummified skin (Reese, 2009).

The earliest known human remains with piercings dates back to Egypt over 5,000 years ago. This male mummy had his earlobes