North York Central Library Blog

      With the beach season right around the corner many of us are starting to pay a bit more attention to our looks: some are dieting, some are tanning, some are exercising more than in colder months, others are picking out new tattoos and jewellery to adorn their bodies. No matter which decoration method we use the underlying goal is to present our bodies, and therefore ourselves, in the best possible light and to express our individuality.

       These attempts at adorning the body are not simply the latest trends of our body-conscious society. Throughout the centuries people have been adorning their bodies in a multitude of ways. Piercings, tattoos, make-up and body paint are among the most accepted practices of self-decoration today. However, many cultures have resorted to more radical ways of changing and beautifying one's body. 

       The following books discuss in detail the endless ways of body modification and decoration some of which may be viewed as art, some – as torture and mutilation.

Body Decoration. A World Survey of Body Art by Karl Groning explores various cultures’ body-painting, tattooing and piercing techniques starting with Neolithic Age painted idols and finishing with the modern day theatre make-up. Filled with colourful photographs from all over the world, the book focuses on colour, patterns, and the symbolism of body decoration.

Body Bizarre Body Beautiful by Nan McNab offers an overview of the various practices in which people have engaged in the past and still engage in today to modify and decorate their body. Chinese foot binding, teeth chiseling, ear stretching, scarification and neck stretching with brass shackles are among the most extreme methods covered in this book.

If you are in the process of choosing your first or next tattoo then Living Canvas by Karen L. Hudson is the book for you. She creates a guide for body art enthusiasts and gives advice on how to avoid a regrettable experience.

While it may seem that the extreme practices of some cultures are a yesterday's trend, some present day cases of body modification prove otherwise. A good example is thirty-five-year-old Maria Jose Cristerna from Mexico whose unusual appearance has won her the name "Vampire Woman." Maria covered her body with tattoos, inserted horns in her forehead and fangs in her mouth to achieve her look.

      
Another modern day extreme case of beautification is Cathie Jung, a 71 year old American who has been wearing a corset for the past 25 years. Cathie wears a corset 365 days a year 24 hours a day and in 2011 has won a Guinness World Record for her smallest waist of 15 inches. Cathie has appeared on Tyra Banks show and other programs and has her own website.

Some people use body modification techniques as a form of art, others as a way of self-expression. However, it is interesting to explore what drives people to change their appearance. Is it our natural dissatisfaction with what nature endowed us? Escape from reality? Tremedous pressures from the beauty industry and advertising? Or a desire to take on a different identity? No matter the reason, one has to be aware of the potential dangers and ill effects that any given beautification procedure may have on ones health.