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Gauge
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The Morbidly Fascinating Page

The Morbidly Fascinating Page

This Month's Subject:

Ornamental Body Modification

IN THE ARCHIVES:

X-Rays
Freaky Photoshop
Heavenly Bodies
Shrunken Heads
Sharks
Polydactyly
Sleeping Beauty II
Famous Deaths

NOSE GAUGE:

Nose 1

Nose 2 Nose 3

DAMAGE FROM NOSE GAUGE:

Fixing

EAR GAUGE:

Ear 1

Ear 2

Ear 3 Ear 3

DAMAGE FROM EAR GAUGE:

After

BODY MODIFICATIONS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD:

Mouth

Neck

Statue

 

 

 

 

What is Body Modification, and how long has it been practiced around the world?

Body modification (or body alteration) is the deliberate altering of the human body for any non-medical reason, such as aesthetics, sexual enhancement, a rite of passage, religious reasons, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, shock value, or self expression. Some sources of controversy stem from the notion of attempting to artificially beautify the natural form of the body, often leading to charges of disfigurement and mutilation.

While tattoos are a growing trend among young people today, humans have marked their bodies with modifications since the dawn of mankind. Some of these are listed below.

Body Piercing: Piercing was first recorded in the Middle East approximately 2000 B.C.  It is even mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 24:22 where Abraham requested his oldest servant to find a wife for his son Isaac.  The servant found Rebekah, and as one of the gifts he gave to her was a “golden earring.”

Tongue Piercing: This was practiced in a ritual form by the ancient Aztecs, Mayas of Central America, the Haida, Kwakiutul, and Tlinglit tribes of the American Northwest. The tongue was pierced to draw blood to propitiate the gods, and to create an altered state of consciousness so that the priest or shaman could communicate with the gods.

Chinese Foot Binding: One of the most severe of the body modifications was foot binding, which began in the court of the Southern Tang kingdom in Nanjing (937–975). Tiny feet on women became a status symbol of beauty and those who endured the process were married to men of upper classes. Any woman who did not have her feet bound became an unmarried servant as an adult.

Foot binding was a painful process of mutilation done to children beginning at about seven years of age. First the bones of the feet were purposely broken and the toes were tucked underneath. Then ribbon was tied around the feet, effectively binding them to prevent growth. It usually took a year to heal, and the ability to walk without a cane for the rest of the woman's life was rare.

Foot binding disappeared in China at the beginning of the 20th Century.

See more about Chinese Foot Binding HERE

Chinese Foot Binding:

In shoes

Bare foot showing broken arch and toes tucked under:

Bare foot

X Ray:

X Ray