We tend to think of human bodies as simply products of nature. In reality, however, our bodies are also the products of culture. That is, all cultures around the world modify and reshape human bodies. This is accomplished through a vast variety of techniques and for many different reasons, including:
To make the body conform to ideals of beauty
To mark membership in a group
To mark social status
To convey an individual’s personal qualities or accomplishments
Certain body modification practices, such as neck elongation or tooth filing, may strike western societies as strange and exotic, but we must realize that we modify our own bodies in countless ways. Dieting, body-building, tanning, ear piercing and cosmetic surgery have long been common in the western part of the world, and practices such as tattooing, body piercing and scarification are becoming increasingly popular.
People may seek to control, “correct” or “perfect” some aspect of their appearance, or to use their bodies as a canvas for creative self-expression. While some seek to improve their body-image, this is not necessarily a motivating factor for everyone who engages in body modification. Additionally, some attempts at body modification can also have unintended negative consequences that might ultimately damage self-esteem.
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