Saturday, June 13, 2009

Body Piercing & Tattoos Are Symbols of Beauty and Strength





Body piercing and tattoos are body modifications that involve puncturing, cutting, branding and coloring the skin among many others. Body piercing also entails cutting a part of the body to be able to create openings for jewelry while tattoos make permanent markings by inserting ink into the layers of the skin. Both of these practices have been around since ancient times for rituals, identification and displaying wealth and beauty among many others.

Body piercing can be traced back to ancient times when Egyptians used to pierce their ears with gauge plugs. This practice was actually practiced mainly by the royal family which included having the navels pierced and adorned. Most wealthy Egyptians display their wealth and accentuate their beauty by wearing earrings which were often designed as lotus blossoms. Body piercing was a sign of status and attractiveness even during Biblical times. Ancient Romans were also known to pierce different body parts which included the male nipples to show strength and virility. Gladiators who were considered slaves during the ancient times, had their genitals pierced with a ring to tie their organs back with a length of leather to prevent serious injury during combat as well as to prevent them from having sexual intercourse without their owner's consent.

The Mayans, Aztecs and American Indians were also known to pierce their tongues as part of their religious rituals. Tribes in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands were also known to pierce their noses with bones, tusks and feathers while in Central and South America, women had their lips pierced and stretched to insert wooden plates. This was called lip labrets which was also popular with the Aztecs and Mayans who used gold and jade instead of wooden plates. These practices were used to enhance attractiveness and sexuality other than as parts of religious or tribal rituals.

Similar to body piercings, tattoos can also be traced back in ancient times with the first recorded incident happened in Egypt even before the pyramids were created. Tattoos were used as a type of decorative body modification as well as for identification and branding among many others. The word tattoo is said to have come from the Tahitian word "tatau" which means to mark something. This was practiced for different rituals and traditions which included identifying a woman's skills. The symbol of a woman's skills is tattooed on the forearm which will increase her status as prime marriageable material. Beliefs on warding away illness were also given as reasons for tattooing the wrists and fingers. Tattoos above all else were used to signify membership in a clan or society which is still being used until today.

Body piercing and tattoos are considered to be painful pleasures for individuals who consider both as forms of art to enhance beauty. These are also symbols of strength and belongingness for individuals who undergo these body modifications while for others these signify their individuality and uniqueness from the rest of the world.

Ashley Conner is a writer for Zipcodez.com, a widely-used local business listings search portal. Zipcodez.com also features an efficient job, movie, and restaurant search covering over 100 major cities nationwide. Ashley has covered useful topics and resources from "Arts & Entertainment" to "Wireless & Telecommunications" for Zipcodez.com. You can easily find out what convenient and useful resources are in your neighborhood by visiting http://www.zipcodez.com.

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