Body modification

Body modification (or body alteration) is the deliberate altering of the human anatomy or human physical appearance.^[1] In its broadest definition it includes skin tattooing, socially acceptable decoration (e.g., common ear piercing in many societies), and religious rites of passage (e.g., circumcision in a number of cultures), as well as the modern primitive movement.

Scarification in progress

Body modification is performed for a large variety of reasons, including aesthetics, sexual enhancement, rites of passage, religious beliefs, to display group membership or affiliation, in remembrance of lived experience, traditional symbolism such as axis mundi and mythology, to create body art, for shock value, and as self-expression, among other reasons.^[1][2]

Background

Early stages of getting a navel piercing

What counts as "body modification" varies in cultures. In western cultures, the cutting or removal of one's hair is not usually considered body modification. Body modification can be contrasted with body adornment by defining body modification as "the physical alteration of the physical body [...] can be temporary or permanent, although most are permanent and modify the body forever".^[3]

Biohacking

Biohacking, also referred to as "bodyhacking," represents a subculture of individuals experimenting with the integration of technology and biology to enhance human capabilities. This movement, pioneered by figures like Kevin Warwick, involves practices ranging from inserting magnetic implants for sensory augmentation to developing DIY bionic prosthetics. While some advances, such as brain-connected prosthetic limbs and sensory vests for the deaf, push the boundaries of art and medicine, biohacking remains a controversial field due to ethical concerns and health risks. Advocates believe it could revolutionize human potential, yet its adoption is limited by the challenges of commercial viability and mainstream acceptance.^[4]

See also

• Adornment
• Bioethics
• Blood ritual
• Bodyhacking
• Church of Body Modification
• Deformity
• Eyeborg
• First haircut
• Genital modification and mutilation
• Genital tattooing
• Human enhancement
• Leblouh
• List of body modifications
• List of people known for extensive body modification
• Makeup
• Microchip implant
• Modern primitive
• Morphological freedom
• Transhumanism

References

1. Thompson, Tim; Black, Sue (2010). Forensic Human Identification: An Introduction. CRC Press. pp. 379–398. ISBN 978-1420005714. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
2. "What Is Body Modification?". Essortment. 16 May 1986. Archived from the original on 28 January 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
3. DeMello, Margo (2007). Encyclopedia of Body Adornment. United States of America: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0313336959.
4. The Guardian (29 October 2017). "'We are the future': Meet the transhumanists". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2025.