Archive for Body Art
Body Modification – Evolved
Posted by: | CommentsAs more extreme forms of body modification come into mainstream culture every day, the gap between human and superhuman continues to shorten. But what direction is the next step in human evolution? Just ask these folks who have modified their bodies to the extreme to achieve a blending of man and machine, man and animal, and even man and immortal.
In many places cyber goth has been taken to a new level with full body tattooing, cyborg contacts and eye tattoos, and even plate armor attached to the skin using dermal piercings. The illusion of a mix between man and machine has never been so apparent.
Other humans prefer to mimic immortal creatures, like Rick Genest the “Zombie Tattoo Boy,” and Maria Jose Cristerna, Mexico’s “Vampire Lady.” Maria doesn’t just have oodles of tattooing and piercings, she also has dental fangs and several dermal implants, all in the interest of transforming into a free, immortal, and powerful creature: the vampire.
Some others like Eric Sprague and Dennis Avner prefer to meld with animal species. Sprague is know as the “Lizard Man,” and has subdermal implants, a split tongue, and a full body tattoo to back it up, while Avner has taken the nickname “Stalking Cat,” having taken several measures to transform himself into a tiger including dental work, ear surgery, a modified upper lip, tattooing, and several dermal implants that hold his whiskers.
Many of those who modify to the extreme do it simply with the intent of changing their look to something interesting, symbolic, or that they find more attractive, like Cathie Jung, the only living woman with a fifteen inch waist. Super modifiers Pauly Unstoppable and Hawaii’s “Monster Man” have even pierced, implanted, scarred, and stretched their way to fame, proving that it’s possible to alter the human body to suit individual tastes.
Remember when you were little and your parents told you that you could be whatever you want to be?
Hungry for Fashion – Why We Love Effie Trinket
Posted by: | CommentsA big thank you to the stylists on the new movie The Hunger Games for finally making fun and fearless alternative makeup, unnaturally gorgeous hair colors, and gems/piercings that are purposefully visible on the face fashionable in an entirely mainstream sort of way. Hunger Games character Effie Trinket (brought to life by Elizabeth Banks) may be from a different generation, but we actually have a few things in common. We both have fair skin, change our hair color almost every time we change clothes, and enjoy the feminine beauty of a strategically placed Swarovski crystal or two (or ten, haha.)
The real story of Effie’s interesting makeup in the best photos that have been released by the Hunger Games team, is the cute little crystal on her cheek. While I’m sure Elizabeth Banks didn’t go out and get herself a microdermal piercing for the role, the way it mimics one definitely seems intentional.
And lets not forget that the Effie character’s alternative fashion sense has already sparked a noticeable rise in frosted violet wig sales, and, among other things, a Hunger Games inspired photo shoot starring alt fashion icon Audrey Kitching. (For those of you who don’t know Miss Audrey by the way, she’s been a driving force in the resurgence of the Monroe piercing.)
On a softer note, the stunning maquillage seen recurrently on Effie in the movie is actually quite reminiscent of the images seen in recent campaigns from some major luxury cosmetics superpowers, like Dior and Illamasqua. This of course begs the everlasting question of gothic and alternative fashion: “does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?”
I’d prefer to think that it’s a little bit of both.
Piercing Beauty – the New Evolution of Nail Art
Posted by: | CommentsAll of us ladies are interested in our nails, whether it’s just keeping our natural nails healthy, or going for broke with a set of extremely artsy falsies. It seems like nail art trends speed by like a freight train, shooting from gem encrusted acrylics, to texture focused crackles, press-on ombre enamel strips, and back again. But the newest nail decoration trend might just be the funnest yet, and may be breaking the cycle of here today, gone tomorrow fingernail fancy. I’m talking about pierced nails.
Nail piercing can be done with both fake nails and real nails, and many places that offer it professionally pierce acrylic nails with a drill. The jewelry used can be anything from a small gauge captive ring to a spring-loaded hoop, with some who practice the art at home even designing their own pieces using jump rings and less traditional piercing jewelry. Some of the most popular styles are dangling gems that match color nail art, crystal studs, and regular stainless steel hoops.
There are even how-to designs out there for creating special nail art with piercings for birthdays and holidays. Just check out this sweet set of ultra-femme Valentine’s themed fingertips:
Pretty cute, huh? And since the nail piercing process itself is entirely temporary and painless, there’s no reason that all of us can’t indulge in a little nail-centric alternative beauty.
New Piercing Trends – the Valley Piercing
Posted by: | CommentsYou might be wondering what exactly a valley piercing is, but the second you hear it, the name will automatically make sense to you. This a surface that rests just over the tailbone; basically, right above the center of your derrière.
Much like surface piercings of the hips and abdomen, valley piercing started off relatively slowly before beginning a meteoric rise to the top for one very important reason: function. The piercing itself and the choice of available surface jewelry make the perfect accent to lower back tattoos, just like surface piercing of the stomach accent tattooing or navel piercings. And oh what an accent!
Although the majority of valley piercings are simple and discreet, some choices of gems and coloring will definitely make the lower back stand out in a crowd. Just look at the possibilities!
Because of their location, valleys take slightly longer on average to heal than hip piercings, and the risk of migration or rejection is about on par with piercings meant for corsetry. But aftercare is fairly mundane, and because this piercing hasn’t hit the mainstream yet in the stricter sense of the word, there’s definitely fun to be had when it gets noticed. Generally these are worn as either a movable barbell or a dermal.
Now all we need is needles specially made to pierce the tender flesh above our behinds, and there’ll be no limit to the popularity of this interesting and feminine slice of body modification.
Coolest Piercings We’ve Ever Seen – Holiday Edition
Posted by: | CommentsIn this edition of coolest piercings we’ve ever seen: dermals go deer-like, candy canes get repurposed, and fancy Holiday body jewelry gets taken to an entirely new level.
So most of us have seen some weird and interesting things come out of the world of dermal jewelry, but when did horns suddenly go mainstream? That’s right, it’s now not only normal, but actually kind of cute to have microdermal, transdermal, or even subdermal horns. The thing that translates so well into pop culture is that the horns themselves (at least those that have become fairly popular) are less outlandish and frightening, and more innocent and fawn-like. Horns = cute…..who knew?
Next on our list: candy canes become multi-purpose. Okay, so stretching of the ear is nothing new, but the thing that makes this especially cool isn’t the piercing itself, but the choice of jewelry. You might be thinking that this is so much less extreme than what I usually feature, but there’s no denying that everyone who sees this is going to wish that they thought of it. I know I do! Looking cute for the Holidays and having a built in snack? Pretty sweet.
And finally, the best has been saved for last. It’s beautiful, it’s bionic, it’s….really attached? The answer to that question is a resounding yes. The newest and most interesting thing to hit body piercing since the invention of the curved piercing needle gives seriously new meaning to the phrase “body jewelry.” This unique method of body mod uses dermal anchors and surface bars to attach beautiful metal plating to the skin. Most often paired with ink in celestial or tribal designs, this fun and fancy new form of super-piercing lets you go all out when the occasion calls for it, and then remove layers of bling when it’s time to relax.
Now that’s got to be one of the coolest piercings you’ve ever seen, right?
Celebrity Piercing Style – Why We Love Rooney Mara
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When newcomer Rooney Mara won the coveted role of Lisbeth Salander in the English Language remake of 2009′s acclaimed Swedish film “the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” nobody could have guessed what was in the cards for alternative fashion at the hands of this twist of fate.
Many people may recognize Rooney, 26, from her roles in the 2010 blockbusters “The Social Network” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” and those that do will likely remember her looking a little something like this:
So what’s changed since her days playing a cute, average teenage girl? Well, for starters, this powerhouse actress took the ultimate plunge to delve into her role as the pierced, tattooed, and mohawked character, Lisbeth: she got pierced.
Now, you may be shrugging in that “so what?” kind of way, but when we say “pierced,” we’re actually talking about several rather painful piercings, all at once! That’s right. Miss Mara got over a dozen piercings in all, including four holes in each ear and piercings of the lip, nose, septum, eyebrow, and nipple. And, as aforementioned, most of them were done at the same time. Prior to her transformation, the budding actress didn’t even have her ear lobes pierced.
Rooney also had her eyebrows bleached, lost a few pounds to allow her a more androgynous look as Lisbeth, and got her hair cut, shaved, and dyed stark black. Talk about a new look.
Her real life jewelry style closely mirrors that of her new cinematic persona, except that while the character is often seen in more elaborate and edgy earrings, the actress’s own style is a little more forgiving, often wearing smaller and simpler silver tone hoops.
Although generally not known to show off her lip or nose rings in public, Mara has been seen rocking her eyebrow ring, which again (being more of the same) is a simple curved steel barbell.
As for regular jewelry, scenes from the film show Lisbeth wearing dog tag necklaces and oodles of gorgeous circa-1980-punk style bracelets in everything from nylon, to metals, leather, and a cacophony of studs and spikes.
For the most part, it’s hard to tell where Lisbeth ends and the actress begins in the middle of a promotional media frenzy and countless magazine spreads, but whichever way you slice it, it’s hard at the moment not to have a girl crush on Rooney Mara.
Trend Update – Belly Button Piercing in Comic Book Cosplay
Posted by: | CommentsFor those of you who may not recognize the term “cosplay,” essentially it means playing a favorite comic book hero in costume, like dressing up as Wonder Woman to go to a comic book convention. The comic book trend has reached an all time high in the past decade, with higher turnouts at local conventions, and more comic book hero movies coming to the big screen than ever before (the Spiderman franchise, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, the X-Men series, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and Green Lantern, just to name a few).
But the most impressive trend tied to super heros and comic book heroins for the pierced in the amazing rise in cosplay. Character photography is everywhere, costumes are now readily available, as well as fabrics for designing custom creations, and there are even entire shops in areas of Japan dedicated solely to character play and costume.
For those of us with belly piercings, the amazing addition of a spectacular navel ring is the finishing touch to our favorite costume. Recently the most popular styles have come to include stars for many female characters.
Also picking up speed are rich looking cascade design belly rings (those that have elongated chandelier dangles that form an oblong or diamond shape.)
And lets not forget the advent of blended bright colors, which really adds that little something extra to a simple character ensemble.
With so many amazing and blingy, hero worthy belly rings out there, it seems there’s no excuse for not getting into the cosplay spirit, even if it is just for Halloween.
Turning Japanese – Japan’s Influence on Piercing and Tattoo Culture
Posted by: | CommentsWhat’s the latest cultural craze amongst the young and pierced? Why, Japanese fashion of course. Harajuku style fashion is becoming more mainstream in the US and the UK, along with several other countries around the world, but here in our own little corner of North America, it seems that lately everyone is turning Japanese.
The more feminine side of this awesome trend is the updated Fall fashion looks from designers major and independent alike that are Japanese batik laden and kimono inspired. From silken shirts and wide sleeve wrap dresses to direct imitations of traditional kimono, these hot pieces are being mixed with contemporary tattoo art and monochrome facial piercings for a look that’s East meets West and then some.
Anime colored hair is also making a huge appearance, even in the mainstream sector of celebrity based fashion, with every color of the rainbow now being seen on everyone from the famous, to the frugal, to even business executives. Sometimes it’s even paired with eyes that match. (That’s Katy Perry in the middle!)
And leave it to Japan to start new trends in piercing itself. Years ago when androgynous chic first came into the forefront, gothic styled male musicians in Japan began piercing their bellies, a micro trend which has slowly made it’s way through Europe and into the US. The look of a single, off-center lip hoop can also arguably be attributed to the growing appeal of Japanese rock music , as several prominent personalities in the country began rocking this style long before it reached the height of popularity in the West.
Even motifs that are decidedly Nihongo have steadily become standard fare in the world of clothing and jewelry. Just look at the ready availability of koi fish and sakura spangled merchandise.
So what does the future hold for our sushi eating, kimono-clad, manga amassing subculture? In a world where trends are in constant flux, only time will tell.
Below the Surface – Sweet New Trends in Surface Piercing
Posted by: | CommentsAs the amount of new and different piercing styles and methods continues to grow, piercings themselves become more and more available in places that they never were before. With safer and more inventive ways to pierce emerging all the time, along with knowledge of better aftercare and quicker healing processes, new trends are now surfacing, spearheading some of the most interesting, amazing, and evocative piercing and jewelry styles ever seen. I mean, just consider the evolution of the surface piercing.
Surface piercing started small, with single surface barbells in simple, easy to reach places, like the anti-eyebrow. Though this piercing of the upper cheek or area around the outside of the eyebrow has certainly evolved, for the most part it remains a single piercing done with simple jewelry.
Then look at the nape piercing. Piercing at the nape of the neck has now become popular amongst both sexes, and is a fun and flirty piercing that despite it’s position is still relatively easy to heal. The newest developments in nape piercing include several piercings running parallel, and looks that involve intersecting piercings or “cages.”
Next we have chest piercings, another type of piercing that has grown to popularity amid both males and females. Though there are several different places to get a surface piercing of the chest, most popular seem to be the clavicle, the décolletage, and the hollow of the collar bone (which is called a “Madison”).
Amongst the newer trends developing in surface piercing are the vampire bite or “vampire’s kiss,” designs on the back, the corset, and arm piercings. A vampire bite piercing is another neck piercing, but this time placed at the side of the neck, where one would expect to be bitten by the undead.
Our old friend the corset piercing has seen some serious action lately too, with new piercing methods and healing provisions increasing the ability to actually heal and wear this amazing work of art.
And along with back corsetry comes the advent of more interesting and beautiful surface designs of the back skin, ranging from upper back to lower back to whole entire back!
Then finally, one of the neatest things to spring up: arm piercings. No longer just temporary, piercings of the wrist, forearm, and even the entire length of the arm are cropping up more and more recently. They’re even an available character accessory on popular online role playing game IMVU.
Talk about really digging beneath the surface. What will they pierce next?
Body Mod Wow! – Most Pierced, Tattooed, and Modified People in the World
Posted by: | CommentsAs body modifications continue to rise and the amount of tattoos and piercings on a single person continues to grow, I had to ask, “who’s got the most?” And here are the answers!
Most Pierced Person in the World
The world’s most pierced person is Brazilian born former nurse and current citizen of the UK, Elaine Davidson. Elaine began in the mid nineties with a modest collection of 250 piercings. By 2000 she had won her first world record with 462, reaching the 1000 mark in 2003, and continuing on at an amazing pace. Her last reported numbers from Summer of last year were absolutely staggering: over 6,700! You go, girl!
Most Pierced Man in the World
The world’s most pierced man as of the Guinness Book of World Records 2010 Release is John Lynch. John’s 241 piercings as of March 2010 stole the title from former most pierced man in the world Luis Antonio Aguero, who boasted 230.
Most Piercings in a Single Sitting
This record goes to brit Kam Ma, for his amazing 7 hour and 55 minute piercing session in which he was pierced an unbelievable 1,015 times. He’s also been given the honorary title of Man With the World’s Strongest Pain Threshold, as during his nearly 8 hour record breaking session no anesthetic of any kind was used.
Most Tattooed Woman
The most tattooed woman in the world is Julia Gnuse, with a whopping ninety five percent of her body covered in brilliant tattoo art. The inclusion of such bright coloring, cartoons, and many celebrity caricatures in her tattoos has earned Julia the nickname “The Illustrated Lady.”
Most Tattooed Man
The current Guinness record holder for most tattooed man had so much competition that he needed to do something amazing: cover literally one hundred percent of his body in tattoos. New Zealand native Lucky Diamond Rich did just that, tattooing his entire body head to toe including his eyelids, lips, inner ears, and some other places that are extremely sensitive.
Lucky’s close runners up, some of them former title holders themselves, included Kentucky born Eric Sprague (a.k.a. the Lizard Man), Canadian model (and “Zombie Boy”) Rick “Rico” Genest who recently became the most tattooed man ever to grace the catwalk, Paul Lawrence (also called “The Enigma”) for his interesting full body jigsaw puzzle, and former record holder Tom Leppard or “the Leopard Man.”
Person With the Most Stretched Ear Lobes
This one goes to a man who calls himself Bear, and his lobes are stretched to an outstanding size: over five an a half inches.
Most Modified Person
Although there is no official decision on this one, the honorary title has been given to American Pauly Unstoppable, who has modified himself with traditional tattoos, ocular (eye) tattoos, brandings, piercings, stretched piercings, scarification, a split tongue, and several different sizes and types of dermal implants.