AbstractThe following is an investigation of one of the original groups involved in the growing practice of body piercing. Whilst the bulk of all body piercing today is done for fashion reasons there is a significant group of people who use this form of body art to a much greater extent and for different reasons than those of the people who follow the current fashion trends. In particular this discussion focuses on the apparent similarities between contemporary body piercing and the rites of passage of many non-industrialised societies. Another important aspect of contemporary body piercing to be investigated is its affect on the way one perceives oneself and is perceived by others.
Data for this work was compiled informally over a period of two and a half years due to my own personal interest and involvement in body piercing. Due to the personal nature of body piercing most people objected to surveys or formal interviews, indeed were it not for my own involvement the view proposed hereafter would have been greatly different. Much of the rest of the data was extracted from books on the subject of body piercing or other related topics.
The project attempts to show the way in which piercing is a vital and integral part of the Modern Primitive movement. Piercing is one component which acts to bind them into a subcultural group and provides a means for personal and religious expression and exploration.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following people for their invaluable help in making this dissertation possible:
- Grant of Cold Steel
- Dave of Cold Steel
- Warren of Perforations
- Jeremy McClancy
- Sofi Cook
- Joe Stanley