Pain Industries

Decoration, Mutilation, and Reclamation

(A quick look at body decoration and sexuality)

by Jessica Audley

Since the beginning of our existence, humans have felt a need for cultural and self-expression. It is an integral part of our history. One such form of expression is body decoration: painting, ornamentation and modification. The motives behind such acts are complex and diverse; they range from fashion to tribal rites to symbolic reclaiming of the body. Others may adorn themselves for ritual, sexual or magical purposes.

In "modern" Western culture, there has recently been an uprising of "neo-primitivist" activities, especially of body piercing. With this trend comes much controversy over the reasons for its existence, and its implications. This growing mode of expression often involves shocking and highly visual practices. It is most apparent in alienated groups in society, such as the Punk movement, where it is a way of showing their "freedom" from social constraints. It has been explained by many sociologists and cultural anthropologists that this inclination towards they physical is a way of changing the only thing individuals feel they have power over: their own bodies. In a world where there is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness and loss of control, where technology is taking over our lives, it is a way of reclaiming not only the physical but sexuality as well. There are many viewpoints on this, but the subject of "the sexuality of body decoration" can be most easily grouped into three main categories: 1) as fashion, 2) as repression, mutilation and control, and 3) as a way of marking life's journey and reclaiming the flesh. Examples of all three exist throughout history.

Decoration, Fashion and Status

Decoration and modification of sexual areas of the body dates back a long way, especially in terms of piercing. Trukese women of Polynesia pierced their labia to attract suitors. Piercing of the foreskin is believed to have evolved from a practice in ancient Green during the Olympic Games (approx. 776 BC). Athletes competed in the nude and so to keep their genitals from moving around they tied a ribbon from the ring to the base of their penis. Romans pierced the prepuce of athlete and slaves with rings called fibulas - this prevented erection which could cause distractions. The Prince Albert was originally called a "dressing ring" and was used to secure the penis against the leg in Victorian times when tight pants were in style; to this day it is still used by some scuba divers to control the urine into a designated receptacle. Piercing of the nipples isn't a new trend either - Roman centurions wore nipple rings as a sign of virility, as well as to hold up their short capes. Queen Isabelle made popular a style of dress with a neckline open to the navel, which led to the decoration, and eventually to the piercing of the exposed nipples.

Mutilation

There are some practices, past and present, which are not so pleasant and do not serve any decorative purposes, but which are culturally significant. The difference between decoration and mutilation is that decoration does not have any negative functional consequences. The act of mutilation which is in the media even today is the clitoridectomy. In Kenya, Sudan, Somalia and a few other countries, it is still fairly common practice to perform this genital occlusion on young women as a reinforcer of cultural values. Clitoridectomies are a way of oppressing and controlling women; it negates their sexuality. This process (also knows as infibulation) involves the removal of the clitoris and the inner labia, surgically. The vulva is then sewn shut, leaving only a small opening for urine and menstrual blood to pass through. The woman is cut open by her husband after marriage but has no sensation during intercourse and is often sewn shut again after childbirth. Refusal to comply with these standards may result in ridicule or even exclusion from the community. It should be noted here that although these practices continue, they have officially been outlawed for some time by all countries as well as the United Nations.

Other less extreme practices are also preformed on males. In some cultures it is still the custom for all boys to be circumcised at age fourteen, without anesthetic. If the boy should cry out or flinch, his family will be dishonored. In North America, circumcision is accepted, though there is no proven medical reason⁽¹⁾, and no anesthetic is given to the babies during the operation.

The Victorian era, famous for its sexual repression, offered special apparatuses for men which prevented masturbation - a chastity belt of sorts. To this day, the "Oetang" - a metal ring inserted through the foreskin large enough to prevent intercourse - is worn by some African tribesmen when they go off on a long hunt to assure their wives they are being faithful.

Identification and Reclamation

This is a hard topic to give examples for, although it is just as important and prevalent as the other topics. Identification of sexuality through ritual does not exist in our society, or has been lost. That is to say: we have no passage rites to celebrate our sexuality or coming of age. Among many African tribes, both boys and girls are scarred on their face, hands or arms at puberty to mark their new found sexuality. Often women of these same tribes are remarked after bearing a child. The ampallang, an uncommon piercing in North America, originated from tribes living around the Indian Ocean. The piercing is performed by an old woman as part of puberty rites and involves pushing a metal bar horizontally through the center of the head of the penis, above the urethra. This enhances pleasure for both the male and female during intercourse and many women from this region will refuse to have sex with a man who does not have one. Many Arab youths, when they reach manhood, are given a silver stud or ring at their celebration. The jewelry is inserted through the left side of the scrotum, between the testicles, at the base of the penis. This piercing, called a "hafada", is believed to prevent the testes from ever returning to the groin. It is a sign that the boy has become a man.

Sexual reclamation through body modification is a fairly new phenomenon. For various reasons, people are reasserting their perceived sexual roles. By piercing body parts associated with sex, a growing number of people are promoting a personal recognition of this sexuality. Among feminist circles it symbolizes women's regaining control of their bodies in a patriarchal society. In gay culture it is often used to declare a deviance from the accepted norms.

The decoration of the body is unlike any other art. It is the most important aspect of expression and culture in many societies. Every piece is different from the next and its meaning cannot be fully understood without an extensive knowledge of the wearer and her/his history.

1. except in approx. 5% of the male population, and even then a problem cannot be detected for several years after birth

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