With the great debate raging across the internet lately concerning media portrayal of beauty ideals, there’s one group that comes to the table with a unique and fresh perspective: the modified.
Body modification culture has long represented a newer, broader, and more realistic concept of beauty, including alternative styles that are far from the mainstream ideals of perfection. The virgin-skinned, blonde haired, hourglass figured girl nextdoor is not our only vision of the perfect woman, and while conventional standards can be beautiful too, they aren’t the only game in town anymore.
Tattoos, piercings, dermals, stretch mods, branding, tongue splitting, and fun colorful hairstyles don’t break the mold, but rather wonderfully reshape it. Even in alternative modeling an effect can be felt, as modified models are presented across a vast range of sizes and body types. And the best part is that we need no defining parameters. There isn’t a distinction between statuesque and stocky, petite and plus-sized. We’re all just beautiful, real men and women who need only be categorized as fabulous.
It’s no wonder that more members of the younger generations have chosen to adorn themselves with various types of body art. By shaping our own ideals and self-images, we can gain a form of confidence, self-acceptance, and comfort in our skin that most of us never would’ve come to know otherwise. We celebrate, not hate, our individuality, and the farther the modified community evolves, the bigger our message of affirmation will become.
