The Beauty And Art Of Body Modification

LADYBUD
By Mary Rose Loria

Kayan women in Myanmar (Burma) and Northern Thailand lengthen their necks with gold coils.

Body modification has existed since the beginning of time in different cultures across the world. Tattoos, nose rings, septum rings, earrings, lip rings, tongue rings, navel rings, gauged piercings and genital piercings span the globe in history and every cultural background in existence. Each piercing had specific religious, rite of passage, class structure or adornment meanings. The Greeks, for example, wore earrings shaped like demigods or revered birds that were reserved for nobility. While the Native Americans, Aztecs and Mayans wore gold septum rings for adornment to symbolize wealth and sexual fertility. In Hinduism, women are encouraged to tattoo the middle of their forehead or “Third Eye” to enhance spiritual wellness, beauty and to protect them from evil. [link]