Prompt #7

In this class, we have been looking at all kinds of body modifications. When thinking about our past discussions about the different types, especially about tattoos, it seems that one thing we have touched on slightly is how much modification is too much. When talking about "normative" body modifications and when they become radical I think of when someone has had too much of it done. For example, body builders, whether male or female, look very odd. In my opinion it is very unnecessary for someone to look like that. In that case, their type of modification is a taboo, at least to me.

This idea stretches to all modifications. If someone has too many tattoos (which are now becoming normalized), too many piercings, too much plastic surgery, or has dieted too much and is now dangerously thin, then they are viewed as odd and their style to be taboo and out of the norm. Although these types of modifications, in a moderate extent, are usually viewed as normative and not frowned upon, in an extreme extent, they can cause dirty looks from people in public because of their "unnatural" appearance. This is when "normative" modifications become considered different just like non-normative modifications.

One thing I think is that different modifications may seem normal or odd to someone, it just depends on the person and their experiences. A body builder, or someone who works in the bodybuilding business, won't find the look of other bodybuilders odd, they will seem normal because they have experience in that field. Same thing goes with dieters, people with tattoos and people who are pierced.