Week 11- Don't pick on me

There are a number of social movements that are prominent within the modified world- for example, veganism is popular among people who are modified as well- Tattoo artist Megan Massacre is vegan and campaigns for PETA,- Morgan Joyce an ‘alternative’ model also promotes veganism, and in the US, the Association of Professional Piercers has become a large body of people who promote safe and professional piercings, which protects the integrity and jobs of ‘professional piercers’. In this blog post, however, an issue that I would like to bring up is of the Anti-Body Modification discrimination sentiment, or movement, if you can call it one.  

From my own observations, I feel like right now this movement is still rather undeveloped - there hasn't been one strong group of people or organisation that have come up to speak against it claiming successfully to represent all modified people, and other than people speaking up against body mods discrimination, nothing wide scale yet- mostly its just some individuals who come together and speak up against it.

Before we go on, one could possibly point out one major flaw in this argument: in the first place a body mod isn’t something you are innately born with, it’s something you choose to do. Therefore if you already chose to look ‘different’ from ‘everyone else’, why are you fighting for ‘acceptance’ with the rest of the world? My take on this is that modified people, in speaking up against discrimination, are not looking to be ‘accepted’ in the normal sense of the word, but rather simply to be respected for the decisions that they have to their body, regardless of what other individuals might think of it. Simple case in point, as blogger ALB says, speaking up against people who feel ‘entitled’ to comment on ‘outlandish’ looking people ‘in whatever tone they feel like’.

The main tenet of the argument against body modification discrimination - a very large part of it- commonly has to do with the ability to get a ‘regular’ job. This is of course, an important survival factor to a large percentage of the population regardless of city or country. That body modification should not be 'discriminated’ against in a normal workplace setting because the way they look does not affect their qualifications and capabilities. According to this blogger, (http://tattoosandbodypiercingsdiscrimination.blogspot.sg/)

"Many other sorts of body modifications are acceptable in the workplace so why is there such a controversy over tattoos and body piercings. I do not think that having a tattoo or body piercing should exclude you from getting a job when things like breast implants do not. Both things change your body in a  way deemed unacceptable to many so why is one acceptable in the workplace and the other not. I think that it would be valuable to the employers and owners of companies to be able to hire whoever is the most qualified for the job no matter what they look like. What you look like on the outside has no affect on how your brain works and how qualified you are for a job"

The anti-body modification sentiment however does extend out of the job sphere. Although the concern of jobs is one of the more pertinent things people want to fight for, it also aligns itself with not wanting to be discriminated just because of perceived ‘difference’ in looks,  Which is why anti body mod. discrimination is closely related to anti-discrimination of other marginalised groups like the lgbtq movements, and extends out to race, religion, gender etc. For example, Chris Cerulli, frontman of a band called 'Motionless in White' is known for speaking up against anti-bullying. As someone who himself has multiple lip piercings and stretched ears, who speaks up against not letting others dictate ‘what someone should or should not be’, I think it resonates with modified people as well, because people tend to look at them as ‘different’. The trouble comes when people think its OK to make snide, rude comments or treat others with less integrity because of it.  

Anti bullying- Chris Cerulli (Blogger refuses to let me upload this!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSLryw8a3L4

Morgan Joyce however, has a different take on dealing with body modification discrimination where work is concerned- In her video, she says that if a particular modification compromises on your job, then you shouldn't risk economic stability for it, unless you are working in a job that allows you to.  She cited the example of how she probably would not be able to get a job at a kid’s or baby store - which raises the issue; just because someone has modifications does not make them unqualified to work at a kid’s shop, what if that person happened to really like and wanted to work with kids, be it in the retail line, or even in the education line? The only explainable reason I can come up with is that simply, their image does not suit what the institution or company wants to portray.(this brings the argument back to the very first blog post, as what constitutes an ‘acceptable’ form of modification, right? dyed blonde hair vs. dyed pink hair, breast implants vs. subdermal implants) But then this same ‘unsuitability’ extends out to so many other places and situations as well , and sometimes people don’t get jobs simply because the person who hires you doesn't like your modifications or feel uncomfortable around them, and acts in a bigoted or irrational manner about it.

Personally though, I feel that as people should have the right to choose how they want to look, so others too should have the right to decide who they want to hire. It’s about knowing and accepting the consequence of ones actions, as well as setting realistic expectations and knowing how to deal with situations in a rational manner. I feel that if modified people want to gain more acceptance in society, instead of going by ‘don’t discriminate me just because I’m modified’, perhaps trying a different tactic would work, like being able to show to rest of the people that we are equally qualified, or human, and no less kind (or unkind), or ‘scary’ as the next human being. For example for a start raising awareness and educating people about what body modifications are, its procedure and why they do it is extremely important in dealing with things in a peaceful, rational manner, as opposed to ‘why dont you just let me be?’

The trouble is that is unlikely to happen on a large scale because modified people really are such a diverse set, some can’t bother to align themselves with common institutions anyway. To me, it seems difficult be able to establish a widespread ‘collective identity’ among modified people because other than the physicality of it, there is the while thing that people get modified for so many amounts of different reasons that the ideology is different in the first place. People have so many other ‘identities’ they cannot even reconcile with each other like class, race, gender etc. Some men who have tattoos don’t like the idea of women having tattoos. women might identify themselves with people of their same race before seeking a collective identity with women of other races. I think that what the Anti-Body discrimination movement should progressively be is to cultivate the mindset of accepting and respecting anyone at all, regardless of how they choose to look, modified or not.  

Anti-discrimination where people of all walks of life can live and work together harmoniously after all really is a utopian idea, just as how racial and gender equality though on paper seems to be getting better, but in reality is still there. Its a complex situation; do I want people to be more accepting, or at least respect the way I choose to look? Of course. But do I believe that in my lifetime this will ever happen? That’s doubtful.

http://tattoosandbodypiercingsdiscrimination.blogspot.sg/

http://news.bme.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/pubring/edit/A20517/artthesi.html

Ties in with more than just modification to include race, gender, religion.

(Week 8) Trip to the piercing studio

 So I got a new piercing. I got a smiley because I thought that it was a little more unique than most of the labrets, medusas and tongue piercings that you see around (also I’m not prepared to give up food to heal a tongue, yet!). Besides, this one is discreet enough to hide from the people at home. I’ve been refused, and even fired(ouch) from jobs because of my piercings before, but I’ve been lucky enough to find others who are willing to employ me, because it either does not bother them (artistic types)or they think my ‘image’ adds variety to their staff (boss who is the same age as me). So far I’ve been able to remain unaffected by what others think of my piercings, for every negative comment I get i also  get a positive one. Once, the uncle at the Indian store at Canteen B asked me ‘do people shun you?’ and I laughed it off in his face, but inside I was thinking, ‘funny, I never noticed or thought about it that way!”   

My own experiences aside, This post will aim to talk about how piercings and tattoos are perceived in Singapore based on my own observations and from the anecdotes that my piercer tells me. The information in this post was collected over a few visits to the Piercer i usually go to.

Where body modification is concerned, I get the impression that people are still abit more judgmental (though this is improving!) towards people with tattoos and piercings. Somehow it seems that tattoos are much more accepted than piercings these days. People also claim to be put off by tattoos and piercings because of the ‘pain factor’.

Although I personally think body modification is commonly just a matter of personal style, just like Prinsky article mentions “there is no research demonstrating a connection in punk or heavy metal with delinquency, but police and probation departments… have assumed such a casual relationship”. The fact that body modifications and delinquent or unlawful behaviour are not instantly correlated in every case, its just perhaps because of media associations and a few isolated examples that make everyone seem guilty of being a ‘bad person’.

There are of course, certain stereotypes that come with tattoos and piercings, as a form so social deviance 'pai gia's (Bad kids) or even with gangs and illegal activity. These are not unfounded. take a look at this woodcut by Koeh Sia Yong, titled Extortion Woodblock Print on Paper. Taken from 1957, this is part of a series of woodblock prints that supported the wiping out, or ‘cleaning up’ of Singapore’s back alleys and underground activity in the mid 50s-60s

At its most basic level this picture can be simply interpreted as ‘gangster extorts ‘protection’ money from innocent shop owner’. The figure on the right, presumably the ‘gangster’ has his shirt splayed open revealing a huge dragon tattoo on his chest. Like as if the ‘dragon tattoo’ is automatically an indicator of a gang member. Admittedly, this is an old image from Singapore’s history but i feel that this woodblock is already very indicative of the mindset that the society is built upon. If anything, is it not proof that we already started out classifying people with tattoos as bad people? Taking a look at various tattoo artists’ portfolios in Singapore furthermore shows that these type of ‘traditional chinese ah-long’ tattoos are still very much in use today, but one cannot assume that ‘dragon tattoo’ = gangster still, just like how people with Irezumi does not automatically make them Yakuza. Also, there is still a rule that if you wanted to be a policeman in Singapore you cannot have any tattoos or piercings, and boys with either of those will not be allocated to the police force when they serve NS, which shows that the ‘law enforces’ in Singapore still see tattoos as undesirable.

The modification scene in Singapore is concentrated among ‘off beat’ places like Far east plaza, queensway shopping centre and haji-lane area. Some jewelry shops in the more prominent shopping centres like Raffles city and Wisma atria offer piercing services as well, which ironically, use the ‘gun’ method which is actually a horrid, harmful way to do piercings and are administered by sales staff who simply are untrained in piercings. Yet these places remain because as people see these places as more accessible and common area to get pierced.

Although I doubt many know this, the Piercer revealed that he himself, and an ex-colleague of his who is a tattoo artist at another of the more prominent establishments have both been through rehabilitation which actually propagates the stereotype of people with tattoos and piercings. So in a way, it does not help the image of modified people that it so happens that the practitioners themselves have had past associations with ‘unlawful’ behaviour.

He also related to me about how Marc Pinto, once the only guy with a shop that does human branding in Singapore had to move back to Australia (where he is doing very well now) because his business was not doing well in Singapore - perhaps an indication that Singaporeans are as yet not too open to other forms of modification. There now exist no shop which offers human branding in Singapore. There was an incident when his shop had been vandalised with spray paint and had eggs thrown all over the entrance when they were closed- it was never solved who did such things to Pinto’s studio, but it perhaps demonstrates the animosity that some people had toward his trade. Perhaps this further discouraged him from continuing in Singapore, and I think its a very sad case, for everyone else who has an interest in getting a brand. He may not have moved back if he had felt his practise was more welcome by people.

Here are two videos about human branding, just to illustrate the different ways in which the very same procedure is perceived by different media.

Skin Art is a mini docu-series created in Singapore a few years ago about body modification in Singapore. In this episode Marc Pinto (still in Singapore at the time) shows us what human branding is like. Although I feel like the host talks with what he think the public perception is of body mods which makes him seem a little shallow or judgemental when he himself has tattoos, this series tries its best to show tattoos and piercings in a more positive light, everyone is happy and treat what is going on as very matter-of-fact.

Contrast it to this other video however, source unknown, presenting human branding in a very primitive, negative light “his body might go into shock mode from the pain”. Which of course, other-ises branding as something that  only ‘extreme’ people do.

Back to the current situation in Singapore, among the younger generation I think tattoos are becoming more accepted, especially with girls, with many of them getting feminine tattoos like butterflies or birds or even just text. From facebooks updates one can see perfectly ‘normal’ people of society getting discreet tattoos they can cover at most social settings. With piercings it is a similar scenario - there are the more common piercings - the piercer stated that the most common piercing he does is the navel piercing. Tongue and helix piercings are pretty common and ‘accepted’ as well, and these days, so are microdermals and surface bars. But things such as earlobe stretching, facial piercings, people are a little bit more cautious with, and there is a almost a kind of stigma that surrounds stretched earlobes in Singapore.  (In contrast when I went to Thailand, almost every other guy had stretched lobes, but no girls)

Interestingly as well people deem nipple and genital piercings with the preconceived notions of ‘taboo’ when in fact nipple and genital piercings were one of the first piercings to be mastered by Fakir Musafar and Jim Ward. In Modern Primitives they would admit to struggle with navel(flat surface: problematic) and cartilage piercings (working through the bone:problematic), but insist that female genital piercings ‘heal just like that!’ . Today people seem to think the opposite. Although one female piercer observed that nipple piercings among women seemed to be gaining popularity in Singapore. One could surmise that piercings also have to do with trend- different piercings rise and fall in popularity over time.

Links: Here are some studios in Singapore where you can see their work- reflective of whats being done/ popular today in Singapore 

Primitive body art and piercing- Navel and tongue piercings commonly done here
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Primitive-Body-Art-and-Piercing/102524869850966

Rise Above - Aidil is a prominent piercer in Singapore, precise work. 
https://www.facebook.com/RiseAboveTattooPiercing

Elvin Tattoo - Super high definition tattoos 
https://www.facebook.com/Elvintattooart

Familiar Strangers - Apple is a tattoo artist who does traditional Chinese/Japanese themes in really good colorwork.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Familiar-Strangers-Tattoo-Studio-Singapore/146520875359634

Me on the ground, You in mid-air

Human Suspension, in whatever cultural manifestation is carried out in a similar setup: Using hooks pierced through a person's skin and is being suspended via ropes attached to these hooks.

Other than Native American tribes cited by Fakir Musafar and several "groups"(for the want of a better word) of people in South Asia, human suspension techniques seem to be a rather recent trend in the western world, developed in America by Allen Falkner (A student of Musafar) who started the practice in 1992- although previously Fakir Musafar had been known to hang from hooks for ritualistic practice before that.  

'Ritualistic', 'indigenous' practice of suspension

Today,although the concept of human suspension is well known throughout the 'modified' community, it does not seem to be a widespread phenomenon for some reason or the other. Nevertheless this blogpost aims to explore the concept of 'identity' amongst those who practice suspension.

I suppose outwardly it is difficult to identify someone who ‘practices suspension’ simply because there isn’t a particular ‘style’ or ‘dress’ that distinguishes one as so. Granted, the people who are into suspension tend to also be into body modifications, but the two don’t necessarily go hand in hand. For most people, being suspended is seen as being more of a personal experience, with close knit people coming together to help each other achieve whatever it is they want to feel. According to an interview with Allen Falkner though, there are some other types of suspension which exist, and they can be ritualistic and theatrical as well, other than the personal factor. These, again, aren’t independent of each other, as he claims. It can be theatrical as well as personal at the same time, for example.

Criss Angel's suspension stunt

Lets take the case study from a set of videos from ‘the modified world’.The people in their suspension ‘team’ or ‘group’ are made up of piercers in the Michigan area, although they belong to a bigger suspension interest organisation called A.G.R.O, who have several teams throughout the US. These are people who can be considered as doing it out of ‘personal interest’, and fulfilling something they want to do for themselves; take for exam ‘Evil Dave’ who considered it an achievement to be able to hoist himself up (episode 29), or even Anna in episode 30, where even though her suspension experience was not as successful, it was more of the ‘spiritual’ or personal emotion experience which she gained from it. Furthermore they do it within a rather exclusive community; in an enclosed area and videos are shown in a very straightforward, matter of fact manner that does not overly dramatify this seemingly extreme practice.  Another example of suspension would be Criss Angel’s suspension from helicopter stunt, which can be considered rather a theatrical, commercial show of suspension, to show more of the ‘fear factor’ side of suspension.

Episode 28

Episode 29

Episode 30

Because suspension itself is a physical act and has to be carried out (as opposed to, for example punk, which can exist as an ideology outside of style and music) in this case I think Cressy’s objectivist model of status hierarchy of ‘insider strata’ and ‘outsiders’ can be applicable to the suspension community. For example, people in the inner strata could be the ‘pioneers’ of it such as Musafar, Falkner, and maybe even these A.G.R.O  heads, such as Kenny, who are so called the ‘experts’ on suspension and practice it and develop, contribute actively to the methods and types of suspension. Outside the ‘inner strata’ could be people who engage in suspension, and this group can be further divided into those who do it on a ‘regular’ basis, and those who want to just try it out, or do it for the experience, for whatever reason appropriate to them. (See for example, “Suspension!!!-*lots of pics*” an experience of someone who did suspension to mark her 21st birthday) The outer strata would then consist of interested observers and people who have a strong interest in it but have yet to try it for themselves for whatever reason (fear, resource unavailability).

Link to article: 42610-Suspension!!!-*lots-of-pics*

The Widdicombe and Bovone articles seem to approach subcultural style from an ‘outside looking in’ point of view and try to reconcile these people’s subcultural lives with the general ‘normal society’ that they have to function in. Widdicombe was interested in how the youths developed their subcultural identity from wanting to be ‘different’ from people which then grew into associating with a certain group of people. In this case, I think that the people who are into suspension, mostly already feel like they’re ‘different’ from the rest of society, perhaps stemming from the fact that they are already into body modifications in the first place. But (to me at least) I do not think they do this because they want to BE different, but because they are seeking an alternative experience which can only be got through suspension. Say for example someone has little interest in other form of body modification but is passionate about suspension; this seeking of a different experience from mainstream society (since I am assuming that suspension is not a widespread cultural practice by the rest of the ‘western’ or even ‘asia’ population) would still be their driving motif. But it is difficult to be an independent since one would obviously need even a small team of people (professional piercer, someone who understands rigging) to carry out the suspension setup. In the case of Bovone and her idea of ‘image’, since one could ‘look’ like a perfectly normal person and still be into suspension, there really isnt a need to ‘adopt’ a different sort of mindset or image of oneself, other than how you might handle people who do not ‘understand’ suspension .

At the end of the day, when it comes to identity and suspension, from what I can tell at least, that suspension is more of a personal act and their identification with it has little to do with having to ‘make a statement’ or a big issue about it (unless they were just doing it show off from the start) . The personal satisfaction that comes out from being suspended can stem purely out of a desire to be suspended and does not necessarily equate to them wanting to be different from society in the first place, since technically no-one has to know. But a subculture for suspension has to exist because suspension is quite a community based activity in the sense that you need people who are in the know of how to do it, and a moral support group to overcome the perceived mind-over-matter initial apprehension of ‘going up’. It just so happens that people who practice it today tend to be outwardly modified as well, so perhaps that ‘image’ that suspension has currently is that its ‘something modified people do’ when really it doesn’t take a ‘want’ to be so different from everyone else to be suspended because its more of a personal journey.   

Other Links:
Interview with Allen Falkner

By way of interest, Thaipusam in Kerala taken in 2012, showing that 'hook hanging' is still a ritualistic practice in South Asia today
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq5I55ma464

Irezumi, Subdermals, Mutilation... and its underground connections

This week’s article will be focusing on Irezumi (a style of tattoo), Pearling, self mutilation and its connections with the Japanese underground crime organisations called the Yakuza. 

(One might ask if Yakuza can be considered a subculture; I’m not sure of that myself, but this blog more interested in the body modifications they practice as a group, which include sporting Irezumi tattoos, self mutilation by cutting off their fingers and penile implants (although called pearling, can also be a form of subdermal implant))

Disclaimer: this article might have some ‘shock’ value to it.

I first came to know about the Yakuza through the pioneering work on body modifications, Modern Primitives by REsearch publications body modifcation. It was an article about male genital subdermal implants; they were probably interested in 'modern' body modification practiced outside the US, and the article was trying to show what 'pearling' was-  the insertion of pearls underneath the skin of the shaft of the penis. 

The article states that this was practiced by Yakuza members who've been in jail, although actually there have been accounts of this done among inmates in western countries as well 

“Men who have been in the Yakuza often go to prison for various reasons- these are the lower class that take the fall for their boss. And in prison they do these penile implants- take a pearl and insert it under their skin for every year they’ve been in jail… they carve down a chopstick or toothbrush to a very sharp point, split the skin...lift the skin up and away, insert the pearl and then bandage it so the skin heals over and the area resembles a really big wart!” (Vale, 156-157) (actual origins of this practice are as yet unclear) 

Another, though admittedly less 'extreme' form of body modification which stylistically is attributed to Japan is the Irezumi tattoo- that is, Japanese styled tattoos which are meant to cover a large part of body area eg. upper arms, torso, limbs etc. and have specific placement and style (Themes particular to japan like Samurai, Geisha, cherry blossom, wave patterns etc) to it. Traditionally, these tattoos are collected over many years and are hand carved into the skin, but this has been overshadowed in favor of the electric tattoo needle method of late, and tattoos are faster to complete.

What Pearling and Irezumi have in common is the fact that these two modifications are found to be practiced among those who are members of the Yakuza- the Japanese 'underground' mafia who actually have alot of control in Japan. V.Vales interview in Modern Primitives perhaps gives an explanation as to why they sport these modifications

In terms of looking at “form, content and function” in Yakuza ‘style’ through objects and practices, the two are difficult to connect.

Other than the self mutilation of shopping off their fingers, Irezumi and subdermal implanting are merely cultural practices adopted by the Yakuza- not everyone sporting Irezumi or Pearling belong to Yakuza,for example, even though Irezumi has an 'underground' status, it is one of the less popular tradition of body art that Japan has.  Especially also since the popularity of Irezumi has spread, in recent times, out of the the Japanese culture. In fact, Horiyoshi III, a renowned Irezumi tattoo artist, exchanged tattoo styles and ideas with Don Ed Hardy, who introduced him to modern tattooing methods. (Nothing to do with Yakuza in particular, just find this point interesting - nothing is ever isolated)

However, perhaps a link can be drawn between a Yakuza member's 'hidden' body modifications, for they are careful not to show their tattoos in public and the fact that they (traditionally) operate underground. So its the whole 'unseen but still there' element to it? Furthermore take into consideration that Japanese culture till today is largely unaccepting of tattoos, and visible tattoos impede one's ability to get an office job, another important aspect in Japanese society. The careful placement of Irezumi means that it can be covered up with long sleeved shirt and long pants - on the streets, unless one was observing very carefully you may or may not even know if a person has Irezumi. However, the distinct style of the tattoo also has its connotations and perhaps gives the wearer a sense of identity with the gang he's associated with.  

	Form	Content	Function
Objects	Irezumi Tattoo	Traditional Japanese themes selected from myths, legends and Japanese symbology	For men: To prove manliness - able to withstand the pain of being tattooed (According to Hiroyoshi) As a way to identify Yakuza members (according to Heather Macdonald)
	Self mutilation	Sign of repentance toward bosses if something goes wrong	Prove loyalty to group and boss
	Pearling (genital beading)	Subdermal implants of beads/ pearls along the genitals	Signify how many years spent in jail, by way of distinguishing oneself, perhaps?
Practices	Organised Crime	Political connections, Gambling, Skin trade, manipulation of stock market etc	Gain wealth and power for organisation

Homology of the Yakuza

Ideology

Because the Yakuza organisations are hierarchical, the ‘big bosses’ and leaders of the organisations tend to hold white collar, executive, managerial positions, while their underlings are recruited from the ‘working’ or ‘blue collar’ class, recruited from juvenile delinquents or japanese biker gangs- the agenda of being on the wrong side of the law is present from the start

Objects

It is difficult to recognize Yakuza outwardly, since they hide their Irezumi Tattoos with the clothes the wear, and prosthetics to replace missing fingers, genital implants will not be seen by the public.

Practices:

Dominating the underground scene, gambling, organised crime through political and economic manipulation, and ‘protection money’ collecting.

I think it is difficult to say in the end if the 'style' and practices are directly relational- certainly body modifications are hardly indicative of crimminal behaviour- it just seems like for some reason through stereotypes, or the fact that the Yakuza have appropriated these 'objects' in the culture so significantly that one thinks of 'yakuza' when they see or come into contact with an 'Irezumi' reference, although for me personally I would associate the pearling and self mutilation more with the undergorund denizens just because the tattoo culture of Irezumi seems to have manifested in many different forms these days and so many other people wear it- but this also comes from a more global context, perhaps in Japan where tattoos are still highly disapproved of does it have stronger associations with the Yakuza.


Links and Sources

Vale, V. Juno, Andrea. Heather Macdonald, Modern Primitives. RE/Search. San Fransico. 1989. (p 156, 157)

For more Irezumi Images: 
http://artofirezumi.tumblr.com/

http://fuckyeahirezumi.tumblr.com

Some Writing about Irezumi
http://tattoo.yoso.eu/oriental-irezumi-and-occidental-tattooing-in-contemporary-japan

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/japan/130502/yakuza-fukuoka-gang-wars

Journal Articles:

Adelstein, Jake. Noorbakhsh, Sarah. The Last Yakuza. World Policy Journal. Summer2010, Vol. 27 Issue 2, p63-71. 9p.

Hill, Peter. The Changing Face of the Yakuza. Global Crime; Feb2004, Vol. 6 Issue 1, p97-116, 20p

 

"One is not born, but rather, becomes a woman"

What do you get when you combine these two images ?

  

Probably something like this: 

http://fyeahaltlolita.tumblr.com/
http://yourpervert.tumblr.com/

Lolita fashion Crash Course: 

The girl in the very first picture is dressed in 'Lolita' fashion, a style which, in its early forms emerged in the 1990s in Harajuku, a district in Shibuya, Tokyo well known for its street or alternative fashion. It is a style that evolved from and is closely connected with Visual Kei artists and inspired by Victorian silhouttes, themes and prints. Mana, the front man of popular Visual Kei band Malice Mizer has been one of the pioneers in developing and promoting the fashion- he wears the style himself, and co founded Moi Meme Moitie, a premium and well loved Lolita clothing brand. Lolita fashion combines the elements of 'girly' innocence and cuteness with Victorian aesthetics (the 'bell' shaped full skirt achieved by wearing layers of  fluffy petticoats is a defining factor of the style) and caters largely to a female audience. "Conservatism" is considered important to the Lolita look, and wearers of the fashion often place huge importance of not showing shoulders and knees, though on the other hand the silhoutte and print of dresses are often over the top and can be very elaborate. Lolita is an umbrella term which has various sub-styles such as 'Gothic Lolita', 'Classic Lolita', 'Sweet Lolita', and 'Punk Lolita'. 

It has been said that the Lolita style is worn by girls who reject the image of a sexualised female so prevalent in society, and want to draw focus on the more 'innocent' manifestations of being female. Simply put, girls do not have to be 'sexy' or wear revealing clothing to identify with being feminine, because girls can also show their feminity through being 'sweet' or 'cute', thus the importance of covering up shoulders, arms and legs in the fashion - the point of Lolita is not to look 'sexy', or even 'slim' for the matter (the fashion creates bulk on the body through layering of clothing although paradoxically Lolita brands only cater to girls of a certain Asian petite size) and the baring of shoulders and chest area is generally frowned upon in the Lolita community and among prominent Japanese Lolitas. 

http://octavekitten.tumblr.com/

Modified Lolitas

Outside of Japan, there is a significant international following of the fashion (thanks to the internet), we shall refer to them as being part of the 'international Lolita community'. It is in the international community that deviances from the 'prescribed lolita look' can be found- one of its manifestations is that select group of girls who sport multiple piercings or tattoos and wear Lolita. Although this look is relatively uncommon, they still do exist and the topic of 'combining' styles of being modified and wearing Lolita have surfaced for debate in the international community once in awhile (I have not studied Japanese Lolita communities and forums in this aspect mostly because the Japanese Lolita community do not often interact with the international and their websites are difficult to access, but from observation of Japanese street fashion websites, piercings and tattoos are relatively uncommon and when spotted hardly among the people who wear lolita). From observing forum discussions about 'Modified Lolitas', there seem to be these main ideas

1. Girls who personally do not like or engage in tattoos and piercings, but think it is OK for others to wear the style as the choose - being the most popular standpoint

2. Girls who do not like tattoos and piercings and think that 'Lolita' and 'Modifications' do not go together

3. Girls who profess enthusiasm about the look, and may or may not be 'modified' themselves.

The point of contention is that tattoos and piercings do not fit in with the 'standard' lolita look projected by leading Japanese lolitas and magazines, and possibly also the idea that Tattoos and piercings, often associated with its painful process, isnt feminine and goes against Lolita aesthetics. After all, very much about the lolita style has got to do with looking 'cute' and perhaps socially tattoos and piercings are deemed as 'not cute'

Personally, what I see going on here is that perceptions of what one deems as ‘feminine’ or ‘girly’ or ‘cute’ is up for contention. These people are putting forth what the ‘feminine’ look (within the context of what lolita fashion should be) and telling other Lolitas that they think that is the way the fashion should be. While modified lolitas are taking these ideas of the ideal ‘lolita’ look, and challenging it by wearing their piercings and tattoos prominently, while still showing that they identify with Lolita and do not love fashion any less than the girls who do not have modifications.

Much like ‘girl zines’ from Schilt’s reading, the Lolita community, be it through Livejournal groups or real-life regional meetups, ideally creates a space where it is ‘acceptable’ for girls to express themselves, hang out with each other and not feel judged by society who do not understand what the fashion is about. They get to dress in poof, lace and frills with people who share the same fashion aesthetics. The paradox arises then that while they accept dressing different from the mainstream society, they discriminate against others in their group who look different from them. Even though when it comes to it, both lolita fashion and body modifications are a reaction against mainstream ideas on what ‘looking good’ should be.

It is true that Lolita is a rather exclusive fashion because of its acquired look and the fact that it requires alot of money to dress in Lolita- furthermore there are very strict codes to its fashion that, due to the relative exclusivity of it makes any form of deviance from the ‘rules’ deemed unacceptable. Although the nature of the fashion itself is why it most caters to girls, the girl-on-girl discrimmination seems a little bit anti-feminist, even as by claiming to reject the ‘mainstream’ image of femininity Lolitas are buying to feminist ideals?

Subcultural Appropriation?

We’ve all heard about “culture appropriation”, but can this be applied to subculture and body modification? After all it is generally acknowledged that most Lolitas do not wear the fashion regularly or as part of their daily style, and some of them do wear other styles, be it Japanese street fashion or not. So, what modified Lolitas are doing is taking different, contrasting subculture fashions and channeling it their own style, which in a way is more original that just strictly adhering to one style (but whatever floats your boat). There is a particular line in Schilt’s article which quotes that zine making allows girls to   

“Move away from being passive consumers and encourages them to be cultural producers who make cultural products relevant to their own lives”

I wonder if that can be applied to a modified lolita as well?

As a modified Lolita...

I used to wear Lolita and still do identify with being one though I have since switched to another style closely related to it.  I did not have a single piercing when I first wore Lolita, and unlike other Lolitas, I got into the style myself and did not know anyone personally, even in the Singapore community. It was only until recently I got to know other girls in the Singapore comm, but  I think I’m probably the only Lolita in Singapore who has visible piercings, though others might have tattoos that cannot be seen when they wear lolita. Personally I never thought that I was ‘mixing’ styles, though someone from the outside might say that. I was just doing what felt ‘natural’ to me, I don’t even identify with any other style than Lolita. Dressing a certain way is just a matter of dress choice, it doesn’t affect my interest in body modifications, or the way that I act or live, which is far from ‘girly, demure, feminine’ or ‘goody two shoes’ more the matter, and all those things associated with looking cute or innocent which Lolita is associated with. At the end of the day, I just want to look the way I want to look.

(very) selected links:

Modded Loli discussion (Tattoos in Lolita) http://egl.livejournal.com/18005356.html

Modified Lolitas:  

http://fyeahaltlolita.tumblr.com/