We’ve been over ModPrims before, yet there always seems to be something new in the Body Modification world. Always something to push your mind further, showing you new ways to see the same old things, and introducing perfectly fresh perspectives to behold the “weird” among “us”.

Those are things your parents do not like - I’ll give you that. Most people think body modification is just ugly and unnecessary, and they may be right, but some others find it revolutionary and, if only for this gap, it’s worth investigating.

I will post a couple of passages from an article I’ve just been tipped about, “Among the Transhumanists: Cyborgs, self-mutilators, and the future of our race” by William Saletan.

“You’ve heard of a woman trapped in a man’s body? Imagine being a one-legged person trapped in a two-legged body, said the speakers.”

“Why do we shrug at botox, liposuction, and circumcision? Why do we think it’s no big deal if models, actors, and athletes have themselves cut open for professional advancement? Why did tattoos remain illegal in parts of the United States until three weeks ago? Why did we have “ugly laws” that ordered maimed people off the streets? Why did we operate on sexually ambiguous infants to “correct” their gender, often with disastrous results?”

Good questions, no? Read the whole article here and be amazed.

So much pain and pleasure come from experience, and I have decided to share my personal experience with shopping for nose jewelry with my readership. This may not interest many people, but it could help some others make better choices while trying to find the right sparkling object to adorn their nostrils.

Generally speaking, nose bones or nose studs are the commonest. They are probably the only variety we have here in Jordan, which is an upsetting fact. But putting that aside, when shopping for a nose stud, make sure the bar is straight and make sure to know what length you are looking for. If you do not know this exactly, take a sample with you (Your old nose stud, for example). In addition to that, do check if the stud has a small ball at the end of the bar. This ball is very important; it keeps your jewelry from falling right out of your nostril every time you sneeze. But be careful, you don�t want it to be so big so as to cause some real pain when you insert or remove the jewelry. Trust me on this one. I recommend this type if you�d just gotten your piercing, it�s easy to maneuver.

Do not, ever, buy cheap nose jewelry. By cheap I mean jewelry made of God-knows-what metals. Always stick to gold (yellow or white), platinum, silver, or titanium. These metals are the safest; they would not cause you any infections or problems. Remember: you are not rich enough to afford cheap things.

There are also nose screws, which have a straight bar right after the gem and then a curve. Those can be adjusted to fit properly, but they generally come in standard form. I once got some of these and couldn�t really work them so I returned the set to the shop and got a better deal.

The current jewelry I wear is very practical. It is a nose fishtail with a longish bar, and no ball at the end. The way to insert this is a bit tricky and similar to nose screws, you twist the bar into the shape you want ( the shape of the letter L ) and bear in mind the proportions of your nostril. It takes some practice but when it works, it works magic and you don�t feel it. I would recommend this type to more experienced individuals.

And, of course, there are nose rings. The splendid thin, round metals come with a bead or a ball at one end so you would be able to close them. My personal favorite type, but I haven�t as yet found what I am looking for. You should check the gauge of the ring before buying it; there�s no use buying a ring that is too thick to move freely or one too slim.

Pages that might help the curious:

A movement I have come to learn about through my close observation of Fakir Mustafar’s works, ModPrims (Modern Primitives) are a group of people, race and belief aside, who believe in the vitality of mixing state-of-the-art technology and tribal body modification methods.

The ModPrims like Fakir Mustafar modify their bodies in numerous ways by piercing, tattooing, suspending, hooking, chaining, binding, or reforming their structure to revive old ritualistic behaviors found and practiced in all parts of the world in the past and the present. They embrace this day’s cutting-edge technologies that modify the human body, think plastic surgery, implants, or genetic manipulation, by employing the rules of modern science and medicine in their exercises

They argue that the people of this age can no longer identify with genuine pleasure, or pain for that matter, hence their manipulation of their bodies in ways that generate exactly those two elements on the short and long runs: pain and pleasure. This is the pursuit of ModPrims: sensation.

And since the limitations of the body cannot be obeyed, and mental faculties exceed the frame of the flesh, as well as their own, these manipulations serve as a means to defy such limitations and to break their hold on humans.

There is much more to be said about this movement, but I leave you at this. Should you be interested in learning a bit more about the practices or the foundations of ModPrims, read this article.

Scrolling further down may expose some people to a shocking image. Do not scroll down unless you have a virtually high level of pain tolerance. If seeing extreme piercings offends, or appals you, kindly take care not to check the image at the tail of this post. My conscience is clear, do not sue.

Body Art is a fascinating play over the human body, pushing imagination to the very extremes, and mocking pain. A great deal of patience and effort are the minimum requirements for any person considering, or willing to, undergo any form of bodmod (Body Modification). Piercing, tattooing, scarring, branding, suspension, and many another form of art sum up this fascinating world.

A touching side to the story of, widely, anyone who dares modify their body in unusual ways, is the social labels glued to them by force. The rigid manner in which most social circles receive body modifiers is unwise, but it should be expected, seeing as most people do not agree that this indeed is a form of Art. Tags such as “cries for attention”, or “cult practices”, and verdicts of the genre, could annihilate and overshadow the artistic quality of the body in question.

It may well be true that some body modifiers are expressing a need for attention, or, in other cases, belonging to a certain sect or group. A large number of body modifiers, mainly piercees and tattooed persons, frequent the studios because of a need to “belong” to a group; caused by peer pressure. To judge all as being “utter freakshows” is an error.

Following is a picture of a beautiful piece of Art, with a capital A. This is a Corset Piercing, and the image has been taken from this site. Clipping was necessary, refer to the link for further details and images. This sort of body modification represents the apex of human beauty and patience, a masterpiece.

For the benefit of all eyes reading this post, and for the spreading of knowledge about Body Art, this picture was posted from Elegant Elements. I should also add that I added six nice sparkling objects to the ears today, and the process was not painless. The problem with piercings is that you stop noticing them in the mirror after some time, and this is truly frustrating and could lead, as in my case, to additions to the metals. A positively rewarding journey, despite the pain and the inability to sleep on your sides.

A selective array of mostly sterling silver objects, so small you could lose them in a tissue. Choices have varied, some were haphazard and unresearched. But the ultimate quest was a ring, a round one hugging the nostril, wild and tender. Perhaps even a captive bead ring, that’s what got me to pierce my nose in the first place. I went without a tongue banana bell, but not the nose ring, No, Sir.

The gauge not being impressive, I dont like things overdone in the face area, of around 20G or so, one would think I could find a gallery of variants, colors, materials, and styles. Think again, one. I was unable to find my quest in Jordan’s accessory shops, and I did not find it at Claire’s even. Quite depressing.

It should be noted that I ceased the search and settled for a larger-than-usual heart shaped decoration, that in my profile picture. It’s a nose screw actually, which is different from a nose stud because the “stem” is longer and is bent to lie against the interior of the nostril. This saves one a lot of trouble, considering the fact that some nose studs, unless sealed with a final “ball”, tend to fall out of place.

Tonight I found it, or I thought I did. My long-awaited ring! It’s not a captive bead ring, not even a ring per se, it’s a helix! The installation process was complicated enough because one of the ends has a sparkling jewel, and I think I did not really do it right. It isn’t possible that this is the way it should look. Hmmm. Needless to say, pliers were called to my rescue, as usual when I decide what pointy metal object goes where, and I am disappointed by the outcome. I stopped several times and asked myself “Why am I doing this?”. Because I like it.

Body Art is assuming an increasingly important position in Jordan. It entails the modification of the body, be it superficial or profound, using colors, jewelry, or factual restructuring or �modification�.
Notwithstanding religious and social conventions, I am greatly engrossed in this form of art. I have multiple piercings and I intend to increase their current number, god willing, very soon.

The matter that I wish to discuss now, again discounting religious and social restrictions, is the lack of body art studios in Jordan. I have been shocked at this when I first resolved to practice my passion and get pierced. I must admit I did not look the matter up beforehand to educate myself on the ways in which piercing in certain areas should be performed. Therefore, I am partially to blame for the outcome of events.

I believe it is absurd not to find a single professional body art studio in Amman. If one desires to get pierced, one will have to settle for an unhygienic and a hit and miss service provided by untrained individuals at common accessory stores or pharmacies. This certainly depends on �where� one wishes to be pierced, but as a general rule, the earlobe can be pierced with a gun without problems. Any other area should be pierced at the hands of a professional piercer using a needle and/or other utensils.

This is precisely the problem. Such professional piercers do not exist, to the best of my knowledge, in Amman. This is why I, in my former inexcusable ignorance, underwent a wrong procedure to obtain the precious hole in my nostril, later to be adorned with various sparkling jewels.

The lady who conducted the �operation� was pleasant. She, however, had no idea what she was doing. I came to learn this afterwards, when I discovered the methods applied for piercing the nostril and what precautions should be taken in the process.
She told me that I can remove the present stud after a day or two, and went so far as to telling me that I should clean the newly acquired puncture with alcohol. Luckily, I looked the matter up as soon as I got home. Lo and behold! It turns out that one should never pierce the nose with a gun, and one of the ultimate sins to commit after any piercing process is to apply alcohol to the puncture as it causes inflammation and a dozen other problems.

By reading up, I learned that ear cartilage, as well, should not be pierced with a gun and it follows the same no-alcohol-after-piercing code. I was given similar incorrect instructions after my 6 novel cartilage holes, this time by a pharmacist.

I then went to a certain store that I heard performs belly button piercings. Only this time I was well informed and understating of most aspects of the practice. They told me that they pierce the area just above the belly button with a gun, and place a regular earring in it. Later on, after a week�s time or so, the client returns to have the earring removed and a proper belly button jewel inserted in its place. In other words, they expand the fresh, unhealed hole. Needless to say, this is painful and unsanitary.

A belly button piercing should never be performed with a gun. The jewelry itself should not be removed before six months or so, the period of time required for the fresh wound to heal. Or one would risk ending up with a black belly button and a hideous scar. I would never submit myself to such a risk, let alone have a non-professional handle a serious piercing operation like that.

It is indeed funny to find great numbers of Jordanian youth being pierced at local accessory stores and pharmacies, ignorant of the fact that what they are doing greatly enhances the chances of their catching one disease or another. Or, at the very least, the risk of their obtaining scars and numerous skin problems.

It is also unacceptable, in my opinion, not to find a single professional piercing studio in Amman. This is what forces people to resort to inexperienced individuals, sometimes to themselves or their friends, to get pierced. I think it is time something is done about this.
I apologise if my narration of certain unpleasant details did not come to your liking, the affair could not be avoided.