Body Modification and Contempo

The term "Rite of Passage" describes any rite or ritual which marks or induces a change in an individuals social position. These life changes include birth, puberty, initiation into social and familial groups, marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and death. In most pre-industrial societies these rituals are the keys to determining the social hierarchy of the community.

In societies emphasizing technology, where life is based on individual achievement and is less dependent on communal cooperation for prosperity, such rites have become increasingly inconsequential to mainstream social life. This divergence may also be the result of the lack of a single set of spiritual beliefs within the society. For example, since there are many belief systems in North America, there are no culturally universal rites of passage. While some pseudo rites of passage do exist, including receiving a driver's license, going to a High School prom, and graduating from High School or College, these "rites" are not all-inclusive and are not necessarily required for participation in society.

Arnold Van Gennep's metaphorical description of society as "a house divided i

She used her haircut to state her independence from the past relationship and to aid her in moving on to future prospects. She grew her hair out in order to demonstrate her new status as involved with this new love interest. Some people mark their bodies in a rite of passage because they feel they need to "move on to a higher plane of existence" (Gargulinski, 2). It does not mark any event in particular, but it is hoped that the ritual will begin a new period of the individuals life.

Getting the actual tattoo was more of a

The act of being tattooed, pierced or scarified follows a similar pattern. People are separated from their usual environment, mainstream America, by entering tattooing or piercing establishments with the intention of modifying their bodies. The majority of mainstream society would not enter such a place, and those who do so generally enter because of curiosity not with the intention of receiving a piercing or tattoo. There is further separation from society as one enters the area designated for the process of tattooing or piercing, which is the "sacred" place. The tattoo artist or piercer acts somewhat like the shaman, priest, or elder, and welcoming novices into the sacred place and explaining the process to them, answering questions they may have before they commit to modification. This interaction incorporates them into the "sacred" environment, making them feel comfortable with the situation and relaxing them for what is to come. The actual process of modifying the body is the transitional stage. As ones flesh changes with the addition of each new color or piece of metal, or with each strike of the knife or brand, so too does the individual change. The pain experienced during this transitional period is also a very common element in pre-industrial initiation. The pain symbolizes death of the former self, separating one from one's previous life. When the procedure is complete, the individual is now marked as one of the pierced or tattooed community. The tattoo artist or piercer explains how to care for their new adornment, which ends the experience and begins the separation from the "sacred" environment. The individual then leaves the tattooing or piercing establishment, completing the separation. Finally, one enters the everyday world of mainstream America, a new person, marked as separate from conventional society with a new adornment.

I have found this story to be a very common one. In a conversation that I recorded with a friend in March of 1997, She discussed a similar reason behind a self-cutting she had done:

maternal distaste for the piercing aesthetic is no

I felt very quiet and at peace, I never

Some topics in this essay:
Van Gennep, McAlexander Schouten, Modern Primitives, Rites Passage, Body Project, Japan Russian, Rite Passage, Piercing Tattooing, Sander Thomas, Raven Rowenchilde, rites passage, body modification, rite passage, van gennep, modify bodies, piercing tattooing, hair style, sacred environment, tattooing piercing, body modification rites, modification rites, modification rites passage, contemporary rites passage, rites passage body, james mcalexander john,