The practice of modifying one’s body through piercing or tattooing is one of humanity’s oldest forms of self-expression.
While body modifications take on historically different meanings among various cultures, the contemporary practice has grown as a popular way to forge one’s own aesthetic – a particular draw card for the proud LGBTIQ community.
Despite the masses of queer clientele, body piercer and mod artist in training Benjamin Bones noticed a lack of LGBTIQ practitioners, seizing the opportunity to open his own LGBTIQ-friendly piercing and body modification business, Modern Metal Body Piercing, in Fremantle.
Bones tells us the industry is continuously evolving, explaining there are far more options today than your standard ear stud.
“Body mod is about altering the physical appearance or the structure of a particular area of your body through a number of different methods. You can look at things like scarification (removing parts or scarring the skin to create a design), tongue/ear splitting, sub-dermal implanting, eyeball tattooing – all of those things,” Bones says.
“I think the motivation behind it a majority of the time is to improve a person’s self-esteem or to make their body feel the way that they identify it should feel or look to match their personality. I think the main point is a reclamation or liberation of a person’s own body.”
Bones notes that still many people scoff at the heavily modified but for many of his clients the results are much more than sensational, they are about taking control of one’s own body.
“We live in a society where a lot of people are pressured to feel as if their body’s aren’t necessarily theirs, or there are things about the way that their body looks that are dictated by an upper echelon that dictates what you should or shouldn’t be doing. Body mods are a rejection of those standards and deciding who and what you will be. “
Bones recently took part in training for more advanced procedures such as scarification and inserting sub-dermal implants. A long-time dream for the artist, Bones says he had once feared his sexuality would stop him from advancing in the piercing industry.
“I was lucky enough to be offered training by someone who has revolutionised this industry whose name is Luna Cobra. Over time as I started piercing more I told myself that I was probably not going to be able to play in the big kids sand pit for a number of reasons.
“Mainly my sexuality was a big concern because this is a very heteronormative industry and quite male dominated. I have faced a lot of scepticism being gay and in an industry like this… I don’t want to call it luck, but I got lucky.”
Due to the nature of the procedures, Bones says there are a lot of misconceptions about the risks of body modifications, advocating that clients conduct some research before visiting any studio.
“With body modification, there are different risks for different jobs. With scarring for example, one thing to be careful for is of course infection but a professional will show you exactly how to care for it and prevent that. There’s always a risk that if you don’t look after it properly there can be complications, but most of the time they are easy to resolve.
“Australia’s body piercing industry is a little watered-down because there is a lot of body piercers who are very inexperienced who are working with inferior materials and have a lot more focus on the coin than the reputation.”
Bones notes that while piercings and mods are infused with a rebellious vibe and even a stigma, the reasoning and process of the act is not dissimilar from elective plastic surgery.
“There’s an interesting conversation in the industry comparing body modification to plastic surgery. Plastic surgery is a non-essential aesthetic modification that can change the way you feel about your body or yourself without any kind of physiological benefit or need.
“Body modification is similar in the sense that you are changing parts of your body that you don’t necessarily like to make yourself feel good. There’s very little difference between having breast implants done and having your tongue split.”
“People who are not in the industry see body mods and ask ‘Why would you do that?’ or there’s an attitude of ‘Oh, I get it, you’re quirky but you’re never gonna get a job’. I think there are way too many people now who are too concerned with what other people are doing.”
Visit Benjamin Bones at Modern Metal Body Piercing and Modern Ink, 28a Queen St Fremantle. Check out more of his work on Facebook or Instagram.
Leigh Hill
