Preview

In Pursuit Of Body Modifications In Pop Culture

Best Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2645 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
In Pursuit Of Body Modifications In Pop Culture
For thousands of years humans have looked for numerous ways to modify their appearance. From ancient times to today’s pop culture, body modifications have remained a consistent part of human life and society. Body modifications serve many purposes, including: social acceptance, self- expression, gender identity, and as a way to exhibit status within a culture. In ancient Mesoamerica this was especially popular among the indigenous peoples and marked not only their rank but also their accomplishments and social identity. Elites, non-elites, men, women, and children of all ages were subject to different clothing, hairstyles, body modifications, and appearance expectations of this ancient society. What then, was the importance of body modifications …show more content…
Joyce, Rosemary. "Beauty, Sexuality, Body Ornamentation, and Gender in Ancient Meso-America." In Pursuit of Gender: Worldwide Archaeological Approaches. Ed. Sarah Milledge Nelson and Myriam Rosen-Ayalon. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. 81-83.
11. Joyce, Rosemary. Gender in Pre-Hispanic America. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2001. 109-123. Print.

Works Cited

Huff, Leah. “Permanent Body Modification Among the Maya.” BME. 11 November, 2009. http://bme.com/ritual/990201/maya/perma
Joyce, Rosemary. "Beauty, Sexuality, Body Ornamentation, and Gender in Ancient Meso-America." In Pursuit of Gender: Worldwide Archaeological Approaches. Ed. Sarah Milledge Nelson and Myriam Rosen-Ayalon. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002. 81-83.
Joyce, Rosemary. Gender in Pre-Hispanic America. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2001. 109-123. Print.
Joyce, Rosemary. "Girling the Girl and Boying the Boy: The Production of Adulthood in Ancient Mesoamerica." World Archaeology 31.3 (2000): 473-83. Print.
Toby Evans, Susan, and Joanne Pillsbury. Palaces of Ancient New World. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks, 2004. 368. Print.
Vargas, Romero. "A Look at Mayan Artificial Cranial Deformation Practices: Morphological and Cultural Aspects." Neurosurg Focus 29 (6):E2, 2010, 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 13 April
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Socially Constructed Body Summary
    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Socially Constructed Body Summary

    In the article “The Socially Constructed Body,” Judith Lorber explains insights from Feminist theory that discuss how men and women in a society transform their own bodies to look a particular way in order to achieve the physical image that complies with what society believes is properly “masculine” or “feminine.” She illustrates how these “normal” gender images are not common because they are biologically true, but because society has constructed them. Though some aspects are obviously biological, such as a woman having larger hips, the idea that those hips are necessary to be a sexy woman is socially constructed. Se is trying to convince her readers to question who has created the expectations of gender and why, and to combat the stereotypes…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Tattoos and Body Piercing in the Workforce
    • 1422 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Tattoos and Body Piercing in the Workforce

    Expressions portrayed through body art in today’s society are becoming continuously more acceptable. However, not all agree to what extent of body modification is acceptable or where it is acceptable in today’s society. In fact, “According to career publisher Vault.com’s (www.vault.com) new Tattoo and Body Piercing Survey, 85 percent of survey respondents believe that tattoos and body piercings impede your chances of finding a job (OfficeSolutions, 2007). However, there does not seem to be any rhyme or reason culturally. According to a survey completed by American Demographics “When it comes to gender and race, body art appears to be an equal opportunity phenomenon. For example, 13 percent of men have or have had a tattoo or body piercing, compared with 18 percent of women. Similarly, Whites (18 percent), Blacks (16 percent), and Hispanics (14 percent) are almost equally likely to have embellished their birthday suits” (American Demographics, 2001). An individual’s age group is…

    • 1422 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Reflections over Body Ritual Among the Nacirema
    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Reflections over Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

    In the article, the author introduces us alleging that the anthropologist is familiar with so many different behaviors that it is hard to believe he can be shocked by some exotic culture. However, he specifies later that the piece is just about how far humans can reach regarding their demeanors and rites. Along the article, Miner describes the habits – I might just call them obsessive – of a group located in North America, which focuses their daily rituals particularly in the care and cleaning of the human body (which, according to their ideology, tends to disease and emaciation). From the fourth paragraph, the reader begins to suspect that the article is not informative, but a strong social critique instead - narrated as parody – about the ‘superficial, based-onappearance’ North American culture. He builds metaphors, analogies and images founded on everything that involves hygienic rituals of the American: from teeth brushing, to plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons. It is possible to make the relationship between the article and the first chapter based primarily on the definition of dress. According to the authors of the book, dress involves, in addition to clothing and accessories, all those intentional modifications made to the human body; but it also addresses culture and its objective and subjective elements. Evidently, the ceremonies and cults that Miner describes throughout the reading are part of the subjective elements – i.e. intangibles – of American culture. In the first chapter of the book we are introduced to scientific theories about how dress affects and derives from interpersonal relationships. I might venture to say that American people – although not exclusively – base their physical appearance standards in symbolic interaction theory. Much of what we see in the mirror just before leaving our homes is the…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    PopolVuh
    • 110201 Words
    • 390 Pages

    PopolVuh

    2007 Popol Vuh: Sacred Book of the Quiché Maya People. Electronic version of original 2003 publication.…

    • 110201 Words
    • 390 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Body Image in Society
    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Body Image in Society

    Remodel your nose, show your chest, and bend over for the camera. This is basically the message society is sending to women today. If you conform to the world’s idea of what a woman should look like then you will be accepted. In the two articles “The Pitfalls of Plastic Surgery” by Camille Paglia and “The Beauty Myth” by Naomi Wolf, the way women have responded to the message from society is discussed from both perspectives. Wolf is clearly against women's confinement to societal pressures. She reveals that there is a "secret underlie poisoning our freedom," referring to the way women focus on appearance and fitting in (Wolf 10). Paglia's argument focuses on the extent of women using plastic surgery to become what they believe society wants them to be. She writes about the way women have made themselves their own "works of art," taking plastic surgery to higher levels in the industry. Wolf emphasizes the way women have changed their values over the years. She makes an emotional appeal by concluding that the "contemporary ravages" are "destroying women physically and depleting us psychologically"(Wolf 19). Over time, society has influenced women to confine themselves to what the world believes is beauty instead of embracing the power of being a woman and focusing on their place in the economy.…

    • 1393 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Great Awakening
    • 2870 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The Great Awakening

    The Great Awakening was a watershed event in the life of the American people. Before it was over, it had swept the colonies of the Eastern seaboard, transforming the social and religious life of land. Although the name is slightly misleading--the Great Awakening was not one continuous revival, rather it was several revivals in a variety of locations--it says a great deal about the state of religion in the colonies. For the simple reality is that one cannot be awakened unless you have fallen asleep.…

    • 2870 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Body Modification - Deviance in Society
    • 2621 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Body Modification - Deviance in Society

    The origins of the cultural trend of body modification, unlike those of nearly all other fads, are thousands of years old. Ever since our Neolithic ancestors invented art tens of thousands of years ago, humans have been decorating the human body, as it is the most intimate of canvas (Siebers 2000, p. 212). Most sociological theory about body modification is framed in discussions of labelling and differential association orientations which explain social definitions and the processes through which body modifiers learn how to be successful in changing the ways their bodies look to themselves, and to those with whom they come in contact.…

    • 2621 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Unrealistic Body Images
    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Unrealistic Body Images

    Looks don't matter; its inner beauty that really counts. We grew up hearing these phrases. Our parents and teachers taught us not to judge people based on their looks. If all these things are true, then why do most of us judge people solely on their outer appearance? Why does the media put so much pressure on us to look a certain way, or fit into a specific size? Why do we still see headlines like “How to Lose Weight and Get Him to Like You”? Why does the media use severe airbrushing techniques to hide any flaws and impurities a person has? Magazines and media sites should not be allowed to drastically alter and manipulate people’s images and portray those images as the perfect goal one should strive to achieve. Being bombarded with unrealistic body images could have devastating effects on people, especially on women. Women need to start feeling happy and comfortable in their…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Body Image Oratory
    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Body Image Oratory

    What if I told you that little girls everywhere idolized a woman who is five foot nine and weighs only 110 pounds. Her bust in 39 inches, her waist only eighteen, and her hips measuring in at mere 33 inches. You may think me a little crazy. Her name is Barbie. Created in March 1959 Barbie was used to fill a gap in the ever growing doll market (Barbie). But should little girls really be idolizing this woman? A life size barbie would have a body mass index of only16.24 which falls into the category of anorexic (Barbie). With society emulating such a being, we are forced to ask ourselves, does society's view of the ideal human being affect an individual's view of them self? The answer is yes. Due to the stress society puts on perfection, the individual is forced to put that same stress on them self.…

    • 948 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Great Batle of Otumba
    • 2607 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Great Batle of Otumba

    Blacker, Irwin R. The Portable Prescott: the Rise and Decline of the Spanish Empire. New York:…

    • 2607 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Destructive Love In Macbeth By William Shakespeare
    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Destructive Love In Macbeth By William Shakespeare

    What is destructive love? Destructive love is where a relationship between two people is destroy, or is being destroyed. How destructive love really comes about is when there is missed communication, can’t settled an argument, or there is no trust in the relationship. It has always been an issue, but has become more of a problem on in today's time. Why does trust factor play a important role in relationship ?…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mayan Astronomy
    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mayan Astronomy

    One of the monumental aspects of the Mayan Civilization was their interest in astronomy and the calendar. The Mayans made predictions in starwatching that are nearly as accurate as our calculations today. They were one of the first civilizations to show major advances in the study of the stars.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Identity Through Body Art
    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Identity Through Body Art

    Through the dramaturgical model we can look at and study how people present themselves. Nonverbal communication, such as body art or clothing choices, projects a certain desired image. With this image we make an identity for ourselves - one that is recognizable and shows who we are. By managing our choices of body art (be it with clothing, tattoos, piercings, etc.) we are choosing how others see and perceive us. We are “performing” our identity for others. Then as a result of performing our identity we are stereotyped by the choices of body art we use.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Binge Brinking
    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Essay On Binge Brinking

    Why is it that bodily-adorned individuals seem to differ in these secondary behaviours when compared to those who have refrained from decorating their bodies? Gordon Forbes provides a potential answer, though perhaps maybe not as straightforward as some would like. Forbes’ research into family experience, motives, and personality begins by backing up Koch et al.’s findings, stating that “those with modifications were more reckless and risk-taking, drunk more often, and used marijuana more often (Forbes,…

    • 1356 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Body Modification
    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Body Modification

    From the ancient Aztecs and primitive tribes to our modern culture body modification, the deliberate altercation of one’s body, has existed for thousands of years. As this industry has grown, so have the debates over body modification. Melanie Phillips has gone as far as equating these practices to “self – mutilation and their popularity as a sign of a morally corrupt, shallow, and spiritually empty culture.” This is not the case. Body modification is overflowing in history and culture from around the world. These practices allow people to express their religious identity, family identity, and personal identity.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics