Body and Practice
Where piercing came from, what it has meant and how it is seen today.
Start here · Essential guide
A plain-language overview of where body piercing came from, what it has meant in different cultures, and how its meanings have shifted into the present day.
A first-person style walk through getting a piercing, from deciding and choosing a piercer to healing, with the caveat that aftercare comes from your own piercer.
A broad timeline of body modification, from ancient tattoos and ornaments through colonial-era contact and twentieth-century subcultures to today's wide range of choices.
How body piercing shifted from ritual and status marker to a personal choice, and what that change means for how people wear and read piercings today.
A newcomer's tour of the main kinds of body modification, from piercing and tattoos to stretching and scarification, with the safety basics that apply to all of them.
The design side of piercing: how placement, jewelry shape and material, and proportion combine into a look, with general guidance on working with a professional piercer.
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