Body piercing penetrates the mainstream

Body piercing penetrates the mainstream

Human beings have long experimented with different ways of
decorating their bodies. While many of these practices remain
nothing more than historical footnotes, body piercing now seems
to be more widespread than ever. This ancient tribal rite has
become a new fashion trend around the world, including Jakarta.
The Jakarta Post's Maria Endah Hulupi and contributor Nuraini
Razak examine the attraction of the practice -- and the dangers.

JAKARTA (JP): Over the past several years, individuality has
become an obsession among young adults. To express their
personalities many of these people have turned to body piercing,
which they see as a statement that they are not like everybody
else.

But with so many people getting different parts of their
anatomy pierced, is it still a statement of individuality or just
a trend?

Spice Girl Mel B has a well-photographed tongue piercing,
Janet Jackson said on Larry King Live that she had a nipple ring
and former NBA star Dennis Rodman took every opportunity to show
off his many piercings.

Whether a trend or a manifest symbol of a person's unique
personality, body piercing has clearly hit the mainstream. So, no
matter what the different perceptions are of the practice, it is
now a part of our society that cannot be ignored.

The term body piercing is fairly clear. It refers to the
piercing of the body with a hollow gauge needle and placing or
attaching a foreign object in the body. The practice includes the
common piercing of the ears, as well as piercing the eyebrows,
tongue, nose, septum, lip, cheek, nipples, navel and genitals.

Piercing the body to heighten the experience of sex is common,
and this is the second most cited reason for getting a body
piercing, following the desire to be an individual.

The sight of a person with body piercings will usually provoke
some kind of response in people and often that response is
negative.

But despite the negative stereotypes that surround those who
take part in body piercing, often these people are no different
from other young people.

Adi Purnomo, a university student in San Francisco who at one
time had more than 20 body piercings, is a practicing Muslim.

"I would like to show the world that not all people with
piercings are criminals or people who are bad. I really don't
care about the people who think that people with piercings aren't
religious or that their parents didn't give them enough attention
when they were kids ... I love my parents and it's not that they
don't care about me, it's just that they give me freedom to
modify my body anyway I want. It's the heart that counts," Adi
said.

But body piercing is still viewed by many as an act of self-
destruction, particularly by the older generations, who look at
people with body piercings as "freaks".

Still, the body piercing movement is gaining momentum in
Indonesia and it is not at all uncommon to see pierced navels and
noses. And for many who take part in the practice, body piercing
holds a deep meaning.

"You can see we all have the freedom to believe in something
(such as religion), and one of my beliefs is body piercing and
not only can the government not stop my belief, neither can my
parents...," said Adi.

Health risks

While people who are passionate about the body art will
undoubtedly continue having their bodies pierced, there is the
question of health risks.

According to Robin Hutagaol, the owner of Ish Kabible, a body
piercing shop in Cikini, the practice is completely safe, as long
as all safety standards are observed. "All the piercing needles
at a good piercing shop are usually used once and thrown out in
biohazard buckets, which are then removed. This procedure is
considered safe and hygienic."

"And I only pierce people who are older than 17, I don't
pierce people who are drunk or under the influence of drugs, or
pregnant women," he added.

Two dermatologists at Persahabatan General Hospital in
Jakarta, Gunawan Budisantoso and Adityawarman, said that while
body piercing was basically safe, there were possible dangers if
safety standards were not followed.

"Many people are unaware of the possible health risks, but if
the proper techniques are followed it is quite safe,"
Adityawarman said.

Gunawan said body piercing should be done hygienically. "This
includes using sterile needles and properly cleaning the body
part (which will be pierced)."

If proper procedures are not followed and the piercing is not
properly cared for, there is the danger of infection, keloid
(thick scar resulting from excessive growth of tissue), Hepatitis
B, AIDS and other blood-borne diseases, they said.

Gunawan also warned about possible allergic reactions to the
materials of the object placed in the body. "Some people are
allergic to metals and others are allergic to gold.

There is also the danger of catching your body piercing on
something and "tearing" your skin. These types of injuries are
not really serious, but if not properly cared for they could
become infected and cause problems, Gunawan said.

And he had one last warning for those considering a body
piercing. If the hole from the piercing is small it should close
up naturally if you decide to remove the piercing. But if the
hole is large it may not close if the piercing is removed.

Whether a trend or a powerful statement that sets you apart as
an individual, body piercing has become a part of our modern
society. This ancient tribal rite still has the power to provoke
strong feelings in those who take part in the practice and those
who find just the idea of body piercing abhorrent.

The practice still shocks, as one imagines it did when it
first appeared, and it will probably continue to shock as long as
people continue the practice. And, for whatever their reasons,
there can be little doubt that there will be people piercing
their bodies for many, many years to come.