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.