Piercings, Tattoos, Scarification, Piercings, Body Modification It's what they've always wanted, and they've always been waiting for! The end of society? No. We're starting our own. Why? What makes a badass? There are so many ways to show your inner rebel. It may be a tattoo. It may be a piercing. It might be a stud in the tongue, a piercing through the eyebrow, a scarification, or any number of the many other body modifications that are seen now more and more in pop culture. Not every one of these shows a clear rebel attitude, but they all show that person's individuality and ability to make their own personal rules. There are no set rules to what makes a badass and any one of these items may make you say "I'm an amazing rebel" while the next person says "I am not" (not saying this is an uninteresting subject). Some people don't think that these practices have anything to do with being a badass, but you can bet your bippy that someone is paying attention! I'm talking about something that all the cool kids are doing, and everyone else is just thinking about. It's not just punk kids, punks, skinheads or goths who are getting these little nuggets of freedom in their lives. All over the world, people are getting them done, and now is a great time to. There is a huge change in the way many body modifications are done today. There is no longer something so ghoulish and scary about these acts. They are seen as cool by many, and the reasons vary. Some people get pierced because they look at it as a cool accessory to their fashion statement. Someone else might do it to change their life, because they see the image they have to live up to, and feel the need to do it to themselves. There is even a third way of getting this done. People decide to have it done because they're sick of what they see on the television and just want to make a change. The new generation is not so quick to judge. People tend to be able to see past the stereotypes and preconceived notions about those who are "different." Not only that, but that has made it more easy for people to decide if they want to do something that they otherwise might not have done. This book will explain the different types of piercings and body modifications available to you and how to go about getting them done. From the cheapest way to have them done in your home or school, to the more expensive ones you might have to see a professional for, you will find them all in this book. This book is going to show you the way to do it yourself, which is usually going to be cheaper than going to a professional. At the end of the day, the reason why people get these body modifications done is going to be irrelevant. They're doing it to look cool. Permanent body modification started out as a way to add a symbol of strength to the skin of those who were otherwise vulnerable, and this continues to be the case today. It's that sense of belonging and the feeling of being unique. This book is for all of you out there who want to feel a part of something bigger than you are. Whether you have a craving for it because of the way you look or because it fits your personality, you can satisfy that craving. If you are looking for just a quick read, maybe something light to give you a "wow" effect, then maybe this isn't the book for you. If, however, you are looking for something that takes time and dedication to learn, or if you want to learn it all about body modification without paying an expert (and sometimes paying a hefty amount for one) then this is definitely the book for you. It's my hope that this book will be a useful tool in helping you to learn and understand all that is body modification, not just piercing. How To Use This Book The most important thing you can do with this book is to take advantage of the resources it contains. I have spent so much time reading this book that I can truly say I have made it mine. I have included in the book everything I feel is necessary for you to find the information you need to create a body modification. The book also contains many pictures and pictures of me as I was going through the book. I had about fifty pictures taken and I wanted you to see exactly how I went through the process of having different piercings, as well as photos of me looking normal. If it feels like something didn't fit, try looking at the pictures again. The pictures aren't my best work, but it will help guide you. I have used a lot of technical terms in this book, so I felt it was necessary to add a section that explains them. That way, if you don't know what something means, you can look it up. This will also help you gain a better understanding of why we do what we do, which is important in the long run. The sections I included also include pictures of everything that is explained, so you can have a visual image of what you are learning. The book is divided into sections according to the different types of piercings, the types of modifications that are done and different styles of modification, so you can find the page easily, or go to a section that interests you. If you have any questions, you can look at the index and find the information you need. If there is an explanation of something that you don't understand, there is usually more information available so you can learn more about it. The Index ## Introduction There is something new in this world every day, and you are going to learn about it. You will look at things in a new way, and find a new way to think. You will look at things as you never have before. These are the things you will be doing. I'm here to explain things that you will have probably never seen before. Once you start seeing the things around you in this new way, you will always see them differently. You may find new ways to express yourself that you couldn't see before, or even have fun while expressing yourself. You may decide to change your way of thinking to better accommodate you to this new world you have found. We live in an age where we have unlimited access to the world's information. There are so many other cultures that you probably didn't even know existed when you were a child. While you were growing up you were probably told there was only one culture. After having a look at all these different cultures, now you may be able to see them all as different and unique, and maybe more different from the culture you used to live in. I lived in a little town when I was growing up. The town I lived in was one that had a large Native American population and also a large Scandinavian population. Most of the people who lived in my town would have considered themselves Scandinavian and the only Native Americans that lived there lived on a reservation. They were not part of the population that my town was made up of. My town was predominantly white, English speaking people. Not only did I not know any Native Americans, I did not know a large number of black people. I was told that black people were just slaves, but I found out that there are other ways to express yourself that I had never seen before. When I discovered that I would be able to learn about these other cultures and express myself through them, it made me feel even more at home. It showed me that there is no right way or wrong way to express yourself. Before, when I thought about having my ears pierced, I had a preconceived notion of how I wanted it to look. It was a part of me. After taking the initial piercing and having to live with that for a couple months, I realized that I didn't like it. It looked better than I expected it to. I made this part of myself fit what I thought it should look like. It still looked different from what I expected, but it was a part of me that I liked. In this way, this book shows how things that I may have considered ugly, or different from what I was used to, can be something I like. The whole point is to make this something that I want. Everything in this book came from some thought process I had where I asked myself, "What would look better than this?" and "Can I make this look the way I want?" In that process, I've discovered that by allowing myself to make the choices I did, I am able to learn a lot more about the world around me. In the past, I had let society tell me how I should look. This is why I felt limited and restricted, and was not happy. It was a feeling I always carried around with me. I have learned so much through taking this experience in this book. I have discovered that this entire world can be a lot more colorful than I expected. I have created a new dimension to myself that has enabled me to learn to love myself and be comfortable with myself. I have been able to express myself in ways that I never thought were possible. My curiosity about the world I live in has led me to wanting to do a lot more than just go to school, or work my day job. I want to challenge myself and keep my mind active and interested. I want to keep learning new things and discovering things about myself. I want to do more than just exist for the day to