Tattoos, piercings and body modifications: why?

[Nuytsia]

I WAS going to say that I couldn't answer your question as to 'why' as I have no piercings or tattoos, but then I remembered I DID have my ears pierced....

I never really considered tattoo basically because I hate pain..... and piercings the same, BUT woops hang on I got my ears pierced.....
I guess if it's something you know a LOT of other people have had done then you think how bad could it be....... (although a lot of other people have had babies and I bet that HURTS A LOT)

(and having clip on earrings on your ears really hurts after a period of time so in the long run having my ears pierced SAVED me pain)

I suppose I can... kind of see why people take tattoos, but I have to ask: isn't the permanence of the thing a little scary? I imagine that a tattoo design is not chosen lightly.

What I don't understand at all, however, are piercing. Little rings or nubs of metal through your skin? I don't see the beauty in that - I don't want to offend anyone, but when I see someone with a head full of metal walk by, it revulses me a bit. And that's not even getting into more intimate places - I remember a girl I knew a few years back who told me and a few friends ecstatically that she had her left nipple pierced. I mean, what the hell? Similarly, getting one's tongue pierced just sounds painful and inconvenient. To say nothing of pierced genitals...

Although I would never want a tattoo, I can sort of understand why. But piercings? Part of me is convinced that it must be a symptom of something - a healthy person does not stick pieces of metal through his or her sensitive areas.