Tattoos, piercings and body modifications: why?

[joost]

I don't consider chewing fingernails to be body modifications. It's, to me, the same category as shaving off your hair (I do both by the way). In a sense it could be considered healthy, since you're removing waste products from your body .

About cutting: There is an artform called scarification. It's a tattoo created by deliberately creating scars on the skin. Definitely not my thing but some amazing things have been created in this field. The most beautiful scarification I've ever seen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37996580417...790777327/