Body Art and Ornamentation Essay

There is no polish in which tidy sum do not, or did not paint, pierce, tattoo, reshape, or simply adorn their bodies (Schildkrtaboo, 2001). passim history, corpse finesse and decoration has become a humankindwide phenomenon and has vie a key p blind in our get it ons, yet there is a sociable stigma which we give noticenot seem to rid ourselves of. It is around commonly construe and misinterpreted which can be attributed to the fact that the symbolism and significance of the corpse dodgework and/or ornamentation doesnt al r egresses translate the same among the cultures. Although western sandwich culture faces torso art and ornamentation as creationness associated with naughtiness and rebellion, Japanese and African cultures use it as a way of expressing spiritualty as well as cultural expression. The existence of body art and ornamentation can be traced all the way back xxx thousand years or more back to when cavemen drew pictures on the cave walls. check to K uhn & Stiner (n.d.), the alteration and enhancement of ones body originated from the Kapthurin formation in Kenya. Anthropologists even believe that body art and ornamentation was present during the Middle Pleistocene in both Eurasia and Africa. prospect and art be two factors that play a fundamental fragmentise in African culture. According to Clarke (2006), many African societies symbolically view body art and ornamentation as a special role in guiding ones destiny and success, mediating between world of the living as well as the spiritual world, expressing community ideals, formation power and leadership, protecting and healing, and celebrating or commemorating the cycles of life, human and agricultural.African culture uses a variety of ways to display their body art and ornamentation depending on which society they live in. These ways include incorporating shells, teeth, or claws into their fit out or jewelry, wearing colored body paint, exaggerating human features (i.e. elongation of the neck), gauging piercings in the ears and/or lip, scarification, and tattooing. Looking from another cultures perspective, the various forms of African body art and ornamentation atomic number 18 seen as being weird, out of the ordinary, and we dont say the importance they hold inwardly these African cultures. On the other hand, there are other cultures much(prenominal) as the Japanese, who instead of outwardly portraying their body art and ornamentation testament instead conceal it so it wont be evident at all.The first signs of body art and ornamentation which appear in the Japanese culture were first noted as originating all the way back to AD 297 (Rapp, 2010). Back then, tattoos would signify which occupational congregation accepted(a) men belonged to and men, both young and old, would get tattoos all over their bodies including their faces. custody would even go as further as getting wide-eyed body tattoos which could be found on laborers, firemen, and gangsters (Hopkins-Tanne, 2000). The Chinese considered all Japanese tattoos an act of barbarism and was perceived as being extremely negative. The body art and ornamentation that exists and has existed indoors the Japanese culture spreads beyond however tattooing and there are a few other methods that they used. First, many marry Japanese women or courtesan in the 10th by nineteenth centuries would apply a paste to their teeth which would blacken them (Schildkrout, 2001). This was considered as being beautiful as well as sexually appealing to where as we would view that as abnormal and ugly. Secondly, they would bind the womens feet in set out to make them smaller and the process was extremely excruciating, but again, it was considered as being beautiful.The pain that was felt and the blood that was shed served as an offering to the gods, ancestors, and spirits (2001). On the other end of the spectrum, culture within the United States has a split view regarding body art an d ornamentation. In the United States, forms of body art and ornamentation can include tattoos, piercings, branding, corseting, scarification, gauging the earlobe, make-up, plastic surgery, and dental implants (Schwarz, 2006). We live in a society where we idolize and preach the importance of fleshly attractiveness. In insideng so, there is the separation of individuals into five different groups that exist within the genial structure. The five groups include the conforming group, the innovators, ritualists, retreatists, and the rebellion group (Rapp, 2010). The conformist group consists of individuals who understand and accept the emphasis on the watcher of the body in its innate state and the only type of body art or ornamentation thats used is superficial. On the other hand, the individuals who are classified as innovators accept the whole concept of the beauty of the natural body, but go to the extremes to achieve this. The individuals who refuse to conform to what society h as deemed as beautiful yet maintains a natural body and stays within certain bounds regarding body art and ornamentation. Retreatists include individuals who dont abide by the guidelines of proper hygiene as well as body art and ornamentation and wont acknowledge the beauty of the natural body. Lastly, there are individuals who are set out to diversity the social structure and bring about a new frame of body art and ornamentation and they make up the rebellion group (2010). Nowadays, in American culture we see body art and ornamentation, such as tattoos and piercings, as being gratifying as well as fashionable. Its not uncommon to see people have a variety of body art, ornamentation, and body modification performed. The majority of people go and get tattoos when they experience a pivotal point in their lives as well as trying to create a sense of identity for themselves.Everyone tries to be original in their own way, but the end firmness is the creation and growth of conformity . By this, I mean that everyone is going out and getting tattoos, piercings, or plastic surgery and theyre trying to be original, but when all is said and done, they begin to blend in with one another. No matter what people say or do, a stigma has remained attached to all the various kinds of body art and ornamentation. According to Schwarz (2006), tattoos continue to not be entirely accepted and are a barrier to the economic success which is central to the American dream. For example, most employers have rules for their employees stating that they cannot have any panoptical tattoos and/or piercings that are visible to the popular. This could be partly because there are individuals that could be offended and businesses could vex from a loss of customers and sales. In the American culture, tattoos are not acceptable in a number of situations especially when it has to do with the general public (2006). The highest percentage of the American culture that has body art and ornamentati on can be found in the younger generations. Many teens go through a period in their lives where they feel the need to rebel against the social norm especially to spite their parents. Their choices of body art and ornamentation are indicative of their attitudes and determine (Crapo, 2013). Attitudes are statements of ones preferences while values are what we consider good or bad (2013). This plays into why certain individuals look down upon body art and ornamentation and end up enforcing the negative stigma. In conclusion, the implementation of body art and ornamentation is a designated way of indicating the various cultural differences that exist within cultures worldwide. The main crusade there has been the rise in the popularity of body art and ornamentation is a result of cultural commercialism. Despite how hard we try to eliminate the social stigma of body art and ornamentation, it will never completely be gone. Unfortunately, we cant have everyones personal opinion be the sam e as one another, but there is one affair that we can do. We can make the effort to educate the various cultures on one another so that we are able to comprehend the style that is used, the meaning of symbols, myths and legends, and social values. People in different cultures continue focalization on the negative aspects of body art and ornamentation, but if we were able to understand one another, the idea of peace on earth isnt that far out of reach.ReferencesClarke, C. (2006). The art of africa A response for educators. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved from Ebscohost database Crapo, R.H. (2013). Cultural anthropology. San Diego, CA Bridgepoint Education Hopkins-Tanne, J. (2000). carcass art Marks of identity. British Medical Journal. doi 320(7226)64 Kappeler, P., Stahl, J., & Wohlrab, S. (2006). Modifying the body Motivations for getting tattooed and pierced. Science Direct Body Image 4, 87-95. Retrieved from http//www.sociodep.hku.hk/bbf/BBF%20Readings%20W12/W12%20 Modifying_the_Body.pdf Kuhn, S.L. & Stiner, M.C. (n.d.) Body ornamentation as information applied science Towards an understanding of the significance of early beads. Retrieved from http//courses.washington.edu.archyaec/archy401/readings/kuhn-beads.pdf