Encylopedia of Body Adornment.pdf - Print My Tattoo

212 PAIN
menstruation. Among the Tlingit, for example, the girl would often be secluded
from society for months at a time, initially fasting in darkness, during which time
her lip would be sliced open and a bone or stick inserted into the hole. When she
is reincorporated into society as a woman, her old clothes are burnt and a feast
is held in her honor, at which time her first labret will be inserted into the lip
hole. For the Tlingit, and for many other tribes, the labret marks her status as a
marriageable woman, and she is generally married soon afterward.
In all cases, the first labret was small, and would be replaced by increasingly
larger labrets as the hole grew bigger. For that reason, labret size indicated both
age and also status. The material used to make the labret also could indicate status,
with the highly valued blue beads only worn by the wealthiest people. While most
labrets were worn below the lip, between the lip and the jaw, some tribes wore
labrets, which were typically round plugs, on both sides of the lips.
The traditions of wearing labrets and tattoos started to disappear in the nineteenth
century as missionary activity as well as commercial whaling disrupted cultural
traditions. Among some groups, however, they simply replaced the large
labret that was traditionally worn with a small silver pin, maintaining the tradition
over time.
See also: Inuit; Labrets; Native Americans; Nose Piercing
Further Reading: Griffin, Joy. “Labrets and Tattooing in Native Alaska.” In Arnold Rubin,
ed., Marks of Civilization: Artistic Transformations of the Human Body. Los Angeles: Museum
of Cultural History, UCLA, 1988; Jonaitis, Aldona. “Women, Marriage, Mouths and Feasting:
The Symbolism of Tlingit Labrets.” In Arnold Rubin, ed., Marks of Civilization: Artistic
Transformations of the Human Body. Los Angeles: Museum of Cultural History, UCLA, 1988.
PAIN
The permanent body modifications discussed in this book, as well as a number of
the body play practices, involve anywhere from a small amount to a considerable
amount of pain.
Tattooing, piercing, branding, scarification, cutting, as well as practices like
circumcision, when not conducted under anesthesia, can be quite painful. For
most people getting these procedures, the pain is something to be endured in
order to achieve the desired result. For others, enduring the pain is a badge of
honor and strength, to be displayed proudly. For still others, however, the pain is
a part of the process, to be experienced and overcome, rather than to be avoided.
Many practices in the body modification community are based on an acceptance
of pain. Pain is seen as a tool for self-transformation, and many body modification
practitioners follow the “no pain, no gain” motto in an effort to use pain in order
to achieve growth. Being able to control pain, and turn it to one’s advantage, is
another benefit, as is testing oneself to see how far one can go, and how much
pain one can endure.
For others, especially those who practice BDSM, the sensations associated with
pain are felt to be pleasurable and even addictive. As endorphins are released