Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

My body, my art

By Paul Taçon - posted Wednesday, 5 April 2006


Some children quickly express streaks of independence, wanting to choose clothes or change the appearance of their hair before the age of two. Others patiently sit back, watching and learning the norms of their family, society and cultural group until one day they will imitate them.

But whichever the case, children quickly learn the “proper” codes of dress and adornment. Whether they consistently follow these rules is another matter, with teenagers everywhere often rebelling or protesting adult ways by purposely adorning themselves against common practice.

In Western society this has become so prevalent that whole subcultures have arisen with their own rules and modes of body art and practice. The consequence is that today, in modern day Australia, America or Europe, to get a tattoo or piercing might more be an expression of conforming rather than rebelling.

Advertisement

Interestingly, in recent years there has been a movement toward indigenous tattoo designs among Western youth, and a comparable inverse preference toward Western designs by the young of the Pacific Islands and other traditional tattoo-practicing nations.

Even some bikie gangs are changing from heavy metal and rose designs to elaborate displays of native Australian flowers, sometimes revealing glimpses of the Opera House or even the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Body shaping is another area that has undergone a transformation in recent times. Head binding, neck stretching, foot binding, and corsets were once all the rage in some cultures. Tooth filing, finger amputation, lip stretching and ear elongation were also practised in a variety of ceremonial and cultural contexts. Then came facelifts, nose jobs, tooth rearrangement by specialists called “orthodontists”, and breast implants.

Today, changes to the shape of one’s body are limited only by money and imagination. Liposuction - the vacuuming of fat from under the skin - is increasingly being used to lose weight quickly, to shape and sculpt a “new you”

Nips and tucks can be performed almost anywhere one desires; the length or width of the penis can be increased; and almost any blemish considered unsightly can be removed.

Plastic surgery is not just for accident victims but more often is a tool for body art. However, this form of body art can be particularly painful, expensive and time-consuming; a sacrifice that many feel is worth making because of the resulting perceived attractiveness, self-confidence and self-esteem.

Advertisement

For many people, the more time, dedication, pain and toil put into their adornment, the more they feel empowered. In group settings, this is often associated with some form of initiation, and initiation always involves sacrifice and confrontation.

For individuals, the pain and endurance of some forms of body art mimic those of group initiation, giving highs worth repeating. For others, their body is a life’s work, a piece of performance art that is continually being refined and added to.

In extremes, this leads to every part of the body tattooed, from head to foot. Or it may lead to an eclectic composition of ink, steel, scar tissue, animal products, clothing and precious stones set on a sculpted human form that continually changes with the application of paints, dyes and hair-pieces.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. 3
  5. All

Article edited by Allan Sharp.
If you'd like to be a volunteer editor too, click here.

This is the second part of a two-part article. The first part was published in On Line Opinion. The full article is a modified version of an essay first published in 2000 in the Australian Museum exhibition catalogue Body Art (Outback Print, Mosman). The Australian Museum retains copyright but has kindly consented to the republication in this format. See more on body art and the exhibition. Read part one here.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

12 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Professor Taçon joined the School of Arts in February 2005. He was previously based at the Australian Museum, Sydney, for 14 years from January 1991. He was Principal Research Scientist in Anthropology from mid-1998 to early 2005 and from 1995 to 2003 he was Head of the Australian Museum’s People and Place Research Centre. He is an anthropologist, archaeologist and photographer who specialised in collaborative research involving creative artists, scientists, Indigenous peoples and other members of the broader community.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Paul Taçon
Related Links
On Line Opinion - A statement of identity

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 12 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy