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o_O; how in HELL is that how you interpret what i said? o_O; if you like it cause you like it, that IS your personal reason. it would be nice to appreciate the designer's touches, yeh, but that isn't any nessesity i think people need to have.

the difference is that Body Mods are meant to be permanant, they are sacred, their like a Marriage. when you get one, it's meant to last forever. but same as marriage, that is taken for granted in these days. people will get them without taking th time to be sure it's the one they want, then when they change their mind they go through the requisite process to undo it, or else are left to regret it for teh rest of their lives.

clothing (like that dress you mentioned) can be put on and taken off. it isn't permanant.

see, there is nothing wrong with a person getting atattoo because they lik ethe way it looks, but that doesn't automatically mean superficial. superficial means to appeal to the majority of those around you, rather than appeal to yourself. when you get a tattoo it should be something that you do for you, and it shouldn't be done all willy-nilly. i'm not saying it needs some deep spiritual meaning behind it, some bodily decoration is a.o.k. but to get a tattoo of something cause it's in fashion is stupid and regrettable.

hey, it's there choice, but it definately says something about that person, and it bothers me. confused i won't tell something that they can't do it, it's their right. but doesn't mean i have to agree with it or like it.

i was in fact aware of the measurement terminology for Gauge, but i have also seen it described in the dictionary as a type of Body Mod. i do think that you take the definition of Grammar Nazi to a whole new level, but i don't mean that in offense. xd clearly it is just that you seem very Linguistically Conservative, which definately helps for the integrity of Language, if stifling the Flexibility or Progressiveness of it, pardon the Political terms.

though when i said that Tall used to mean Handsome, i meant that it was before we expanded the meaning of Handsome. it was also before that very quote "Tall, Dark and Handsome" came about. Tall at one point did NOT refer to hight, it was merely used as a Compliment to express how Regal or Dignified someone was.

although i think your marriage analogy is a bad one because, like most matters of the heart, i think that the real meaning & requirements & all that are really subjective, i agree than many people get tattoos without consideration for the future. however, not all body mods are meant to be permanent. piercings can be taken out & depending on the piercing, can heal back.

& i don't think you're clear on the definition of superficial, but i won't argue semantics with you. & i agree with you on the tattoos. it is usually regrettable to get a tattoo on a whim & you are entitled to think it is a bad choice. however, you said mods in general. do you think its just as bad to get a piercing on a whim?

i do. as you said, they can e taken out and allowed to heal... but why would you do that without a good reason? it's not only a waste of money, but also impractical. same as a marriage. you theoretically can get a divorce, but if you do it should be for a good reason, not just some minor problem.

and if you get married in a rush and realize that you arn't meant for eachother, well, there's a divorce process to go through, or else regret to live with. and either way, it's shameful.

and hah! xd marriage isn't nessesarilly a matter of Heart. in america it is legally supposed to be so, but come on... people have always and still do marry out of conviencience. it isn't hard to fake it.

I am not trying to be hostile, you are misunderstanding my intentions completely. I don't care If you ignore me. But please understand that it is not the only solution. I believe that if you wanted to you could try to understand me, and there for the bad feelings you have about me would go away.

one would take out a piercing because they no longer want it for whatever reason. it's as much of a waste of money as upgrading technology is. i don't think it's all that impractical or costly.

& i don't believe that a divorce is always shameful. that's subjective. it depends on the parties involved. & i still think marriage is a bad analogy because all the traditions & stigmas & meanings surrounding it are subjective.

& if you think most people marry for connivence, there must not be much shame in living with the regret.

but i'm not going to discuss marriage as a legal institution because then i will go on a tirade about the flaws in the system here in the states & why it's ridiculous that same-sex marriage is not legal across the board.

Body mods are a purely selfish thing. You get them solely because you want to and you like them. They are probably one of the most selfish things out there, at least as far as "fashion" is concerned. We all need clothes, for warmth and protection as well as because society says so, so if we're required to wear it, why not make it beautiful? That's the fun of clothes.

Body mods are a whole different beast. They are PURELY selfish. They are not necessary to survival or social rules, they are just there because the wearer wants them. Even memorial tattoos, that everyone says "I got for this person who died", are selfish. Funerals and memorial services, of any and all kinds, are for the living's benefit, not the dead's. Body mods are the same way. They are gotten JUST because the wearer wants them, and no other reason.

This is why piercings are great. If you get one and decide you don't like it, you can take it out, let it heal, then get something new. Of course you want to get something you're pretty sure you'll like, because you're right, why waste time money and pain on something you're just going to take out anyway? But if you see something you like better and want that piercing instead, is it so bad to take out an old one and get the new? I don't see the problem.

Not every tattoo or piercing needs a deep meaning. Sometimes, especially when tattoos are concerned, someone just wants to be a walking canvas. Sure, the tattoo itself might mean something, like the various meanings and symbolism behind flowers, but outside of that, does it need a deep, profound meaning? I personally think the shorter the story behind a tattoo, the more genuine it is. If there's a huge, long, involved story behind it it makes me think the wearer is making it up to try and cover up some mistake or misunderstanding.

My sleeve is this way. Outside of each element's meaning (the lanterns, the gate, the cherry blossoms and Hell Girl), I just wanted it because I thought it would make a beautiful sleeve project. Plain and simple. If I tried to explain it like "There 8 lanterns in total. The letter in the alphabet that correspond to the letter H, representing Heaven and Hell." And went on and on about that and the rest of the elements, it would just be too much and no one cares. Each element has a one or two sentence explanation of what it means, and that's it.

And what more profound meaning behind a body mod do you need besides "I think it makes me more beautiful, don't you think?" So long as your piercings and tattoos are well executed, and healthy and clean, I have to agree.