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Body modification as we know it has to do with any physical body alteration. However, body modification inclines a broad category that is practised for different reasons: cultural, rites, social, religious, and aesthetic.
That being said, fashion is a popular style at every particular time in history and in our modern world.
Many researchers have questioned what the origins of certain styles came from.
What is the oldest form of body modification? and what are some examples of body modification?
To answer these questions, we have compiled ten ancient practices of body modification used for fashion.
Cave dwellers used ginger to colour their hair millions of years ago, during the Stone Age.
The ancient Egyptians employed henna to conceal their greys, and they could also cover them with crimson, blue, green, and gold plant extracts, in addition to black.
The Romans and Greeks employed lead oxide and calcium hydroxide; subsequently, they utilized fermented leeches after realizing that the other combination was too toxic.
Furthermore, Roman prostitutes were compelled to colour their hair yellow to advance their jobs
In the late 19th century, the first modern dye was discovered by accident.
Professor Willian Henry Perkins was trying to find a cure for Malaria but he occasionally created the formula we use today.
The only downside back then was the colours, a pinkish purple.
L'Oréal created the first commercial hair colour over fifty years ago.
Today, more than half of all women in the United States colour their hair, and more than two-thirds have done it at least once in their lives.
Tattoos have also been present for a long time; it was a popular costume in Ancient Egypt, as well as in what is now France, Portugal, and Scandinavian nations.
Based on 12,000-year-old ancient implements discovered in locations.
Tattoos are reported to have been used for healing, religious devotion, gaining prestige, mystical abilities, accomplishments, or even punishments.
With the emergence of Christianity, the tradition began to wane as it was considered barbarous.
It was later brought back through abroad journeys in the 16th century as a result of indigenous people being taken back to Europe. Then sailors and poor people had some.
Then came a time when only the bourgeoisie could afford them. They slowly became cheaper since the ’60s.
Now in America, about 30% of people have a tattoo, and the numbers keep rising.
It is mainly used for fashion purposes and is more and more welcomed in professional, social, environments.
Scarification, the purposeful creation of scars on human skin by skinning (cutting one's skin and removing it), abrasion (rubbing ink, chemical agents, or other objects on it) to get the desired designs, was used as early as 8000 BC, according to archaeological data.
A sculpture of the fertility goddess was discovered in Jordan's Ain Ghazal, with extensive scarification around the buttocks and abdomen.
Apart from Europe, evidence of the operation could be uncovered all around the world.
Scarification is used as a social, cultural, or political gesture, rite of passage and age grade, to promote sexual attraction and enhance sexual life, group and cultural identity, spiritual relationships, aesthetic values, medicinal, and healing rituals, and to demonstrate the ability to endure pain.
Now it is mainly done by teenagers as an act of despair, punks, fraternities, and sororities or for the nostalgia of the exoticism being ancient societies, or to look different, good, and unique.
It's difficult to say why, how, or when our desire to pierce holes in our bodies began.
Otzi, the earliest mummy ever discovered dating from 3,300 BC, had his ear pierced.It was primarily a male accessory.
Julius Cesar had his ear pierced and only Pharaohs could have their navel pierced; anyone else found with this piercing was executed.
Men's genital piercings were used for sport and to keep slaves from having sex in ancient Greece and Rome.
Septum piercings were common among tribes as a way to make warrior men appear more intimidating.
To converse with the gods, Aztec and Mayan Shamans and priests would pierce their tongues.
Now, young baby girls get pierced almost at birth and in the U.S. 32% are pierced.
Branding or stigmatizing, or burning the skin to leave scars, is frequently done with metal and fire, even though many other techniques, such as moxibustion (with incense), chemicals, small iron bars (striking), electrosurgery branding, freezing (cold iron), and cautery pen, have been developed over the centuries.
Historically, branding was mostly employed on animals.
When pushed onto humans, this most likely fosters feelings of guilt, shame, and humiliation.
Runaway slaves, for example, were burned with the letter "f" by ancient Romans.
Slaves were burned as proof of possession in various civilizations.
Prostitutes were and continue to be branded in the same way by their pimps or owners.
Today, branding has lost some of its negative connotations.
People used it as an identity, body decoration, rites of passage in fraternities, or even as a religious initiation in some sects like Vaishnavism because it would supposedly heights the state of awareness.
Though skin-lightening methods were not widely documented, prominent people have been reported to have done it throughout history.
Queen Elizabeth used arsenic wafers, Cleopatra used honey and olive oil, while the Greeks and Romans applied mercury to their skin.
It was most likely first used to conceal birthmarks and dark areas.
Then a simple stigma was established: white is pure, and black is bad.
Later, pale complexion was connected with wealth and position because only the wealthy could afford not to labour in the fields, thereby avoiding exposure to the sun.
People have used chalk or dust, powder, paint and white lead, mercury, and cashew milk throughout history.
Many of them were hazardous to one's bodily and mental well-being.
However, it appears that prestige and opportunity are more significant than some side effects such as hair loss, skin corrosion, muscular paralysis, teeth decay, blindness, rapid ageing, skin cancer development, and so on.
Ironically, skin bleaching has grown in popularity among African diasporas since the period of independence, as colonies used commodity racism - whiteness - to peddle their wares.
Even more ironically, in the 1930s, it became a sign of luxury among individuals with pale skin who wanted to darken it with sun-tanning lotion, tanning machines, or excessive sun exposure at the beach resort.
Everyone seems to want what they don't have.
Plastic surgery dates back 4,000 years, with surgeons primarily using skin grafts to cure face injuries or as healing procedures.
The emergence of Christianity in the Middle Ages caused yet another transformation in human ideas and behaviour.
Religion and mysticism gained control over science. Pope Innocent III made surgery illegal under ecclesiastical law.
However, during the Renaissance, development occurred, and eyelid operations were conducted, possibly laying the groundwork for surgical breast reduction.
Then, the 1st world war caused significant advancement.
Military physicians facing modern weaponry had to implement innovations and reconstruction methods to give back people a good physical appearance, which was already linked to a high degree of success.
It started to be more mainstream in the ’60s and the ’70s with the discovery of silicon.
As plastic surgery became more affordable, surgeons were then forced to do more cosmetic surgery.
As now botox is our anti-ageing go-to, shows like ”extreme makeovers” are controversial but still extensively watched.
Over 1.8 million cosmetic surgeries were performed in 2018 and numbers are increasing and the age of participants decreased.
A lopsided smile was probably always frowned upon.
To treat dental, ancient cultures used cords composed of catgut (a fire found in the stomach) rather than metal brackets.
Canines were being stuffed in Bali because they indicated rage and jealousy.
Many tribes, like the Amhara, Azande, Maasai, and Nuer are still filing or removing their teeth for spiritual reasons or would sacrifice them to gods in 100 AD.
The Mayans showcased their riches by carving symbols or placing jade right into their teeth, which we may today relate to rappers' ancestors Grillz.
Because of inadequate hygiene and a lack of technology, these changes would be fraught with danger, suffering, illnesses, and fatalities.
A trip to the dentist or orthodontics is now almost routine and accepted.
Straight white teeth are essential and braces are their rite of passage to beauty.
Fillings and the ablation of an extra set of teeth, on the other hand, serve a completely practical purpose in modern culture.
Perhaps we are and will always be drawn to strong and healthy bodies.
Spartans or Gladiators in Rome, Prussians, or Greeks training in gymnasiums to increase their strength date back a long time.
It then found its way to India, where weight training with dumbbells became popular.
Weightlifting was accompanied by a vehicle pulling and lifting animals in the 17th century.
It would draw audiences who would cheer on the strongmen.
Later in the twentieth century, competition such as Mr America took over and evolved through the years to become a massive competition up to the 1950s and 1960s.
Today, the amount of people working out is bigger than ever.
Men and women are getting ripped and the usage of protein shakes or other substances is acceptable.
Moreover going to the gym is a trend, looked upon as something good, being cut for men, and at least fit for women is a beauty standard.
It developed in East Africa as a method of purifying the body by lowering sexual pleasure.
The tradition was later adopted as a religious rite and as one of God's commandments to Abraham by Jews and Muslims all across the world.
However, the Greeks and Romans valued the prepuce so much that they enacted rules to keep it from being sniped.
The removal of the male foreskin is now the most prevalent procedure in the United States. Ethical or not, and usually performed on newborns, adult men all around the world choose to go under the knife.
It is supposed to be better, less strange, and healthier.
According to research, it can help reduce a man's chance of contracting HIV, urinary tract infections, and penile cancer.
Whether it is done for religious, medical, social, or cultural it is still genital mutilation.
Influenced by peer pressure reinforced by porn’s hoodless hairless penises, focus on the aesthetic but disregard the benefits of the foreskin, protecting the penis from abrasion, and being sexually sensitive.
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