| Bodyart is a catch-all term for the things people do to decorate their bodies. It may include those little stick-on transfers, glitter stars etc, through henna/mehndi designs, piercing and tattooing, branding, cutting, implants, or even amputation. This end of the spectrum tends to be referred to as body modification. BME (Body Modification Ezine) is dedicated to this kind of stuff, and does it pretty well. Bodyart as a concept is a child of the late 20th century, although many of the practices encompassed by it are as old as time itself.
In recent years, the appeal of bodyart has widened, and unfortunately even children are jumping onto what has become a bandwagon. There was once a certain cachet to getting a tattoo. Now if you're 15 years old and have a note from your Mom, you too can get a tribal design on your forehead and a labial piercing. Sigh...
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